The plan for 2026 was to get into 125 long circuit Superkarting via a special 'budget' project series. š
I have had some great conversations with various stakeholders in Superkarts, but as of yet have not reached the level of support required to hit the green light. We've got absolute legends on board, but we need more. šŖ
It's very much been a 2026 or bust scenario, and my experience in the past is basically under-budgeting projects and ending up with a 50% success rate on getting projects actually done. My goal fundamentally is to grow Superkarts - while having some fun along the way and sharing that with as big an audience as the social media platforms will let me get hold of. I am absolutely content that if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen, but I want to give it one last push it deserves before I put the idea to rest.
While my previous Budget Kart Challenge was a success, this time around I don't want to go too low on the budget front, because this isn't something you can necessarily play around with and it deserves the utmost respect. I am sure I could blag something together and tape it all up and hit 'send', but I also want some level of realism that this isn't to be taken lightly. I want to arrive with something that's worthy of the sport. Obviously on a budget of course, after all it's a 'Budget Challenge' and at the core is to get as MANY people racing Superkarts in the future as possible, but not too silly. Bare in mind my 'silly' is literally cycling to the track with a Ā£500 kart on a trailer, and sleeping outside! š¤£
I am looking for more sponsors to come on board so we can give this project the commitment it deserves. I think there's inherent financial value in this project beyond the usual 'pay for my racing' type proposal, so if you have a business you want to promote, please get in touch.
I have been plagued with the promotion, marketing and figuring out how to promote cool stuff bug - not the 'set up a stable business and pay for it all myself' bug. Had I been bit with the latter, I'd have already done 5 seasons of Div 1 by now š¤£ but maybe no promotion!
There is a deadline which is the the end of this month at the very very latest. So if you're interested I am always happy to have chat and go through it all, and also have chinwag putting the karting world to rights regardless! Send me an email!
I wrote this book because, quite frankly, I got bloody annoyed.š”
Who we are as karters - our shared history, our culture - has been stripped away and forgetten. In place a hollow, empty, version of karting hisotry that's reduced down to "<insert driver> UsEd tO Race KarRTs wHere It All BegINs BaCk To Roots." š¤®š¤®
That matters because whoever controls the past controls the future. Right now it doesn't feel like 'karters' are in control and If you donāt know where karting came from, youāll accept whatever version of it youāre handed.
Karters deserve to know that itās not a myth that karting used to attract thousands of spectators on the streets of the world in front of literal palaces. Itās not a myth that Superkarts used to get over 400+ entries for big races at Silverstone. You, the karter, should expect far more than whatever is being plated up right now!
Karting has always been motorsport for the people. Yes, it's had its expense issue, all motorsports will have no matter what, but look back through history and you find something almost unique in all of motorsport. It's a sport of normal working people. The fact it's also the purest form of driving is a lovely little bonus.
What troubles me is this: I see karters at the very top of the sport act meek. Rarely have I met a karter who is genuinely proud of their achievements. There's often a feeling of shame - that they didn't "make it" to cars. And then I look at karting's extraordinary heritage and think: you are part of a long, proud history!
Modern motorsport writers overlook karting - not always through snobbery (though there is some who surprisingly like to play the inclusivity in motorsport card, yet will state karting doesn't interest them) - but because often they are completely unaware of its history. I've lost count of how many times I've had to point out that MichĆØle Mouton is not the most successful female driver in FIA competition. That honour belongs to Susanna Raganelli. And Mouton's runner-up finish is matched by Lorraine Peck's second place at the 1974 Junior World Karting Championship.
But beyond those headline names, almost daily I trip over another nugget of karting history I wish I'd had room to include. Just recently I discovered that karting was part of the USSR's Summer Games and raced at the Luzhniki Palace of Sports in Moscow. This is one of many examples I find all the time. Everywhere I look there's a new epic story to be told.
