The first requirement is to become a club member. This enables you to access the track and its facilities. You will also require a full AKA licence for you to compete at the four tracks within the state. Give some consideration to what level of participation you would like to do, as this may determine on which licence you need. Talk to someone in the club to offer some guidance in this area.
People interested in joining the club as a non-driving, social member
are most welcome.
Th ere's a copy of the Club Membership Application
Form here.
Committee meetings are held at 7:30 pm on the first Thursday of each month at 14 Short Street Ulverstone.
All members and interested public are welcome and encouraged to attend.
The club circulates a newsletter to all its members occasionally via e-mail or post. It is obviously much easier to e-mail, so if you do have an e-mail address please e-mail us. The newsletters are also posted on this site shortly after they are published.
We operate several e-mail lists in association with this web site. One of them ( Information ) is set up to send you an e-mail any time there is some news about the club, events, or this site. Another, ( Track Availability) for NWKC members, will send you an e-mail advising dates when the Highclere track is unavailable for private practice. Both of these are low volume text only messages.
Go to the Subscribe page here to add your name and e-mail address and select the lists you would like to receive. We also ask you to optionally tell us if you're a member of a Kart Club & which one in order to try and make the mailings as relevant as possible to you.
If a message is posted to more than one list, the system will only send one copy to you.
If you wish to Unsubscribe, there is a link on the bottom of each e-mail you receive. If you don't have an e-mail with that link, you can go to this page to unsubscribe.
Click here for a map and instructions of how to get to Highclere.
The day before our Club Day race meetings, we often have a Come-and-Try day. These are special days where the public can come along and try driving a real race kart on the track under controlled conditions. We provide the kart, safety equipment and instruction to allow you to experience the thrill of driving a kart. There is no racing or competition of any kind, you are out on the track to see if you might like to take up the sport.
As the club provides all the equipment, it is difficult for us to cater for all ages and sizes, especially with younger drivers. If we don't have equipment suitable for you on the day, you may not be able to have a go, but we will endeavour to make some arrangements for you to have a try at a later time. For adults this is rarely a problem.
If you plan to attend a Come-and-Try day, please make sure you have enclosed footwear, long trousers and a long sleeved top. If you have a full-faced helmet and / or gloves (car or motorcycle), bring them with you.
Race Meetings
There are two basic types of race meetings. Closed Club
and Open Meetings.
Closed Club meetings are restricted to local club members. We use these race meeting as a fun and light-hearted day of racing. Newly licensed drivers are encouraged and help is offered by the experienced drivers and crews. We run these with a combination of one scratch race and two handicap races. This gives everyone a race with someone, no matter what your grade and also gives everyone a chance of winning. Any form of pushy or rough driving is strongly discouraged. The emphasis is totally on a safe fun day of racing. Any club activities or club days conducted by our club will be included in the newsletter, e-mails and discussed at meetings.
Open Meetings are open to all drivers. These are the formal race meetings. The format depends on the focus of the meeting. Open meetings usually have a theme that focuses on a class or type of racing. Generally most of the classes are run in support of this feature class. Information on open race meetings will be circulated from the organising clubs to all full licence holders.
Key to
the Track
Club members who are licenced drivers have the benefit
of obtaining a key to enable use of the track complex. There is an annual
charge of $50 . The lock is changed on the first day of July each year.
To enable access to the track from this time, your key needs to be sent
to the club so it can be changed to suit the new lock.
The key is always the property of the club and under no circumstances is it to be discarded in any way or lent to anyone else. The key holder is responsible for it's use at ALL TIMES. A fee applies to lost or non-return of keys.
IMPORTANT: The lock must pass through the other locks on the chain when
locking.
It is suggested that you lock the gate behind you during private practise.
The track is available for private practice on all days other than scheduled and calendared race meetings, working bees and other events.
The hours of use are between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.
It is preferred that you keep the gate locked while you are using the track. At all times the gate must be locked when you leave.
The track can only be used in a clockwise direction.
Midget and Rookie (7yr—13 yrs) age groups can practice together, but NOT with Juniors or Seniors.
Juniors (13 yr—16 yrs) and Seniors (16 yrs and older) can only practice with their own age group. Under no circumstances can Juniors and Seniors be combined.
Karts must only enter the track via the out grid and exit the track through the in grid into the scale shed. No Karts are to be driven any further than the scale shed. Please DO NOT drive onto the scale platform. This can cause serious damage to the load cells.
When refueling or oiling chains, this must always be done on the concrete
surfaces of the pit shelters. Never perform these tasks on the track,
out grid or in grid areas.
