Autosport International, the Racing Car Show, is once again being held at the prestigious Birmingham NEC Venue.  Among the numerous floors of motorsport entertainment there will be a purpose built Go Karting Track.  The track will be available to the public to try their gokart driving skills on an arrive and drive basis.  The car show is open to the public on the 15th and 16th January 2011.  The first two days prior to that are for trade and press only.

On the second day of the exhibition there is also a celebrity charity gokarting team race and members of the public can join an array of motorsport personalities by joining a gokarting team. Availability may well be limited but if you want to demonstrate your gokarting abilities to the Birmingham petrol heads we suggest you book your spaces now.

The Autosport show really has something for everyone and gives people the chance of meeting Formula One drivers as well as TV presenters and motorsport technicians.  More importantly you will be able to see historic cars and the most up to date, and expensive, high performance cars as well as drive in a Formula One simulator.

It really is a show rather than an exhibition offering lots of family fun.

All of us here at gokarting.co.uk will be attending the Birmingham show among the thousands of other visitors and we will let you know who posted the quickest gokarting lap time.

If you want to find out more of what is on offer just click here to see the gokarting area at the Birmingham NEC.

We now know England have reached the World Cup Finals in South Africa and we now know who we will playing against in the Group stage of the competition as well as when.

Now the draw has been announced we at gokarting.co.uk will try to set up the best combined gokarting and football combination, so please keep an eye on our World Cup Specials page http://www.gokarting.co.uk/special-events/world-cup-specials.html which is dedicated to let fellow gokarting enthusiasts know where you can both race and follow every single one of Englands precious goals.  Hopefully we will be able to schedule a race and coverage for each of the matches at one, hopefully more, tracks. Pay close attention the wait is only a couple of months away!!!  Book to ensure your places. Gokarting AND football - we could not think of a better combination.

Call on 020 7476 1234 to find out more about our GoKarting specials.

Big congratulations go to Luke Caudle who put in a stunning series of performances throughout the 2009 season to grab the MINI CHALLENGE Novice Class, Club Class and overall MINI CHALLENGE Championship.

Luke has impressed all observers with his driving technique and his ability.  Even when unexpectedly down in the field he has shown the right mentatility and competitive drive to work his way all the way through the competition.  His smooth driving style nurtured in a gokart has resulted in yet another British driving Champion.

Luke has long been a Race Director at the Raceway and continues to run events for our clients.  If he is Race Director for one of your events just ask him for some driving tips, he will always help.

His motorsport career, like many F1 stars, started with gokarting and he has competed at all levels.  It sometimes helps to work at a gokart track!  His first taste of success was in 2001 when he raced to become the Hoddesdon Kart Club Champion.

His next step will be to defend his Champion status in 2010 and grab the MINI CHALLENGE S Class to boot.

All of us here at www.gokarting.co.uk wish Luke all the very best of British luck.

To find out when the 2010 series starts and look at Luke Caudles past results take a look at the Mini Challenge website on www.minichallenge.co.uk.

The third Lloyds Banking Group GoKarting Charity event was held at the Streatham Indoor Gokarting track on the 10th March. This event saw 55 drivers in 15 proud teams competing for the kudos of being the most professional drivers of Group IT.  We were delighted to see team representation from key suppliers Computacenter, IBM and Microsoft.

There was some great driving skills to behold and some even better crashes; the start was especially exciting with several racers attempting to overtake by going through rather than around the karts in front! Racing was held on the extended 600 metre International track which added to previous years events and made the track more challanging even for the more competent drivers in the group.

There was a clear winner on the night and we would like to congratulate The Three Amigoes (Tony Wetheridge, Steve Baggott and Drew Blackmore) for a fantastic display of gokarting. The other podium places were well contested and this ended up being a vendor affair with IBM pipping Microsoft to second place.

We won’t mention who came last but fair to say they at least enjoyed the evening!

The real success from the event was the generous sponsorship for charities and I’m very pleased to announce that the event raised £770 for the various supported charities, which is a fantastic and impressive amount. The chosen charities were -
British Heart Foundation – Lloyds Banking Groups chosen charity of the year who received £300
Rayleigh International (www.raleighinternational.org) – Water pump system in Borneo have been passed £170
Sport Relief – donated via Robin Mitchells site http://www.mysportrelief.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=71029 received £200
Orchard Cancer Relief to which we passed on £100 whom concentrates on a cure for testicular cancer

Also the are a few people that need thanking for making the event such a success
Jimmy our Race Director on the night who kept us nicely under control
Playscape and GoKarting.co.uk who helped us raise valuable funds
Alexina for adding a touch of glamour and for helping with the food

Lets look forward to next years event.  Everyone except the Three Amigoes will need to step up their game and practise their GoKarting skills.

