Competitive motorsports within reach for schools

Schools across the UK can give their students the chance to race in the coveted British Schools Karting Championship (BSKC) 2013 by registering to participate from today.

Now in its seventh year, the BSKC offers students aged 13 to 18 the opportunity to take part in competitive motorsports in an exciting, nationwide knockout karting competition that does not require previous experience, equipment or substantial expense.

Any school, academy or college can enter the BSKC in teams of three by registering at https://www.bskc.co.uk/register

Teams that pay their entry before 31 October receive a discount that keeps the entry cost at the 2011 level of only £45 per student.

Mark Turner, BSKC Manager, said:

The competition was created to make competitive karting more accessible to schools. The BSKC appeals to students from different backgrounds and allows all abilities to take part. Since its launch in 2006, the BSKC has enabled students who are not interested in traditional sports to experience a highly engaging team sport and unleash a new talent. It has also allowed those who are already involved in karting to share their love of the sport with others at their school.

10 new kart circuits have already been added to the 2013 competition and the hope is that this will rise to over 15 before long. This should mean that schools have better access than ever before to race in the BSKC.

As well as the overall BSKC champions, 10 regional champions will also be crowned for teams competing in London & South East, South West, East of England, Midlands, North East, North West, Yorkshire & Humber, South, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The total cost of entry for the BSKC is £150 for a team of three students (£50 per driver). This includes the use of all equipment, a practice session and entry into the local heats and regional finals if the teams make it that far. However, if teams sign up before 31 October they can race for the same price as 2011 as the championship is offering early birds a £15 discount.

The competition last year was the most successful yet, with 617 teams from 235 schools competing for the title of BSKC Champions 2012. The best teams from the regional finals made up the 34 teams that qualified for the National Final. It was won by a team of young drivers from Caterham School for Boys, who were rewarded with a VIP tour of McLaren Technology Centre as their prize.

Ben Dillon, from the winning team, said:

I think this is one of the most engaging sports in the world. I would encourage other schools to get involved in an event like this as it is a great opportunity to do something different for your school.

Mark Turner said:

Schools support the BSKC because it enables them to offer an alternative PE activity or include it as part of the curriculum to support a science, maths, engineering or physics course. Teachers have told us that getting involved has had benefits for students that reach far beyond the track and many schools use the competition as a way of engaging with disaffected students.

This post was contributed by the British Schools Karting Championship (BSKC), an arrive & drive karting championship that aims to bring competitive, cost effective karting into UK schools. It was started in 2006 and was originally contested by 22 teams. It is now a nationwide Championship supported by the Motor Sports Association and in 2012 has seen 617 teams (over 1850 students) compete. For more information, please visit www.bskc.co.uk or contact [email protected]

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