Chatham Karting track celebrates 60th Anniversary with charity racing evening

KentOnline / KMTV

Buckmore Park, which has seen the birth of many famous motorsport careers, including Lando Norris and Sir Lewis Hamilton has held a special charity racing event, where some big names went toe-to-toe.

Transcript

00:00 Kent's very own Buckmore Park, renowned for being one of the best karting tracks in the world,

00:04 let alone the country, has celebrated its 60th anniversary with a charity kart race featuring

00:09 local racing drivers and famous YouTubers. Having been built in 1963 by the Royal School of

00:15 Military Engineering, the local scouts used the track for a few decades until it fell into

00:19 disrepair in the 1980s. In fact, in 1985 it was on the verge of being shut down permanently due

00:26 to safety concerns before new owners were found and it went under extensive restoration. Despite

00:31 recent struggles, circuit director Philip Ling outlined just what it means to have the circuit

00:35 going from strength to strength again. Honestly, really difficult to put into words to be honest,

00:42 you're absolutely right, really difficult few years. You know, being able to hold on as we did

00:47 and actually come back stronger from it was really brilliant for us, definitely.

00:53 A 90-minute charity race followed a quick 15-minute practice session, with the grid for

00:57 the race being decided by those who donated the most to charities, including Kent, Surrey and

01:01 Sussex Air Ambulances, as well as other causes. Having been spotted by Buckmore Park's eventual

01:07 owner and Formula One legend John Surtees as a youngster, British touring car driver Michael

01:12 Crease discussed just what significance Buckmore shares within his career. I just came along and

01:17 raced with my mates in a championship and then I got spotted by John and he asked me to race in the

01:23 Hemingway Series Foundation, which I competed in and I ended up doing very well that day against

01:28 all the Formula One stars of today and come away with three trophies which are still a

01:33 prized possession of my house. Back on the track and the drivers battled fiercely split across two

01:39 classes. Signor Frogs B, a team run by the popular YouTubers The Sidemen, managed to fight their way

01:45 into the top three and finished third in the race, marking a terrific occasion with an equally popular

01:50 result. Today it was good, it's weird though like there's one section of the course that's wet and

01:56 then the rest of it's pretty dry so yeah other than that it was sick, loved it. I've known Peter

02:02 Buckmore, I've done a few karting experiences in my life, mainly stag do's and I seem to remember

02:07 my 15th birthday party but I'm just here having a good time and races are fun if you're charity.

02:12 Having helped to nurture the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Johnny Herbert in

02:16 its first 60 years, without a doubt Buckmore is going to host more world-class talent

02:21 as it continues to challenge karters from across the country. Shea Rodgers for KMTV.

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