 To hold you own private event or simply to test you and your friends driving skills just give us a call on 020 7476 1234 or drop us an email on events@gokarting.co.uk.

Who would have thought it was going to happen? Jenson Button, one of our most celebrated British GoKarting champions, effectively leaves Brawn and without ceremony, voluntarily hands his hard fought F1 crown over to someone else.

Why say that?  Well he can not win the 2010 championship in a McLaren Formula 1 car as that prize would have to go to, another of our British Gokarting champions, Lewis Hamilton, so the very best result Jenson can manage is to finish 2nd.

So why did Brawn let Jenson go or perhaps why did Jenson feel he had reason to go?

The underlying reason must have everything to do with the new Mercedes input and that Brawn will not be Brawn in 2010.  Our last blog entry stated loyalty is rare in Motorsport and now Nick Fry has said publicly said that “Loyalty would be nice”, but in the real world money talks, and it clearly does.  We think that between themselves (Brawn, Mercedes and Jenson) they have messed it up, and that is the real pity.

Still the positive is that F1 will have a very British affair feel about it, even if we don’t stage the British Grand Prix .  With Lewis and Jenson now in a relationship there could be more break ups, busts up, kisses and make ups than Pete Doherty and Kate Moss ever had. Another simple fact is McLaren must be laughing all the way to the sponsors bank.

The new season is going to be an intriguing one – who’s side are you going to be on?

To see if you can be a future Formula 1 champion, why not challenge some mates and race at one of our selected gokarting tracks, chose a track at http://www.gokarting.co.uk/ and find out if you have what it takes. Give us a call on 020 7476 1234 to book your exclusive gokarting race.

One footnote to this commentary : Was Richard Branson the deciding factor?  Surely more will come out in the Motorsport wash in the forthcoming weeks.

At São Paulo Jenson Button demonstrated his “in the blood” gokarting instincts and virtually weaved his way through the field, from an impossible position of 14th on the grid, to meet the chequered flag in fifth and grab the F1 World Champions crown away from the other seasons F1 pretenders, Sebastian Vettel, Rubens Barrichello and Mark Webber.  He could have played safe but maneuver after maneuver showed he has the steel, bottle and driving skills to warrant his new title.  Strange coincidence is the 2009 and 2008 F1 Champions have sealed the title at São Paulo finishing 5th in car number 22, spooky!

The one thing we have learnt is that Jenson Button remains talented. He started of as a go karting Cadet in 1988 going through the classic gokarting route all the way to European Super A champion in 1997, then onto Formula Ford Champion, Formula 3 then into Formula 1. Twenty one years pass and today he raced at the stunning Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with an unassailable lead.  Little else needed to be said or proved but why not cement the season with a podium finish, just to remind everyone who is the boss this year!  Jenson drove brilliantly to climb onto the podium, behind Vettel and Webber in their Red Bull Renault machines.

Button can now focus on his bonus of a bumper pay day next season.  No one can see Brawn wanting Jenson to leave and Jenson surely can’t sense a snub. Loyalty is rare in Motorsport as money literally talks but Button will surely want to defend his position in the Brawn team and visa versa.  Would Virgin want to spoil their new entry into F1 with a frosty, miserly treatment of a new sporting hero who will do wonders for their increased profile and street credibility, No.
Given these factors perhaps Jenson should aim for a bigger pay day.  Leaving a team and defending in a new car has hardly proven successful, look at Alonso, Hill, Prost to name a few, so a Brawn defense looks certain.

Recent speculation has linked Button joining forces with Hamilton, how very British and how very traditional.  Two former British Karting champions in a British car – would that combination be welcome on such a vast world stage?

On the subject of British, will there be a British F1 Grand Prix?  Discussions and financial fines are flying around and it does not look good so having had back to back British F1 champions their home soil race is in serious jeopardy. It would be good if that is the only disappointment Button experiences next year.

Quite incredibly eight F1 teams are currently based in Britain, include the numerous British and European biased sponsors as well as the last two F1 Champions, it would be a serious set back to British Motorsport and the nations reputation if the venue issue is not resolved.  Silverstone will try hard to step in.

Will Jenson defend his title successfully?  He did it while GoKarting, so why not F1!

Will Jenson get such a good start in 2010? Highly unlikely, but Brawn is a genius!

Who looks favorite to win the 2010 F1 Championship?  Lets stick say it could be a Battle of Britons between Button and Hamilton.