Starting Karts
At the moment many of the karts require to be push started. This can be
a hazardous process at times, where the pusher can fall or otherwise be
injured. It is of utmost importance
that great care is taken on the out grid. There are some basic rules that
will help minimise the risk during starting. There are also several types
of push start assistants that can be bought or made.
Highclere has a single grid, separated into left and right sides. During
an open race meeting with full grids, the karts are arranged on each side
of the grid at an angle of about 45 degrees. This allows for the maximum
number of karts to be accommodated. The grid marshall will indicate when
you can begin to push your kart. Always wait for the grid marshalls instructions.
During private practice or smaller club day meetings, we normally line
the karts up straight on the grid one behind the other. Always
place the kart in the centre of the lane (left or right). When
instructed, and the grid in front of you is clear, push the kart to start
it. Do NOT start to push as soon as the person in front starts
to push, allow them 3-4 metres gap before you start. When it starts the
pusher should
ALWAYS run to the outside of the grid and
the drivers move to the inside of their lane.
This is the safest way, especially when there are
a number of karts starting together. The driver should always be alert
to the possibility of a pusher running across in front of them. Drivers
should ensure that their pushers are aware of the need to run to the outside
of the grid and not to the centre or across the grid.
Click on the thumbnail for a larger picture
Race Classes
At Highclere we normally cater for the following classes:
Midget, Rookies, Junior National, Junior Clubman / Formula Australia,
Senior National, Senior Sportsman , Formula C, Rotax Max 125, Over 40s
National, Over 40s ARC A1 Evolution, Over 40s Sportsman
AKA Drivers Licence
In order to race you will
need an AKA licence. These currently cost $200 and can be arranged through
the club. The club Secretary and Treasurer have the application forms.
A practice only licence can be obtained for $120.
What you need to go racing
The basics in brief:
Club membership & AKA licence
A kart that meets the current AKA rules for the class you intend to run
You may require lead to be added to the kart to achieve the minimum weights
A kart trolley to carry & let you work on your kart
Premium Unleaded Fuel and a suitable 2-stroke oil
Chain lube
Tyre pump and gauge
Tool kit
Race boots or fully enclosed boots that cover the ankles
A one-piece race suit
Gloves
Ear Plugs
Full-Face Helmet with a Visor
A helper to push start you and help work on the kart
The options in brief:
Rib protector
Neck brace
For the kart the list can be as long as your budget, but you'll look for:
Basic spare parts
Wet tyres on rims
A range of sprockets to change gear ratios to suit conditions
Lap timer / Engine monitor / data logger
Buying a Kart
Probably one of the most important things when considering purchasing
a kart is to talk to some experienced drivers and crews running in the
class you are considering. There are many excellent karts, new and used,
for sale and figuring out which one should be best for you can take some
time.
Ensuring that a used kart meets all the AKA requirements for the class
can also be a tricky area, where an experienced karter can help. For example
there are lots of Clubman karts on the market that do not have a currently
legal exhaust or the correct tyres. Having to replace them can make what
seemed a cheap kart into a dear one quickly!
Check this page on our site for contact
details for local kart suppliers.
Setting up a Kart
This is a huge topic! If your kart came with a manual, it will have some
recommended settings to get started with. Alternatively, the person you
purchased your kart from should be able to give you some settings that
will be a good starting point.
One of the best ways to learn to set up a kart is to find a mentor who
will help you with some initial settings and advice on how to go about
adjusting that to suit your driving.
Come along to our club days where you will find many people that are only
too happy to help you get started. There are also many good articles in
the Kart magazines. Keep in mind that as you get better at it, people
will help you less. After all, if you can set up your kart as well as
them, you just might beat them on race day!
Where to get help
Your new friends at the North Western Kart Club are the best place to
start! Most of our club members are more than happy to help and if they
don't know something, they are bound to know someone who does!
Kart Supplies in Tasmania
There are a number of businesses supplying karts, parts and accessories
in Tasmania.
Check this page for a list
of Tasmanian businesses that have supplied us with their details. These
businesses give a lot of support to the Tasmanian kart scene and would
welcome your custom. Also check the links page
for links to other karts and parts suppliers and this
page for a list of the businesses that support the club.
Other Kart Clubs &
Tracks in Tasmania
There are three other clubs in Tasmania: The Circular Head Kart Club based
at Briant Park, Smithton in the far North West; The Launceston Kart Club
based at Archerfield near Launceston in the North; and the Southern Tasmanian
Kart Club based at Orielton near Hobart.
Click here for further information on
the CHKC
Click here for further
information on the LKC
Click here for further
information on the STKC