It's not just that karting has a richer and more extensive history than most people realise. It's that modern karters don't feel part of it at all - a situation the major governing bodies have done absolutely nothing to help, obsessed as they are with the "pathway to F1." Karters don't even know what they are part of.
At the heart of this book, and almost everything I do with karting, is a simple message: you are part of something far more interesting and far more significant than you've been led to believe. Never forget that.
(HI IF YOU READ THIS FARš YES, IT'S A BIT 'SELF-PROMOTERY', BUT GIVE ME A BREAK š )
Tomorrow I go live for a stream at 7:30pm GMT all being well on a technical front. It's been twenty .... TWENTY ... years since the account on YouTube was registered! Thought I'd reminisce. Please join!!!
I flew to the 2009 SKUSA SuperNats because Michael Schumacher was competing. At that time, I placed huge value on an F1 driver racing karts again, and to this day I still single out Michael as something truly special for doing so.
However, while my presence there was driven by this āF1ā thing, over the weeks, months, and then years, it became apparent how unhealthy this mindset was for the sport of karting.
When I was young and running the Karting1 website at the start, I were looking for hits, I were looking for social proof. Interviewing karters was fine, but talking to F1 and IndyCar drivers made me think, āOh wow, this is important.ā Iād attended a few press events Lewis Hamilton did that involved karts. I was naĆÆve.
Then one day it hit me like a fire truck. Especially when I kept reading phrases like āstepping stoneā and āgrassrootsā - it was all nonsense. What actually happens is kartingās demographic becomes ever younger as adults flee. The value of karting itself declines. The value of the vehicle becomes nothing more than a temporary phase for those pursuing cars. I was basically part of a narrative that ate away and eroded my actual core passion for karting. It was self-destructive.
The older I got, the more I realised karting was never designed for this. It was a totally different beast back in the day. Somewhere along the way it became deformed - and somehow of less value.
I canāt say I noticed right away that the audience for actual karting media had pretty much gone. I guess, to some extent, as the internet media class that helped kill off paper media, we also became victims of the social media age. But even allowing for that, the audience was demonstrably declining.
Back tot he Supernats - seeing Bas Lammers take the win, and the joy he expressed, reminded me that karting itself should be able to stand on its own two feet. It was great to see Michael, but in time I came to appreciate more watching Bas Lammers at the height of his powers even more. The guy was, and is, a truly special talent.
When I reference F1ās negative influence on karting, whether itās how it shifts perception toward karting being āa kidsā thing,ā or the inflationary effect it has on classes and championships, I do recognise my own role in that process. I drank the Kool-Aid too.
Over the last decade or so I have tried to fight the good fight, but the battle, I suspect, has been lost.
If youāve read this far, youāre probably wondering why Iām posting so much. I fear the day is approaching - fast, very fast - when itās time to accept that fact and simply move on.
"All that glisters is not gold
Often have you heard that told"
Moments Before Disaster Ep.4 š¤£š¤£ Title: Brainfade Kerb Idiocy
So, I make a last-minute decision to race at Rowrah - I think it was 2016 - for the O Plate. I canāt remember all the details, other than that in hot-shot qualifying we had two laps.
My first lap was quick. On my actual flyer I shouldāve been on poleā¦ but at the Stewart Esses I decided, idiotically, to take a bit more kerb than I should have - and promptly threw the chain.
So I end up qualifying fourth or fifth.
The heats went OK. The brakes were horrific, but we had a monty Parilla TT75 motor for the final and added a few more teeth on the rear. I genuinely thought: Rightā¦ this is it. I could win this.
The start was fine. I was 4th or 5th into turn one. The brakes were still dreadful, but honestly that wasnāt the worst thing - it forced me to carry speed and actually drive the kart properly. I am totally calm and chilled.
Then my brain pipes up.
āRight, Alā¦ you know that kerb you shouldnāt take because it throws the chain?
Wellā¦ how about we take it again ā because maybe this time it wonāt.ā
Why I did it, I genuinely donāt know to this day.
