British Universities Karting Championship
Encyclopedia
The British Universities Karting Championship (BUKC) is an annual University-based kart racing
competition in the United Kingdom
, organised by 3T Racing Ltd in association with Club100 Racing Ltd
.
It is organised by 3T Racing Ltd in association with Club100 Racing Ltd. 3T Racing Ltd is a small privately owned company run by Will Tew in order to run the BUKC.
Will was obsessed by these immensely powerful karts and even though the Inter University Karting Championship (IUKC), as it was known back then, was run on lesser powered 4-strokes, Will was desperate to race for his university. Alas, no one at Imperial wanted to race in the IUKC because it was all 4-stroke kart based (thunderkarts, pro-karts and indoor hire karts).
The IUKC 2002
The IUKC was to be organised in 2002 by Nottingham university once again on 4-strokes.
However Will had just found Club 100 - a company that supplies a fleet of 2-stroke TKM-engined karts - and started racing in their national sprint championships. Will immediately got in touch with John Vigor from Club100 with a view to setting up a university karting championship on Club100's 2-stroke TKM-engined karts.
Will teamed up with Tom Batho, also from Imperial College's Karting Society, to successfully launch the 2-stroke, Club100, version of the IUKC for 2002.
The 4-stroke based IUKC was dropped by Nottingham as everyone jumped on board the new championship run by Will, Tom and Club100 through Imperial College Union.
The IUKC 2002 became the first ever uni karting championship to be run on 2-stroke machinery and was contested by 32 teams, over 4 rounds. It was won by Loughborough A.
The BUKC 2003
For the 2003 championship, Will and Tom introduced a 5th round and a new format and renamed the championship to the British Universities Karting Championship (BUKC).
Most importantly they realised that the best thing for the championship was not for it to passed on to different universities each year, but to keep consistency in the management of the championships and the relationship with Club100 strong.
The Birth of 3T Racing Ltd
For this reason Will and Tom setup 3T Racing Ltd in November 2003 to continue organising the BUKC and to implement other ideas such as the British Schools Karting Championship (BSKC).
After graduation, Will worked for the Swiss investment bank UBS in their IT department. Along with being responsible for the development and managent of a billion-dollar-a-week trading platform, Will continued to run the BUKC successfully in his spare time.
Since then the BUKC has grown to 62 teams from 38 universities, contesting across North and South regional qualifications then into a 7 round championship over 4 race days.
The relationship with Club100 is as strong as ever and is indicated strongly by the fact that the price per round is no greater than it was in 2003.
3T Racing Ltd in the future
In mid 2006 Will took a little leap of faith by resigning from UBS to concentrate fully on his plans for the BUKC and BSKC.
It is now Will's mission now to see that karting is considered a national sport within all secondary schools across the country through the BSKC and to see that BUKC is contested by every university too.
2 different formats are used in the BUKC:
The Sprint Format:
The Sprint Format is where every driver in the team gets to race in their own individual 25 minute race. No fuel stops, no driver changes. Just a 25 minute sprint to the flag.
The teams finishing score for the round is determined by adding up the best 3 results from the 4 sprint races.
The Endurance Format:
The Endurance Format is where the team (of 4 drivers) is split into 2 teams of 2. Each mini-team of 2 drivers races in a one-hour race.
2 fuel stops must be made, and at least one driver change must be made.
The teams finishing score for the round is determined by adding up the points from both the 2 one-hour races.[2]
Many up and coming young stars are taking part in the BUKC alongside their studies and being as it is a non MSA
championship it is a great opportunity for others who have never raced karts to take part alongside them. Racing drivers to have appeared in the BUKC include Alex Brundle
and British GT class champion James Gornall.
fielded three teams in 2008.
Oxford Brookes University
are the most successful team in the championship's history, with the core team of James Gornall
, Luke Johnson and David Robb taking three consecutive titles in 2004, 2005, 2006 and Brookes taking a further title in 2009. The series is most popular among universities in the south of England; however Wales
are well represented, with Cardiff and Swansea taking part, Swansea Metropolitan came 2nd overall in 2009. The north of England are also well represented. In 2009 Edinburgh
became the first Scottish
team to take part in the championships, Heriot Watt
with Keith Wilson as the team captain followed in 2010.
