10 of Australia’s Best Karting Tracks

1. Todd Road Go Kart Track (Port Melbourne, VIC)

Quite possibly Australia’s most popular and well-known kart track, with drivers such as Oscar Piastri taking to the track during the off-season, Todd Road is a track that has a bit of everything. Undulation, fast sweeping corners, a flowing racetrack that never gets old. It features many opportunities for overtaking as seen in turns 1 and 5 while also presenting technical and challenging corners such as the difficult sequence of turns 2 and 3 (dog leg) as well as turns 7-9 (double right hander). Its location is picturesque with Melbourne’s CBD skyline in the background, Todd Road has earned every right to be one of Australia’s staple karting tracks.

Website: https://www.gkcv.com.au/

 

2. Bolivar Kart Track (Waterloo Corner, SA)

As of January 2022, Bolivar Kart Track will be extended. The yellow portions of the track represent the proposed layout.

Up until the recently proposed layout was introduced, Bolivar was a relatively smaller racetrack that was difficult to master and generated plenty of grip. There were a number of overtaking opportunities, with the turn 1 braking zone, Turn 3 (wakefield), turn 6 (Tysons) and the final right hand hairpin. Bolivar has hosted many Australian Championships in its time and provided a platform for many Supercars drivers to start their careers. As for how the new layout will feel, it is still unsure as the first karts are expected to hit the circuit in early February.

Website: https://www.southerngokartclub.com.au/

 

3. Newcastle Kart Track (Wallsend,NSW)

 

Newcastle is one of the more technical tracks on this list, with 15 turns to its name. The track features a lot of elevation changes, off cambered corners, and blind exits, always providing a challenge to racers. This is a circuit that rewards drivers for being smooth, and to not overdrive it, as tyre wear has played a factor on this track. For a track that has it all, and to really hone your driving skills, Newcastle is the place to go.

Website: http://www.nkrc.com.au/

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4. Ipswich Kart Club (Ipswich,QLD)

Ipswich might have the largest member base in Australia, and with lights being present this circuit can be used all day for race events. The start of a lap can be divided into two different sections. The first half of the circuit is fast and flowing that requires precision and mastery. This section ranges from turns 1-8. The second half, which is from turns 9-13, is a free-for-all given the number of overtaking opportunities that come one after the other. In this section, drivers must always be on their toes and keep an eye out for a possible overtake. With long straights on the exit, drivers don’t want to enter with too much speed and jeopardise their straight speeds. Overall, Ipswich is a technical circuit that still provides overtaking opportunities and it’s club level scene is the best in the country.

 

5. Wanneroo International Kartway (Wanneroo, WA)

 

Wanneroo presents a fun track to drive while also giving a ton of opportunities to overtake. Couple that with the fact that every slow corner in this track is different, means that a fun challenge lies ahead. The turn 2 corner is banked like a nascar circuit, that provides drivers a unique turn that don’t see often. This is also the racetrack that kick started the careers of Formula 1 race winner Daniel Ricciardo and Bathurst 1000 winner Garth Tander. Wanneroo will also host round 2 of the Australian Kart Championships in 2023.

Website: https://www.megafastkarts.com.au/wanneroo-about/

 

6. Hume International Raceway (Puckapanyal, VIC)

As you can see in the track layout, Hume International raceway has a long build up before the first few corners of circuit by means of a long main straight. One of the fastest layouts on the Australian Calendar, cadet drivers reach speeds of 100km/h +, providing a real excitement to racers. From there, an uphill right-left-right sequence follows which allows for long battles between drivers. This is repeated in turns 7-11 which presents more overtaking opportunities for drivers. Puckapunyal is a challenging track when it comes to race day as the nature of the circuit is to keep your momentum high.

Website: https://elkc.com.au/

 

7. Darwin Hidden Valley Kart Circuit (Hidden Valley, NT)

 

Situated just a few meters away from Hidden Valley Raceway, one of the tracks that hosts a race in the Repco Supercars Championship, the racing scene in Hidden Valley isn’t often driven by many drivers outside of the Northern Territory. This racetrack is a hidden gem, and racers who have driven here know how technical, fast and fun it is. With the climate in Darwin being so warm, the use of the track lighting is a must in the warmer months. This circuit held the 2012 Australian Kart Championships.

Website: http://darwinkarthire.com.au/

 

8. Oakleigh Kart Club (Melbourne, VIC)

When it comes to technical circuits, Oakleigh is near the top of this list! Known as one of Australia’s most difficult tracks this is the place McLaren Formula 1 driver Oscar Piastri started his career. A recent extension to Oakleigh, now sees the track over the 1km in length, with its infield section where drivers find it difficult. There’s plenty of camber, undulation and tight hairpins that make this circuit tricky to master, but this is also the club that has the most national championships from its member base. If you’re looking to challenge yourself (and your ribs), look no further than to hone your skills at Oakleigh.

Website: Oakleigh Go Kart Racing Club - Come Race Where Champions Race (ogkrc.com.au)

9. Eastern Goldfields Kart Circuit (Kalgoorlie, WA)

With so many layouts to work with, including an oval layout, Eastern Goldfields presents many kinds of challenges regardless of what circuit you use. The focus today however is the main layout, a 12-turn track with sections that are very tight and close together, as well as sections that are fast and wide. So, despite it’s interesting layout, you are guaranteed to have a lot of fun here. Not many racetracks have a flat out embankment on it, but Kalgoorlie offers something new to racers. This track is extremely challenging with hard braking zones on a circuit that can be relatively dusty due to its location. Their annual ‘Dash for Cash’ race is a must for all Australian karters and is another event held under lights.

Website:https://www.kartingwa.com.au/?fbclid=IwAR1ifWxMD8G9_svYYdZdm64rsLTO7WHhhvMyjvTWVeEberAw1ssr8_t5yTo or https://www.facebook.com/EGKartClub/

10. Albury-Wodonga Kart Club (Albury, NSW)

Situated on the border between Victoria & NSW, the Albury Wodonga Kart Club is a 10-turn track with sections that are very difficult to master. Examples of this include turns 1-2 with the 2 succeeding hairpins and turns 8-9 which present a left hander which quickly follows into a tight hairpin, like that of turns 2-3 in Todd Road. For a challenge like no other, Albury-Wodonga is a great track to try out. The recent extension to the Albury layout has seen karters reach higher speeds, but drivers need to be aware of the braking zone at the end of the long straight which catches a few out.

 Website: https://kartracing.com.au/

 

That concludes ten of Australia’s best karting tracks. With Australia being fortunate to have so many racetracks, it was hard to squeeze this into just ten.

If you are starting your racing journey, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start at one of these ten tracks. If you want to join these clubs, you can learn more about them through the websites found in this blog.