ON THE RIGHT TRACK
There are more than 150 indoor and outdoor circuits throughout Britain, here’s our pick.
For a full list visit www.karting.co.uk/tracks

1 Rowrah
Fast, furious and a real challenge (www.cumbriakrc.co.uk)

2 Trent Valley
The modern PF International has a great reputation here and abroad (www.tvkc-pfi.co.uk)

3 Buckmore Park
This is the ideal starting point, and caters for all backgrounds (www.buckmore.co.uk)

4 Rye House
Lewis Hamilton’s Hertfordshire alma mater is always seeking fresh talent (www.rye-house.co.uk )

THE KIT
The clothing and equipment needed to go racing is there to save your life, so don’t skimp. You'll need FIA-approved fireproof underwear and race suit, gloves, boots, knee guards, a chest protector and most important of all, a helmet. In total this will cost around £700 for youngsters and £900 for adults. To browse online, and calculate costs, visit GPR Direct, which has a dedicated karting section, at www.gprdirect.com, or try Karting Direct at www.kartingdirect.co.uk

THE KART
There are several types of kart and choosing which you want depends on what type of karting you will be doing. You can buy an electric go-kart for less than £200. Of the petrol-powered versions, the best to start on is a Cadet class kart, which costs around £2,000 and can be raced from the age of eight. Cadet karts use a 60cc two-stroke engine and can reach 50mph. There is a right-foot pedal for the accelerator and a left-foot pedal for the brake, and the kart is started with a recoil starter cord. Chassis makes are registered and they must not be modified

OLIVER ROWLAND
There are many pretenders to Hamilton’s crown, but none quite so young as Oliver Rowland. The 15-year-old schoolboy from Sheffield is the reigning British champion of the Junior Intercontinental A class, having come through the Cadet classes with a clutch of championships to his name. In the summer he was signed by Ron Dennis, the boss of McLaren, to the team’s young driver support programme – exactly as Hamilton was nine years ago. The team subsequently ploughed an estimated £5m into Hamilton’s career and Rowland hopes to benefit in a similar way. “I’m obviously happy to be part of the same programme as Lewis. It’s been an incredible thing for me,” he says. “The support of McLaren-Mercedes has been awesome and I'm hoping it will be a long-term deal if I do the right things.” Rowland, who lists wakeboarding, swimming and rugby among his other pursuits, claims motor sport is already a career option: “I want to progress through the ranks to Formula One and to be world champion.

That’s my focus.” Rowland currently drives for the ZIP Young Guns team run by Martin Hines, a man with an impressive pedigree in spotting talent. F1 drivers David Coulthard and Anthony Davidson have previously been part of his stable, as was Hamilton. “They don’t all have exactly the same qualities, because they are all individuals, they all show determination, drive, focus and the will to win,” Hines says. “Lewis Hamilton was the last to show it, Oliver Rowland is the next."