Ready for the next step? Time to race!

When is the time right?

We had a plan for Zenico and FGKarting. It sort of worked! We took advice from Bayford Meadows Kart Circuit and Project One Racing, and the words that stuck in my head from the professionals were: "No rush, think about that later!"

How true. The boys put in hours in the seat learning their trade, and we still kept them in the hire kart championships. Why, you might ask? Isn't that a waste of money?

For us it was important. On owner days they both set great lap times, but they lacked experience of real racing. Hire karts are a safe place to learn how to race in a pack. They weren't fans of the hire karts, which aren't as fast or thrilling as their own, but they stuck with it.

Zenico had his own kart from February 2023 and FGKarting a month later. We did as many owner days as we could afford and mixed them with hire karts. It was draining, for us and for the boys!

They both passed their ARKS in August 2023 without a hiccup and entered their first Motorsport UK race the weekend after. I'm not a nervous person, but my heart was in my mouth every time they left the pits. They were up against kids who had been racing for years. Afterwards, a few parents told us new racers are normally way off the back of the grid, but our boys held their own, right on the tail of the leaders. Zenico even got P3 and his first official race trophy, and the following race weekend FGKarting got his first Best Rookie trophy!

Our best advice

• Don't rush.
• Listen to the track owners. They watch your kids every time they go out, and they'll tell you when they're ready.
• Get as much seat time as possible before you even think about the ARKS.
• Be prepared financially. Race weekends are expensive, with entry fees and new tyres.
• Don't expect them to win. Expect them to learn.
• Be honest with your children. They'll find it hard, and they'll lose, or get bumped off by more experienced drivers.
• Make sure they learn the flags and read the books. They'll need them for the test.
• Novices race with coloured number plates, and it's like a target on their back for the other racers!

Taking your ARKS test at Bayford Meadows

By Ian Ward, Bayford Meadows Kart Circuit

I can't take credit for this next part. A big thank you to Ian from Bayford Meadows for letting me borrow his excellent, straightforward guide. Every track does things a little differently, so check with your home track how they run the ARKS.

These notes will help you prepare for and take your ARKS test, and explain the admin you'll face when entering your first owner-driver race meeting. The ARKS test makes sure a driver and their equipment are properly prepared to take part safely in Motorsport UK permitted karting events.

Before the test

First, buy the Go Karting starter pack from the Motorsport UK shop (around £64 when this was written, including your first licence). Watch the video included to learn all the flags and procedures used at Motorsport UK events. Some procedures have changed since the video was made, with much of the race meeting admin now done online.

The pack includes the licence application form. Fill it in, attach a passport-size photo of the driver, and sign it before the test day. If the driver is under 18, a Parent/Guardian licence is also needed, with its own passport photo. This is covered on the same form.

Make sure your race equipment meets the safety standards in the video. New drivers sometimes buy the wrong type of helmet, so check yours against the Motorsport UK yearbook. Prepare your kart with black number plate backings on all four sides (race numbers are agreed with the club when you join), the correct race tyres for the class, and a combined kart and driver weight slightly over the class minimum. There's a weighbridge at the circuit if you need to check.

You'll be tested on all the flag signals used in karting and must score 100% to pass.

It's a good idea to do a few test days first to get used to the circuit. Bayford Meadows is one of the most technical circuits in the country, so practice is vital. Don't book the test until you can lap consistently at these dry lap times. On the day, in the dry, you'll be expected to lap within 10% of a midfield grid position.

When you're ready, book through the club website at bmkr.co.uk. Create an Alpha login, click "Enter Event", pick your ARKS test date and class, and choose a race number (put 1 if you don't have one yet). You don't need to fill in chassis and engine details. Submit and check out. If you have a prepaid ARKS voucher, stop after "Submit entry" and bring the voucher on the day.

On the day

Report to the Briefing Centre at 9am with your race suit, helmet and licence application form. You'll sign on and your examiner will explain the schedule. The day follows the format in the ARKS video: a classroom session for the written test, and driving sessions where the examiner watches you drive. All being well, you'll pass and can start planning your first race meeting.

Before your first race meeting

Send your licence application to Motorsport UK. It normally takes up to 10 working days (faster turnaround is available for an extra fee). Licences run for the calendar year, so you renew each January. Sign the back of your licence before your first meeting.

Read the sport's Race with Respect code.

You'll be a novice for your first 6 events, with your race number on a black background. The ARKS test day counts as your first signature. Your upgrade card comes with your licence and should be shown to the Clerk of the Course at the start of each meeting (add a passport-style photo to it). Once you have five signatures plus the ARKS stamp, you're no longer a novice and can use your class's number plate colours.

Read the current championship and supplementary regulations on the club website. They explain how race days and championships run, including timings, race distances, points and awards.

Club race weekends are on the weekend of the third Sunday of the month. The Saturday test day is optional but a chance to practise in your class before Sunday's racing.

Entering a race

1. Log in to the Alpha system from the club website and buy a club membership. You'll choose your class and race number (numbers 1 to 10 are reserved for the previous year's top 10 in each British Championship class).
2. Click "Enter Events" and choose the practice and/or race day. Entries close at noon on the Wednesday before, or when the grid is full, so book early.
3. Upload photos of the front and back of your licence (or the confirmation email if it hasn't arrived).
4. Say whether you have a transponder for timing. If not, the club can hire you one for £15, or you can buy your own from a kart shop.
5. Set up your Alpha "virtual garage" with the serial numbers of your kart and engines. You'll use these for your online scrutineering declaration.

It sounds complicated, but after a couple of times it's straightforward. Once entries close, the club sends final instructions with the timetable. Sign on and complete your scrutineering declaration online (chassis, engines and the barcodes of your slick tyres) by 8.30am on race morning. The club limits how many slicks you can use in the championship, so check the regulations.

At your first meeting

Arriving in the paddock for the first time can be daunting. Find a spot and set up. Keep the final instructions on your phone or printed so you know the timetable.

• If you're hiring a transponder, collect it from race control around 8.30am.
• Pop into the briefing centre to check with the secretary of the meeting that your online paperwork is complete.
• Scrutineers are around all weekend and may check your kart in the paddock. You'll find them in parc fermé, where karts leave the circuit after each session.
• The scales usually close at 8.45am if you want to check your weight.
• The drivers' briefing in parc fermé at 8.45am is compulsory. The Clerk of the Course reminds drivers of the rules and anything special on the day.
• Be on the dummy grid at least 5 minutes before your race or qualifying session.
• When the chequered flag shows, do one more lap at reduced pace without overtaking, then return to the paddock. Only Bambinos come straight into the pits.

Results and grids are published online minutes after each session at Alpha Timing, once any scrutineering or judicial matters are dealt with. A basic live stream runs at each meeting on the club website or YouTube, which is great for family who can't be there.

Any on-track incidents are reviewed by the Motorsport UK steward and two club stewards, who look at reports and camera footage, speak to those involved and make a decision. If you're called to a hearing, go promptly to the Briefing Centre with your licence, and your parent or guardian if you're under 18.

At the end of the day, don't forget to collect your upgrade card and return any hired transponder.

Other venues may have slightly different procedures, so always read their paperwork before entering. I hope you enjoy our sport.

Read more on the Bayford Meadows website