Move over Liam Lawson: the cutthroat world of kid karting

Their little 10-year-old bodies shuddered in the karts as they careered around the course, reaching 90-plus km/h. The sound was like a swarm of lawnmowers.

The massive helmets on their heads made those little bodies look even tinier.

Their hands shook as they gripped the steering wheels, battling to balance speed and control.

Related stories:

As the swarm hit a corner, four karts spun out onto the grass. Not to worry. A pack of waiting dads pushed them back onto the bitumen within seconds.

As a parent, I couldn’t squash my visceral reaction to the recent national kart competition in Hamilton I attended. These precious treasures were hitting highway speeds, centimetres off the hard bitumen while weaving amongst the 33 other carts on the track.

This is competitive kid karting and it is serious business with a significant financial outlay. If you didn’t know where professional race car drivers are made, now you do.

This weekend, New Zealand’s Liam Lawson, 23, will make his full-season debut at Formula 1’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne after years spent in competitive karting. As is typical of a rising star in any sport, Lawson’s success is piquing interest in competitive karting with club “have a go” days running long waitlists and major competition organisers scrambling to accommodate more entrants.

At the competition in Hamilton, there is no shortage of kids and teenagers who would love to one day bump Lawson out of his seat on Red Bull’s F1 team.

“The high speeds and fast turns, the adrenaline rush that you get. Also having a good time off the track playing with friends, learning new stuff,” said Senna Wilkinson, 12, listing why he loves the sport.

Yes, he is named after Formula 1 champion Ayrton Senna. His middle name is Detroit as in the hub of car manufacturing in the US. And yes, his dad is thrilled about Senna’s interest in the sport.

“It also helps your mind grow. When something goes wrong in a race.... I have to keep going,” said Senna, who picked the sport up three years ago and is one of its rising stars.

Lawson nabbing his Red Bull seat this year is impeccable timing for karting growth in New Zealand. A new track is set to open later this year in South Auckland bringing Auckland’s competitive racing tracks to two (competitive karting is not to be confused with bumming around on a fun go-kart track).

“Sometimes it feels like we are the best-kept secret even though we have such success in international competitions,” said Anita Kinsman, who has been involved with karting for 40 years and oversees the new track build.

There are 17 competitive kart tracks around New Zealand and most people wouldn’t know about them, she added.

“It's really a family sport. The whole family come along to cheer, support and participate”

“We have six-year-olds to 60-year-olds participating in club days so we are a very intergenerational group of people.”

Senior and junior membership with Kartsport New Zealand, the national karting body, has increased by 50 percent since 2019 to 1,580 in 2024. There is a waitlist of 100 kids for an upcoming have-a-go day at Auckland’s competitive karting track in Avondale. Organisers of the Hamilton competition had to run heats for the first time because some of the age groups were oversubscribed with entrants.

But the sport isn’t just for Liam Lawson hopefuls. Theo Richards, 12, entered his first race early last year. He and his dad, who raced as a kid, have taken up the sport together.

“I’m here for the fun. I don’t think I’m the person who will try and make a career out of it."

Theo's father David pointed to the benefits of karting that go beyond just something to do, including kids making speeches after a win (every parent mentioned the public speaking opportunity as a karting benefit).

“He is going to control a motor vehicle and be responsible around others and as he gets older and gets his license,” said David.

Sam Evers keeps her eyes closed at the start of every race until her 9-year-old son Dominic gets through the first corner. He walked away from a serious crash last year where he was thrown from his kart.

“He’s got plenty of safety gear. He’s got his neck brace, his chest protector, helmet.”

“We always say ‘no brace, no race.’”

ACC data shows a massive jump in the cost of new and ongoing claims caused by karting injuries. In 2019, costs were $318,000 in 2019 and in 2024 it was over $1.2 million. However, the data doesn’t make a distinction between fun and competitive karting. Rugby, a far more mainstream sport, triggered at least 50,000 new ACC claims in 2024. Karting caused 368 new claims.

Karting isn’t cheap either. At the Hamilton competition, most families had a trailer that doubles as kart transport and a mobile mechanic workshop. The fancy trailers have sleeping quarters.

The Evers spent an initial $5,000 sourcing a second-hand cart and equipment for Dominic. Some families spend up to $20,000 on a new kart and $100,000 on a trailer. Lawson has been upfront about what his family sacrificed to fund his climb through competitive karting with his parents selling their family home.

Sebastian Grant, 8, started competitive karting 18 months ago. His race strategy is to have a good start, keep to the middle on the straightaways and hug the inside white lines on corners.

Due to his age, his kart is speed-restricted to 84 km/h. When he turns ten that speed will increase to over 90 km/h. He wants to be the fastest in the country for his age group.

“I think the best thing is to go very fast and be a pro at it and be number one and stuff.”