All that way to Rowrah with my bro and Will Dendy. All that money spent. And on lap one I throw it all away for.... reasons. š¤¦āāļø
To add insult to injury, the kart had come via van with Adam Wardiell. He then decided to have the almightiest of almighty crashes in proper pre-2000 and ended up splayed across the track.
Naturally, my first thought wasnāt āIs Adam OK?ā
It was: āWellā¦ how the hell are we getting the kart home?ā
I call this transient psychopathy - or temporary psychopathy - the brainās weird ability to eject all empathy for a brief moment under stress. Thankfully, Adam got up, was fineā¦ and was able to take my kart home and In could resume being a normal empathy capable human being.
Need some major help and a karting sanity check! šš¤”
So Iām looking at the YouTube channel and wondering whether itās possible to do anything meaningful with it this yearā¦ and then someone throws a mega deal on a Superkart chassis at me that absolutely would be doable as project because potentially already have a partner in crime on the engine side.
Now Iām having an internal debate about how this will definitely be a big hit on the channel, and not just a case of me spending money I donāt have. š¤£š¤£
If you can talk me out of it, get in touch.!!!! Save me from myself!
.... or, even better, fancy sponsoring the effort š°š° I am more than happy to relieve you of your cash in exchange for a warm fussy feeling.
Alan Dove
Final dance partner.
1 week ago | [YT] | 44
View 1 reply
Alan Dove
Watch the full "solo" mission here: Loading a 1993 Kart onto an Austin A35 solo https://youtu.be/W27e0OfYZyg?si=CADxG...
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 15
View 1 reply
Alan Dove
The plan for 2026 was to get into 125 long circuit Superkarting via a special 'budget' project series. š
I have had some great conversations with various stakeholders in Superkarts, but as of yet have not reached the level of support required to hit the green light. We've got absolute legends on board, but we need more. šŖ
It's very much been a 2026 or bust scenario, and my experience in the past is basically under-budgeting projects and ending up with a 50% success rate on getting projects actually done. My goal fundamentally is to grow Superkarts - while having some fun along the way and sharing that with as big an audience as the social media platforms will let me get hold of. I am absolutely content that if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen, but I want to give it one last push it deserves before I put the idea to rest.
While my previous Budget Kart Challenge was a success, this time around I don't want to go too low on the budget front, because this isn't something you can necessarily play around with and it deserves the utmost respect. I am sure I could blag something together and tape it all up and hit 'send', but I also want some level of realism that this isn't to be taken lightly. I want to arrive with something that's worthy of the sport. Obviously on a budget of course, after all it's a 'Budget Challenge' and at the core is to get as MANY people racing Superkarts in the future as possible, but not too silly. Bare in mind my 'silly' is literally cycling to the track with a Ā£500 kart on a trailer, and sleeping outside! š¤£
I am looking for more sponsors to come on board so we can give this project the commitment it deserves. I think there's inherent financial value in this project beyond the usual 'pay for my racing' type proposal, so if you have a business you want to promote, please get in touch.
I have been plagued with the promotion, marketing and figuring out how to promote cool stuff bug - not the 'set up a stable business and pay for it all myself' bug. Had I been bit with the latter, I'd have already done 5 seasons of Div 1 by now š¤£ but maybe no promotion!
There is a deadline which is the the end of this month at the very very latest. So if you're interested I am always happy to have chat and go through it all, and also have chinwag putting the karting world to rights regardless! Send me an email!
3 months ago | [YT] | 72
View 7 replies
Alan Dove
Today was a good day!!! šš Finally found some actual VIDEO FOOTAGE of 1966 World Karting Champion Susanna Raganelli racing. Link in comments
3 months ago | [YT] | 15
View 1 reply
Alan Dove
I wrote this book because, quite frankly, I got bloody annoyed.š”
Who we are as karters - our shared history, our culture - has been stripped away and forgetten. In place a hollow, empty, version of karting hisotry that's reduced down to "<insert driver> UsEd tO Race KarRTs wHere It All BegINs BaCk To Roots." š¤®š¤®
That matters because whoever controls the past controls the future. Right now it doesn't feel like 'karters' are in control and If you donāt know where karting came from, youāll accept whatever version of it youāre handed.