We are sure Jenson Buton will continue to smile and to shine, as he has done throughout this season, and we believe GOKARTING has thrown up yet another Worldwide Role Model that the country should be proud of.

So how did it start for Jenson Button? Stories circulate about the family selling kart parts to have enough diesel to get home and selling karts to finance the next season.  Jenson relied heavily on his fathers dealings and did not have Ron Dennis as his benefactor. After 34 consecutive wins to grab the 1991 British cadet kart championship he went on to bag 3 British Open Kart Championships.  Once you have proven yourself in Britain it is then into the big wide world of European karting so in 1997 Jenson Button became the youngest European Super A champion in 1997.
Clinching that European championship in Genk, Belgium was Jenson “best ever” race.  In the last race Jenson needed to finish third. Jenson started second on the grid in a wet race but lost control of his kart at the first corner, ending up in the gravel.  The race was all but lost but he managed a miracle drive and came back from 24th all the way through to finish third.  Will Brazil 2009 beat that label of his “best ever” race?

Button easily progressed into Formula Ford next and piloted his Hayward car to victory and left the competition as the 1998 champ.  Next up for Jenson was Formula 3 in 1999 and managed to finish in an overall 3rd. proving again he can adapt to all disciplines of motor sport.
In 2000 Frank Williams gave him his opening into Formula 1, in the Williams BMW, and as a novice did extraordinarily well to finish 8th for the season, but disappointed a little as he failed to reach a podium finish.

In 2001 & 2002 Jenson joined the Benetton-Renault team and managed only 17th and then 7th respectively.
He then piloted the newly formed, and well financed, BAR-Honda team but things only went well in 2004 when he finish 3rd overall but still had to contend with the fact that he was unable to win a race.  2005 did not go well and could only manage 9th overall, matching his performance in the Bar during 2003.
His first Formula 1 Grand Prix win, after 114 attempts, to register 1st win came with his new Honda Team in Hungary during 2006.  A mixed season of luck and the car remained competitive despite Alonso and Schumacher taking much of the control.
Things went down hill in 2007 where Jenson finish 15th and even worse in 2008 with a lowly 3 points and finishing 18th overall.

2009 did look grim and Honda finally decided to pull their financial plug.

Ross Brawn stepped in to head the failed Honda team and turned its fortunes on its head.
Button believed in the team and hung on to his drive with Brawn.
Everything then started with a bang in 2009.  Six Grand Prix wins out of the first 7 races virtually sealed the teams season and as Button gradually collected points which has seen him finish well and truly ahead of his rivals.

There is one last question to post – is Jenson better than Lewis Hamilton?  The Times journalist, Kevin Eason, reckons so, as he ranks Jenson 16th on the grid and Lewis only a few meters behind in 21st. Lets see how that ranking changes in what is bound to be a fascinating 2010.

If you fancy racing at track that both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton raced on take a look at the Hoddesdon circuit.

Congratulations Jenson Button. You are a Motorsport star.

Already a proven winner.  Former GOKARTING champion, is he now the most deserving Formula One champion?
We thought Lewis Hamilton had a story but is Jenson Buttons better.

Jenson Button has now won 4 out of 5 Formula One races in this 2009 season.
How spectacular is that?  He is British as well.  Is the F1 championship now in the bag?

Lewis Hamilton must be more than frustrated.

The Brawn-Mercedes team has excelled itself with design, development and spirit.

We all know the team was “built” in a few months from the Honda leftovers and Jenson was no longer contracted to a Team.
We all know funding was a major factor and Buttons future as a driver was more than a major doubt.

So just how good is this period in F1 racing?  Four initial victories out of five only rings one recent Schumacher bell.
Is Jenson that good or has he luckily landed a relationship with a dream team led by the masterful, former Ferrari officiando, Ross Brawn.

Take a quick look at Jenson Button’s official website and his biography, it tells you a long motorsport story.

www.jensonbutton.com/#/Jenson/Biography/

It lets you know in detail just how his career started in GoKarting.  Starting in 1988 he wins his first competitive race at the Clay Pigeon circuit.
You will soon discover Jenson Button became the European Super A Kart Champion in 1997.  He was also the youngest ever driver to achieve that prize.
That background ultimately proves the gokarting cream, Lewis Hamilton included, rises to the top, eventually.

His personal thoughts are –
“I loved my years in karting because it’s the best form of racing in the world. It’s real bumper-to-bumper stuff and you learn so much about driving and about the sport.
The most important thing that I learnt in karts was to be smooth, and I’ve carried that through to F1.
I had coaching from a man called Dave Spence, who told me early on that I was a bit jerky with the steering wheel.
As soon as I smoothed that out, I started to get much better results.”

