“ THAT JOURNEY CAN BEGIN FROM AS YOUNG AS 6-YEARS- OLD – AND THERE ARE OFTEN SURPRISINGLY
LOW BARRIERS TO ENTRY COMPARED TO THE HIGHER LEVELS
OF THE SPORT”
Young People in Motorsport
I n a time where children are choosing screen time over social activities and the family unit is being challenged to its limits, more people are discovering motorsport as a way to connect and re-build the family bond – and help teach vital life skills.
There is a surprising variety of disciplines in the UK that are perfect for mutual participation, from arrive-and-drive karting and grassroots StreetCar events to the accessible Motorsport UK National Championships like CrossCar and trials – and all of them can bring people together.
Some young participants in motorsport grow up in the paddocks watching their parents compete and end up behind the wheel as a simple rite of passage. Others, however, have had nothing to do with the sport before and, after encouraging their parents to let them participate, end up bringing the entire family along to get involved.
Generational change is the lifeblood of motorsport and the more that young people can be encouraged to join in competition, the better the prospects are for the future. That journey can begin from as young as 6-years-old – and there are often surprisingly low barriers to entry compared to the higher levels of the sport.
Disciplines like AutoSOLO and trials allow shared car entries, opening the door to competition in a far cheaper and simpler way, and even at that level, the discipline, technical knowledge, teamwork and resilience involved not only brings families together, but it also gives children life skills that go far beyond the track.
Competition is not limited to a single path as the same cars can often be entered into different formats. That makes switching categories easier than ever, and with a multi-discipline approach allowing drivers to compete more often, it means families can remain actively engaged with more motorsport throughout the year.
Revolution spoke with parents and families involved in the UK motorsport scene across a range of disciplines to discover how their journeys have shaped their family bond.
“ THAT JOURNEY CAN BEGIN FROM AS YOUNG AS 6-YEARS- OLD – AND THERE ARE OFTEN SURPRISINGLY
LOW BARRIERS TO ENTRY COMPARED TO THE HIGHER LEVELS
OF THE SPORT”
Revolution Magazine 11