Motorsport UK British Kart Championship registrations are down 50% compared to this time in 2022!
... according to their Facebook posts.
Motorsport UK is celebrating reaching 200 registrations for this year’s British Kart Championships, despite a notable decline compared to 2022, when registrations had already reached 400 at the same point in time. This represents a 50% decrease in participation for the UK’s most prestigious karting titles.
In addition to this In 2021, Motorsport UK proudly announced that 150 registrations were secured within just 15 minutes. In contrast, in 2025, it took four days to reach the same figure. It is worth noting that the TKM category is no longer part of the championship, which accounts for the absence of approximately 50 drivers from 2022.
Since 2019, I have been unable to source Motorsport UK annual reports detailing license numbers, making it difficult to assess the overall health of the sport at Club or National level. A significant amount of investment has been directed toward rental karting, leading to an ability to report increases in license numbers overall. However, these licenses are not equivalent to those required for club and national racing as they are cost-free. That said, the Super-KX permit does allow for competition under RS Clubman regulations, which would further distort things.
The economic and societal landscape has changed significantly since the post-lockdown boom, and as seen with KTM, sustaining the increased demand from that period has proven to be a challenge. Economic data on karting remains scarce. While central clubs continue to thrive, those on the periphery are struggling. However national championships like National Kart Cup offer a budget-focused alternative to the major championships.