Organizers of the Australian Dirt Kart titles say the sport is growing as a grassroots entry point for juniors

More than 300 competitors took part in the Australian Off-Road Kart Racing Championship over the weekend, which those involved in the sport say signifies the growing popularity of the sport as a way to introduce children to motorsports without the prohibitive costs.

A total of 340 drivers competed from Friday to Sunday in 13 classes in the competition held at the Lucindale Karting Club in south-eastern South Australia.

Club president Ian “Roly” Rowlands said you can get involved in the game as early as five years old and compete until you are 70.

Off-road go-karts can cost as little as $4,000 – a relatively low cost for motorsports, but still comparable to sports like soccer, where clubs can charge thousands of dollars for children to participate.

“It’s the cheapest form of motorsport you can get into, you can spend as much money as you want and still have a great time doing it,” Rowlands said.

“You can have a small 6×4 trailer to take a go-kart or a large trailer with a place to sleep and so on, so it’s up to the individual how much money they want to spend, and ultimately it comes down to the driver’s skills – how good they are.

Many Supercars competitors, including Kai Allen and Todd Hazelwood, competed in off-road karts in the Southeast.

“There are a lot of guys whose primary riding is off-road go-karting and then climbing higher,” Rowlands said.

Club developing juniors

The number of competitors in Lucindale was slightly higher than the record number of entries set in last year’s competition held in Bordertown and organized by the Tatiara karting club.

The club has launched a junior development program to particularly encourage boys and girls whose family is not involved in motorsport to consider a career in racing.

With the help of cousins ​​Andrew and Wayne Rowett, they have been building go-karts that other children can try out and learn from in a bid to encourage more Bordertown residents to take up motorsports.

“Once the go-karts are built, they will become accessible to non-kart riders – I would guess families who want to raise their children, have a go and just get more involved in the community,” Andrew Rowett said.

As well as being known for motorsport, thanks to its new speedway track, Bordertown is also a freight transport hub, situated halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne, with a major highway and railway linking the two cities.

Andrew Rowett said teenagers in the program learned skills they could use in racing or trucking.

“We can go kart racing and then move on to speedway racing and hopefully sprint car racing, and having the skills that come from being a mechanic, boilermaker, engineer and stuff like that will kind of round it out.”

Training for teenagers

Jack Will competed in the junior development program and finished 12th overall in the KT Lights.

The 15-year-old said it was good to learn mechanics from the Rowetts, as well as skills such as welding while rebuilding the speedway track.

“It’s a lot of fun and the friendships made along the way are good,” Jack said.

Next year, the program may become more formal, and interested people will be able to obtain professional certificates.

“I like working in the shed on my go-kart, getting it up to speed and making sure it’s ready for every weekend, so it’s good,” Jack said.

“It would be good to continue my career in motorsport.”

Spectators had to endure light rain showers over the weekend to watch the racing.

Merridy Moore, whose sons Fletcher and Spencer raced, said it was good that alcohol was not allowed in the pits during go-kart racing and that there was a spirit of cooperation between competitors.

“If someone breaks something in their go-kart, not spare parts, usually the person next to you who pitted will say, ‘Here, here’s a spare engine or tires’ – everyone helps everyone else,” she said.

The next national dirt karting championship will be held in Loxton in 2026.