Dad to dad

This is based on our own experience, and we're still learning every race day. If you have better advice, let us know and we'll happily include it.

First, the name "Dads and Lads" doesn't mean it's only for men. There are plenty of mums, nans and sisters involved, and it's great to see more and more girls taking to the track. The expression is just used to describe "home run" teams, as opposed to the more expensive professional race teams.

Maybe, like me, your son or daughter has been to the dreaded karting party. Or they want to be the next F1 driver. Or you've been on holiday and seen the karting tracks tempting you to take the kids for a day out. (I remember taking Zenico when he was around 8 on a double-seat kart in Lanzarote. The safety was appalling, and we were lucky to get out without injury!)

As a parent, you'll probably be sharing the same thoughts my wife and I had:

• Is it safe?
• That's a lot of money for a 15-minute session.
• Go-karting? Really? Why not football?
• Is this going to be another fad, like the street dancing lessons?
• He wanted a puppy, but look who walks and feeds the dog now!

Let's start with the first thing many parents say in the paddock:

Yes, karting can be expensive, but there are options. I cover hire karts and owner karts in another section, so here I'll concentrate on the "Dad and Lad" side of karting.

The day has come. Your child has been in the hire karts and may even have won a few trophies to gather dust on your sideboard. Now you're looking through Facebook Marketplace at second-hand karts, joining every karting group you can find, and your feed is full of posts you don't understand. You've searched Google and found nothing but kart shops and tracks, and frankly you're lost. And I bet a friend knows someone who was the best karter ever, and was so close to being the next Lewis Hamilton at Buckmore Park.

My advice? Stop now. Rushing in will waste your money and your time. Get it wrong at the first hurdle and you risk the safety of your child.

One of the first things I wish I'd done was visit the Motorsport UK website to understand the minefield of karts and classes. So I'll save you a mouse click and explain them below, as the site is a monster full of things you don't need to know yet.

The kart classes

Karting is split into four main categories: Cadet, Junior, Senior and Gearbox, plus a Bambino class. As we're talking about kids, I'll stick to Bambino, Cadet and Junior.

Source: karting.co.uk. Classes and weights change, so always check the current regulations.

Bambino

When you visit a track on an "owners day", your jaw will drop at 6-year-olds in custom race suits, helmets and neck braces, racing (slowly) round the track in mini karts. Parents try to catch them as they come into the pits, and I've even seen kids drive the wrong way round, with red flags waving and a marshal running on to turn them round before a head-on collision!

Zenico started a little later, so we skipped the Bambino stage. Hats off to the parents who let their little ones start that young. I don't think I could have done it. My stomach still churns when Zenico gets in his kart.

IAME Cadet

This is where the excitement begins. I watch the skills of some of the 8-year-olds in awe. They have no fear. The IAME is a restricted 60cc engine, but it still has a top speed of 40 to 50mph. It's not as popular as Honda Cadet.

Honda Cadet

This was Zenico's first class. There are two engines, the GX160 and the now more popular GX200. The Cadet is an excellent starter kart for the more mature 8-year-old, and kids can use it until they're 13. The engine looks like your lawnmower engine: pull and go! It needs very little maintenance and I think they're bulletproof. I've seen Zenico's GX160 hit 57mph on the straight with the right gearing, but the GX200 has the edge and is the better option.

I didn't have personal experience of the next classes when I wrote this, but here's what I learned.

Junior TKM 2S

This is the first class with a minimum driver weight. In the other classes you can bolt lead weights to the kart to make up the minimum. Zenico has never been a big eater, so his weight was a worry for moving up, but he was determined, and washed down protein drinks like there was no tomorrow!

Rotax

Then it's the kart all the kids want: the Rotax! These aren't pull-and-go engines. They need fuel mixing and a deeper understanding of mechanics. I often see dads in the paddock swearing at their karts when they can't get them working. If your child hasn't reached their teenage years yet, I'd recommend staying in Cadet while you learn your trade as the dad mechanic.

The good thing about Rotax is the chassis. The frame is mostly the same across the classes, and the engine is restricted by chips (not the ones that come with fish!). As your child grows, the chip is changed to allow different restrictions.

Remember, Rotax karts are fast. If your child is going straight into one, I strongly recommend using a race team for the first few sessions as a taster before you spend your hard-earned money. For more on Junior Rotax, read Tim's guide.

As for X30 Mini, Junior and OK Junior, I confess I don't have a clue. I've seen them at the track, but I'd be lying if I said I knew about them.

So what do parents actually get out of it?

I'm sure your kids spend hours on Roblox or Fortnite, then watch TikToks we don't understand. (How can a child watch hours of unboxing videos?) They say more into a headset than they tell us when we ask "What did you learn at school today?" and get "Not much, I can't remember."

This is what's good about getting out in the fresh air with your kids. Dragging an excited child out of bed in the morning, seeing them help load the kart and equipment, getting their race suit on, and the look on their face when they know they're about to do something they love. That's why we do it as parents.

At the track you see your child grow in personality and maturity, taking control of a kart without a parent nagging in their ear. They beam with excitement and adrenaline, knowing that what they do on track is their choice and theirs alone.

As a dad, I get to spend time with Zenico. He talks to me, he (sometimes) listens to my not-so-expert advice on racing lines, and he gives me feedback on the kart. It might be pulling left, or not fast enough out of a corner, or the tyres felt wrong. He's the driver, and he knows his kart.

Then I put my thinking hat on and try to fix it, waiting to see if I've got it right next time he's in the seat. If I don't know what's wrong, I ask another parent with more experience, and they're always willing to help.

That's what "Dad and Lad" karting is all about: getting your little cherubs away from their phones and screens, and spending quality time as a family watching them grow and become independent.

Motorsport also attracts a different kind of kid. On race weekends they're not interested in staying out at a mate's house all night. They want to race, supported by their parents, and money can't buy that. They'll make like-minded friends and become part of the racing community.

Like any motorsport, it can be dangerous. But as a parent, you now have something to give that's more than the school run and making sure they're fed and watered. Something a lot of parents don't have.