Kart racing
Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motorsport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits...
competition in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, organised by 3T Racing Ltd in association with Club100 Racing Ltd
Club100
Club100 is a UK based "hire kart" karting championship. All karts use identical Birel chassis and TKM 2 stroke engines and are provided by the club to an equal standard, putting all competitors on a level playing field.- History :...
.
The BUKC
The British Universities Karting Championship (BUKC) is a nation wide high performance 2-stroke karting championship for university students across the UK. It is contested every year during February to April by more than 200 students at each and every race day.It is organised by 3T Racing Ltd in association with Club100 Racing Ltd. 3T Racing Ltd is a small privately owned company run by Will Tew in order to run the BUKC.
History
Will Tew of 3T Racing Ltd started karting in 2000 aged 19 whilst at Imperial College, London. Back then Imperial College owned a fleet of 2-stroke TKMs and Rotax Max karts which they would take out for fun on weekends to circuits such as Tilbury, Rye House, Clay Pigeon, Whilton Mill and Lydd Raceway.Will was obsessed by these immensely powerful karts and even though the Inter University Karting Championship (IUKC), as it was known back then, was run on lesser powered 4-strokes, Will was desperate to race for his university. Alas, no one at Imperial wanted to race in the IUKC because it was all 4-stroke kart based (thunderkarts, pro-karts and indoor hire karts).
The IUKC 2002
The IUKC was to be organised in 2002 by Nottingham university once again on 4-strokes.
However Will had just found Club 100 - a company that supplies a fleet of 2-stroke TKM-engined karts - and started racing in their national sprint championships. Will immediately got in touch with John Vigor from Club100 with a view to setting up a university karting championship on Club100's 2-stroke TKM-engined karts.
Will teamed up with Tom Batho, also from Imperial College's Karting Society, to successfully launch the 2-stroke, Club100, version of the IUKC for 2002.
The 4-stroke based IUKC was dropped by Nottingham as everyone jumped on board the new championship run by Will, Tom and Club100 through Imperial College Union.
The IUKC 2002 became the first ever uni karting championship to be run on 2-stroke machinery and was contested by 32 teams, over 4 rounds. It was won by Loughborough A.
The BUKC 2003
For the 2003 championship, Will and Tom introduced a 5th round and a new format and renamed the championship to the British Universities Karting Championship (BUKC).
Most importantly they realised that the best thing for the championship was not for it to passed on to different universities each year, but to keep consistency in the management of the championships and the relationship with Club100 strong.
The Birth of 3T Racing Ltd
For this reason Will and Tom setup 3T Racing Ltd in November 2003 to continue organising the BUKC and to implement other ideas such as the British Schools Karting Championship (BSKC).
After graduation, Will worked for the Swiss investment bank UBS in their IT department. Along with being responsible for the development and managent of a billion-dollar-a-week trading platform, Will continued to run the BUKC successfully in his spare time.
Since then the BUKC has grown to 62 teams from 38 universities, contesting across North and South regional qualifications then into a 7 round championship over 4 race days.
The relationship with Club100 is as strong as ever and is indicated strongly by the fact that the price per round is no greater than it was in 2003.
3T Racing Ltd in the future
In mid 2006 Will took a little leap of faith by resigning from UBS to concentrate fully on his plans for the BUKC and BSKC.
It is now Will's mission now to see that karting is considered a national sport within all secondary schools across the country through the BSKC and to see that BUKC is contested by every university too.
Format
The BUKC uses a unique format that uses teams of 4 drivers and takes place over a number of rounds during the academic year at many top class karting venues throughout the UK.2 different formats are used in the BUKC:
The Sprint Format:
The Sprint Format is where every driver in the team gets to race in their own individual 25 minute race. No fuel stops, no driver changes. Just a 25 minute sprint to the flag.
The teams finishing score for the round is determined by adding up the best 3 results from the 4 sprint races.
The Endurance Format:
The Endurance Format is where the team (of 4 drivers) is split into 2 teams of 2. Each mini-team of 2 drivers races in a one-hour race.
2 fuel stops must be made, and at least one driver change must be made.