Given such comments and listening to many F1 commentaries Jenson is a smooth F1 driver which is paramount.
His style has been likened to Jackie Stewart, turning his steering wheel only once through corners and look where he got to in the sport.

So that’s the Australia, Malaysia, Bahrain and Spain Grand Prix under his belt – surely he is favourite to become the 2009 Formula One Champion.
Good luck Jenson.

Have you been passed the dubious privilege of organising your best mates Stag or Hen Do?
If so, booking your GoKarting race is simpler at gokarting.co.uk.
All our Go Karting race tracks are either inside London or a little distance outside of London.
Here are a couple of tips that we will advise you to do.

Firstly, decide on your preferred GoKarting venue – consider an alternative just in case the venue you prefer is already booked.
Take a look at the tracks detailed on the gokarting.co.uk site.
If a track appeals request a Price list from the RECEIVE AN UP TO DATE PRICE LIST section available on each of the track pages.
Once you have filled in your email address we will email you instantly, whatever time you are surfing the site.
Take time to read the brochure – race formats and prices will be detailed.
Consider whether your group are prepared to travel or perhaps go for a centrally located track.

Secondly, Budget – once you have a preferred GOKARTING track ensure everyone is told how much the race is likely to be.
Keep a list of those that have agreed to the pricing.

Thirdly, the more GoKarters participating, the merrier your competition will be so choose a date that suits everyone best.
Get an idea of the Minimum number of drivers – its amazing how many bookings start with 30 and ends with 10.
At the initial booking stage commit to the minimum race requirements and then ask that you commit your Maximum number of drivers a couple of weeks prior to your event.

Fourthly, book well in advance – please bear in mind you are not the only Stag or Hen group looking for some GoKarting fun.
We recommend booking your GoKarting race at least 6 weeks in advance.  Slots go quickly so be prepared to make a prompt decision.

Prior to calling us or emailing you should have a fair idea to all of the above factors.
Once you have been told availability we are happy to hold a slot for 3 days while you make that final decision to proceed.
To confirm your event you will need to pay the 50% deposit.  The remaining balance + any additional drivers you have confirmed can be paid the week prior to your event.

All events must be paid for in advance.

Your Gokarting Stag or Hen Checklist
1 – Pick your venue
2 – Price OK with everyone
3 – How many drivers
4 – Date
5 – Call us 020 7476 1234 or email us events@gokarting.co.uk

After an action packed Brazilian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton finally found the determination to gather the necessary points to be crowned Formula 1 champion for 2008.  Having been in a similar position last year he found the courage to grab the points to decide the F1 championship.  It was a race full of drama as Hamilton played it safe and then had to chase that vital 5th position in the last moments of the race.  Surely he must have thought the title race was over and Ferrari were going to rob him again.

Massa won the Grand Prix but Lewis benefited most as Timo Glock, in his Toyota, struggled to remain competitive on the final lap, which essentially helped Lewis snatch the necessary fifth place and the trophy lifting four points. After 18 races across the world he won the title with a solitary point ahead of Massa.  It was close, closer than we all would have hoped for, but the result went his way, so credit where credit is due.

Lewis Hamilton has a long history in Motorsport and is now the youngest ever champion.
It is a proud moment for his family, the McLaren team and especially Rod Dennis who has kept him under his wing since Lewis’s karting days.  Lewis has competed at many UK Gokarting tracks and this history and experience certainly paved the way to his Formula 1 career.

There is also a good chance Lewis will win the BBC Personality of the Year to cap a memorable year for him - do not think he will be a good price at the bookies though.

Congratulations Lewis, lets hope he can grab as many championships as Michael Schumacher but with a bit more room to spare next time, please.

Just how close did Lewis Hamilton get?

What went wrong in China?

Did the best man win?

All of the above and much much more are answered in the Formula One review DVD which all of us here at www.gokarting.co.uk watched the other evening.  What an XMAS do!!!!

No honestly, this DVD is worth watching, it certainly encapsulates the whole Formula One season and more importantly the Hamilton factor.  Kimi was the deserved winner but this DVD digs a little deeper.  Formula One and motorsport fans will not be disappointed.

We noticed the DVD is a bargain price on Amazon - if you wish to buy take a quick look - last time we looked it was no more than £13 (save £7).  It is the best XMAS pressie we have found so far this year.  It’s motorsport too!

take a look at the DVD, click here