The scheme is being financed by Paul Fletcher who first took up karting in January, 1960. He was an extremely successful competitor, racing in over 700 events and winning more than 25% of them. Paul represented Britain in 38 internationals, finishing 2nd in Europe and 3rd in the world championships. After retiring from active competition himself, he started to run his own team which is now recognized as one of the world's best. Twelve years ago, he achieved a long term ambition by opening up his own kart circuit at Brandon in Lincolnshire. Around £10 million has been invested to make this one of the foremost tracks in Europe.

"I was first introduced to the sport when John Mills and his friends asked if they could use the car park outside our bakery to run their karts. After we'd expressed some interest John allowed my father and I to try out his kart. I thought it was the most fantastic experience ever, and my dad must have been impressed too because we both bought our own karts a couple of weeks later. I'd like to make this wonderful experience available to as many young people as possible and we've started up the Racing for Buttons scheme to do exactly that"
Paul Fletcher

In the same month as Paul Fletcher entered his first kart race, the seven times motor cycle world champion John Surtees was making his debut on four wheels. Later that year, John would join the F1 Lotus team before winning the ultimate crown in a Ferrari. He's still the only driver to have won world titles on both two wheels and four wheels. He eventually formed his own team before selling out to Williams. In 2006, John returned to team management when he was asked to run Britain's A1 GP Squad. This is what he's got to say about the Racing for Buttons scheme:

"I think this is a marvellous initiative and one I'd highly recommend to schools and young children alike. Motor-racing, and karting in particular, can be a wonderful way of teaching you the discipline and skills which will be invaluable in later life. Under this particular scheme, opportunities will be made available to all children regardless of their background or budgets and I believe that's very important. My own son Henry was involved in kart racing for seven years and he enjoyed himself immensely. As a parent, I found that the sport brought us both closer together and this seems typical of most families I've come across. You can experience this exhilarating sport on what is a very fine and popular circuit. I hope you'll seize the chance with both hands."
John Surtees

You can't get much for a fiver nowadays, but with the Racing for Buttons scheme you'll find that it buys an awful lot. The initial sessions last between 30 and 40 minutes, consisting of a safety brief, explanation of how the kart works and then a few controlled laps of the car park. Once a level of competence has been demonstrated, drivers are allowed out onto the circuit for a few observed laps.

We anticipate that many youngsters will want to return for further sessions. As the preliminaries will have already been dispensed with, there should be more time available out on the circuit together with some tuition regarding kart maintenance. Those who so wish can eventually sit an ARKS test using Buttons equipment and this will allow them to take out racing licences.

How can we provide all this for just £5? The answer is that we can't! Fortunately, Paul Fletcher is heavily subsidising the scheme for a minimum period of five years so that more people will know about karting and possibly take up the sport for themselves. The fee of £5 is a nominal charge that will hardly cover the cost of petrol. It's been imposed to ensure that there is a degree of interest from participants themselves.

Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support :

Dadson Motorsport of Purfleet, Essex

We would also like to thank the following people who have given their time and support to the Racing for Buttons scheme:

RFB TEAM: Gary, Arthur, Mark, Rob, Sam, Janet and last but not least Ollie.

Adrian Mills for access to P.F.I. for photos

Chris Walker of kartpix.net. for most of the fantastic photographs used on this site.

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