The teams finishing score for the round is determined by adding up the points from both the 2 one-hour races.[2]
Karts
The BUKC are supplied with Club100 Racing Ltd karts for the championship, these are 115cc (as of 2009) 2-stroke TKM engines that are capable of speeds around 70 mph. The racing is always very competitive and the rivalry between each university makes it an exciting championship for students to become involved in.Many up and coming young stars are taking part in the BUKC alongside their studies and being as it is a non MSA
Motor Sports Association
The Motor Sports Association , is the official governing body of motorsport in the United Kingdom.-Responsibilities:...
championship it is a great opportunity for others who have never raced karts to take part alongside them. Racing drivers to have appeared in the BUKC include Alex Brundle
Alex Brundle
Alex Brundle is a British racing driver. He is the son of Formula One driver-turned-commentator Martin Brundle. He attended Oakham School in Rutland, and is managed by 2MB Sports Management, a company established by Martin and his colleague Mark Blundell.-T Cars:Brundle drove a kart for the first...
and British GT class champion James Gornall.
Universities Taking Part
The championship is open to teams from any UK institution of higher education. Each university may be represented by more than one team of four drivers; Loughborough UniversityLoughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
fielded three teams in 2008.
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row...
are the most successful team in the championship's history, with the core team of James Gornall
James Gornall
Captain James Parrington Gornall DSO was an English cricketer. Gornall was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace.Gornall made his first-class debut in 1921 for the Royal Navy against the Army...
, Luke Johnson and David Robb taking three consecutive titles in 2004, 2005, 2006 and Brookes taking a further title in 2009. The series is most popular among universities in the south of England; however Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
are well represented, with Cardiff and Swansea taking part, Swansea Metropolitan came 2nd overall in 2009. The north of England are also well represented. In 2009 Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
became the first Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
team to take part in the championships, Heriot Watt
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer....
with Keith Wilson as the team captain followed in 2010.
| University | Karting Club Website |
|---|---|
| Aber | http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aberystwyth-University-Motorsports/64888356640 |
| Bath | http://www.bathstudent.com/sport/clubs/motorsports/ |
| Birmingham | http://www.ubmrc.com/ |
| Bristol | http://www.bris.ac.uk/depts/union/motorclub/index.html |
| Brighton | http://www.ubsu.net/motor |
| Brunel | http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2248571844&v=wall |
| Cardiff | http://groups.cardiffstudents.com/motorsport/about/ |
| Cambridge | http://www.cusu.cam.ac.uk/societies/directory/automobile |
| Coventry | http://www.cusu.org/karting |
| Durham | http://www.dur.ac.uk/motor-sports.society |
| Edinburgh | http://www.eumsc.co.uk/ |
| Exeter | http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2219969281 |
| Heriot-Watt | http://groupspaces.com/HeriotWattMotorsportsSociety/ |
| Hertfordshire | http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000459403014 |
| Huddersfield | http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_139691519409838 |
| Imperial College | http://www.cgcu.net/motor/ |
| Kingston | http://www.koksracing.co.uk/ |
| Leeds | http://www.facebook.com/groups/151062198309311/ |
| Loughborough | http://www.lufbra.net/club/Kart/ |
| Newcastle | http://newcastle.oncampus.net/pages/activities_and_au/societies/list_of_societies/motorsport_society.html |
| Nottingham | http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=136336216410740 |
| Oxford | |
| Oxford Brookes | http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2210466012&ref=ts |
| Plymouth | http://www.upsu.com/motorsport |
| Sheffield | http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/union/get-involved/societies/motor-sports-enthusiasts |
| Southampton | http://www.wessexmotorclub.co.uk/ |
| Sussex | http://www.sussexstudent.com/content/index.php?page=535583 |
| Swansea | http://www.suau.co.uk/karting |
| Swansea Metropolitan | http://www.metsu.org/karting |
| UCL | http://groupspaces.com/UCLUKarting/ |
| Warwick | http://warwicksport.warwick.ac.uk/clubs/motorsport/ |
| York | http://www.yorkunikarting.co.uk/ |
Champions
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2001 | University of Nottingham University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia... |
| 2002 | Loughborough University Loughborough University Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England... |
| 2003 | University of Leeds University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England... |
| 2004 | Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row... |
| 2005 | Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row... |
| 2006 | Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row... |
| 2007 | University of Hertfordshire University of Hertfordshire The University of Hertfordshire is a new university based largely in Hatfield, in the county of Hertfordshire, England, from which the university takes its name. It has more than 27,500 students, over 2500 staff, with a turnover of over £181m... |
| 2008 | Loughborough University Loughborough University Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England... |
| 2009 | Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row... |
| 2010 | Loughborough University Loughborough University Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England... |
| 2011 | University of Bath University of Bath The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966.... |