Karters deserve to know that itās not a myth that karting used to attract thousands of spectators on the streets of the world in front of literal palaces. Itās not a myth that Superkarts used to get over 400+ entries for big races at Silverstone. You, the karter, should expect far more than whatever is being plated up right now!
Karting has always been motorsport for the people. Yes, it's had its expense issue, all motorsports will have no matter what, but look back through history and you find something almost unique in all of motorsport. It's a sport of normal working people. The fact it's also the purest form of driving is a lovely little bonus.
What troubles me is this: I see karters at the very top of the sport act meek. Rarely have I met a karter who is genuinely proud of their achievements. There's often a feeling of shame - that they didn't "make it" to cars. And then I look at karting's extraordinary heritage and think: you are part of a long, proud history!
Modern motorsport writers overlook karting - not always through snobbery (though there is some who surprisingly like to play the inclusivity in motorsport card, yet will state karting doesn't interest them) - but because often they are completely unaware of its history. I've lost count of how many times I've had to point out that MichĆØle Mouton is not the most successful female driver in FIA competition. That honour belongs to Susanna Raganelli. And Mouton's runner-up finish is matched by Lorraine Peck's second place at the 1974 Junior World Karting Championship.
But beyond those headline names, almost daily I trip over another nugget of karting history I wish I'd had room to include. Just recently I discovered that karting was part of the USSR's Summer Games and raced at the Luzhniki Palace of Sports in Moscow. This is one of many examples I find all the time. Everywhere I look there's a new epic story to be told.
It's not just that karting has a richer and more extensive history than most people realise. It's that modern karters don't feel part of it at all - a situation the major governing bodies have done absolutely nothing to help, obsessed as they are with the "pathway to F1." Karters don't even know what they are part of.
At the heart of this book, and almost everything I do with karting, is a simple message: you are part of something far more interesting and far more significant than you've been led to believe. Never forget that.
(HI IF YOU READ THIS FARš YES, IT'S A BIT 'SELF-PROMOTERY', BUT GIVE ME A BREAK š )
3 months ago | [YT] | 90
View 11 replies
Alan Dove
Tomorrow I go live for a stream at 7:30pm GMT all being well on a technical front. It's been twenty .... TWENTY ... years since the account on YouTube was registered! Thought I'd reminisce. Please join!!!
4 months ago | [YT] | 5
View 0 replies
Alan Dove
The Day My View Changed About F1 and Karting š¤
I flew to the 2009 SKUSA SuperNats because Michael Schumacher was competing. At that time, I placed huge value on an F1 driver racing karts again, and to this day I still single out Michael as something truly special for doing so.
However, while my presence there was driven by this āF1ā thing, over the weeks, months, and then years, it became apparent how unhealthy this mindset was for the sport of karting.
When I was young and running the Karting1 website at the start, I were looking for hits, I were looking for social proof. Interviewing karters was fine, but talking to F1 and IndyCar drivers made me think, āOh wow, this is important.ā Iād attended a few press events Lewis Hamilton did that involved karts. I was naĆÆve.
Then one day it hit me like a fire truck. Especially when I kept reading phrases like āstepping stoneā and āgrassrootsā - it was all nonsense. What actually happens is kartingās demographic becomes ever younger as adults flee. The value of karting itself declines. The value of the vehicle becomes nothing more than a temporary phase for those pursuing cars. I was basically part of a narrative that ate away and eroded my actual core passion for karting. It was self-destructive.
The older I got, the more I realised karting was never designed for this. It was a totally different beast back in the day. Somewhere along the way it became deformed - and somehow of less value.
I canāt say I noticed right away that the audience for actual karting media had pretty much gone. I guess, to some extent, as the internet media class that helped kill off paper media, we also became victims of the social media age. But even allowing for that, the audience was demonstrably declining.
Back tot he Supernats - seeing Bas Lammers take the win, and the joy he expressed, reminded me that karting itself should be able to stand on its own two feet. It was great to see Michael, but in time I came to appreciate more watching Bas Lammers at the height of his powers even more. The guy was, and is, a truly special talent.
When I reference F1ās negative influence on karting, whether itās how it shifts perception toward karting being āa kidsā thing,ā or the inflationary effect it has on classes and championships, I do recognise my own role in that process. I drank the Kool-Aid too.
Over the last decade or so I have tried to fight the good fight, but the battle, I suspect, has been lost.
If youāve read this far, youāre probably wondering why Iām posting so much. I fear the day is approaching - fast, very fast - when itās time to accept that fact and simply move on.
"All that glisters is not gold
Often have you heard that told"
5 months ago | [YT] | 35
View 2 replies
Alan Dove
Moments Before Disaster Ep.4 š¤£š¤£ Title: Brainfade Kerb Idiocy
So, I make a last-minute decision to race at Rowrah - I think it was 2016 - for the O Plate. I canāt remember all the details, other than that in hot-shot qualifying we had two laps.
My first lap was quick. On my actual flyer I shouldāve been on poleā¦ but at the Stewart Esses I decided, idiotically, to take a bit more kerb than I should have - and promptly threw the chain.
So I end up qualifying fourth or fifth.
The heats went OK. The brakes were horrific, but we had a monty Parilla TT75 motor for the final and added a few more teeth on the rear. I genuinely thought: Rightā¦ this is it. I could win this.
The start was fine. I was 4th or 5th into turn one. The brakes were still dreadful, but honestly that wasnāt the worst thing - it forced me to carry speed and actually drive the kart properly. I am totally calm and chilled.
Then my brain pipes up.
āRight, Alā¦ you know that kerb you shouldnāt take because it throws the chain?
Wellā¦ how about we take it again ā because maybe this time it wonāt.ā
Why I did it, I genuinely donāt know to this day.
All that way to Rowrah with my bro and Will Dendy. All that money spent. And on lap one I throw it all away for.... reasons. š¤¦āāļø
To add insult to injury, the kart had come via van with Adam Wardiell. He then decided to have the almightiest of almighty crashes in proper pre-2000 and ended up splayed across the track.
Naturally, my first thought wasnāt āIs Adam OK?ā
It was: āWellā¦ how the hell are we getting the kart home?ā
I call this transient psychopathy - or temporary psychopathy - the brainās weird ability to eject all empathy for a brief moment under stress. Thankfully, Adam got up, was fineā¦ and was able to take my kart home and In could resume being a normal empathy capable human being.
Cheers, Adam. š
5 months ago | [YT] | 14
View 2 replies
Alan Dove
Need some major help and a karting sanity check! šš¤”
So Iām looking at the YouTube channel and wondering whether itās possible to do anything meaningful with it this yearā¦ and then someone throws a mega deal on a Superkart chassis at me that absolutely would be doable as project because potentially already have a partner in crime on the engine side.
Now Iām having an internal debate about how this will definitely be a big hit on the channel, and not just a case of me spending money I donāt have. š¤£š¤£
If you can talk me out of it, get in touch.!!!! Save me from myself!
.... or, even better, fancy sponsoring the effort š°š° I am more than happy to relieve you of your cash in exchange for a warm fussy feeling.
5 months ago | [YT] | 33
View 2 replies
Alan Dove
So this kart right here is the finest chassis I ever drove. Wright put out some absolute bangers back in the day.
A like to be a bit reclined in the seat, and this always leans towards a tiny but of understeer... but with that TT85 sat under my arm. šš
Look right, felt right, sounded right. Granted I was only fast enough for P2 on the day, but didn't really care.
5 months ago | [YT] | 25
View 4 replies
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