While a major focus of the club is on competition we understand not everyone is looking to race so we also offer practice only memberships (also known as Social or E Grade). This allows you full access to the track as well as the ability to compete at one club day per year in case you ever want to dip your toe in the water and see what racing is all about.

A competition licence and membership allow you to race at Karting Australia sanctioned events Australia wide. There are several different levels of competition:

• Club Day’s – Held on the last Saturday or Sunday of each month (Feb-Nov).
• Open Meetings/Series – Held at tracks around the state on most weekends of the year as stand-alone meetings or as part of a series.
• State Championships – Held in each state at various times of the year as a single event or a multi-round series depending on the state.
• National Championships – The Australian Kart Championship and the Rotax Pro Tour are the two national championships run in Australia. Both are multi-round series held on the east coast of Australia.

The ten club day’s each year form Oakleigh’s Club Championship. As we are one of only two tracks in Victoria with track lights we run half of our club days on a Saturday starting in the afternoon and running into the evening under lights. The other half are run on Sunday’s starting in the morning and running until mid-afternoon. We also hold two Open Meetings each year as well as hosting the Victorian State Championship meeting every four years.

Classes are broken up by different age, weight and engine types. There are many different classes offered by Karting Australia but we will only cover the entry level classes offered in Victoria and raced at Oakleigh.

Please note that even if you decide you just want to practice you must comply with the rules for a class appropriate to your age group and licence grade. Practice licence holders with no recognised prior experience are limited to beginner classes with restrictor plates fitted when required.

All go karts, whether being used for practice or competition must meet the technical regulations set out in the Karting Australia rulebook at all times when on track.

We would usually recommend that people purchase a second hand kart when starting out especially for children whose interests may change quickly.

While there are a lot of good karts for sale online we would suggest beginners purchase their first kart from a kart shop, you may pay a little more but you’ll have the peace of mind that the kart is in good condition and is the correct kart for the class you’re looking to join. You can find a list of local kart shops here.

If you do decide to purchase a kart online we recommend you start by searching for some of the many Facebook Buy & Sell groups for go karts, many of the karts for sale in these groups have been used at Karting Australia sanctioned tracks and should generally meet the technical regulations.

Karts for sale on sites like eBay and Gumtree are often very old and have engines that no longer or never did meet Karting Australia regulations. Before purchasing something online please double check that it does meet the regulations for the class you are looking to race in, the club will be happy to advise you on this.

There are a number of mandatory pieces of safety equipment that must be worn when karting as well as several optional though highly recommended pieces.

Mandatory:

• Helmet: A full face must be worn. Helmets must comply with one of several standards listed in the Karting Australia rulebook.
• Suit: A one piece driving suit with full length arm and leg protection must be worn. It is recommended that the suit be made of an abrasion resistant material and be compliant with CIK-FIA 2013-1 homologation. Overalls with press stud buttons are not permitted.
• Gloves: Must be fastened at the wrist, be abrasion resistant and be full finger.
• Shoes: Must be securely fastened, provide cover and protection to the ankles and be abrasion resistant.
• Rib Protector (Cadet & Junior only): No specific requirements.

Optional:

• Neck Brace: No specific requirements.
• Rib Protector: Optional for Senior’s only but highly recommended.
• Balaclava: No specific requirements.

When you join the Oakleigh Go Kart Racing Club you will receive a key to access the track for practice. Before receiving your key you will need to complete a simple online officials course with Karting Australia and obtain a Working with Children check, it's important to note that drivers must always be accompanied by someone that has completed this course when using the track, for minors this would normally be the parent or guardian.

We usually run a practice session on a weekend for new members who are yet to complete this requirement. This is included in your membership fee and you are not charged any extra each time you visit.

The track will occasionally be closed to members during working bee’s or for private hire events but these are usually only for a few hours at a time.

As well as access to the track you will receive a Karting Australia rulebook and a welcome email with more information about the club, the facilities at the track and some basic safety information and requirements that all karters must follow while using the track. There is also a short online safety induction you must take before we approve your membership and licence.

Your membership and licence are valid for 1 year so make sure you have already purchased or are well on the way to purchasing your kart before you sign up.

Details on the cost of membership and licences and how to join can be found on our New Membership page here.

Once you become a member you’ll need to get some practice under your belt before you’re ready for your first race meeting.

Once you’re comfortable that you’re setting lap times somewhere around the average race pace you will need to complete an Observed Driving Session before you’re able to enter a race meeting, Cadets must log 8 hours of practice with a parent/guardian who is the holder of a participant’s licence, anyone over the age of 18 who holds a race licence or a recognised driver trainer before being eligible to complete the ODS.

At the ODS we will go through the basics of how a race meeting runs, the officials and what their roles are, some basic rules and we’ll also go on a track walk to point out things like the start grid and formation line and run through some of the procedures. You’ll also be tested on your knowledge of all the different flags so you’ll need to study their meaning, they can be found in your copy of the rulebook.

Once the theory section is finished you’ll head out on track to be observed during a practice session, we’ll be watching things like your race lines and lap times to make sure we believe you’re ready to safely start racing.

If you don’t already have one, you’ll also need to purchase a transponder. The transponder is linked to our timing system and measures you lap times and position in the race (this is separate to the lap times your data logger records). The club has a very limited number of transponders that we rent on club days but you will need to purchase your own especially to race at events away from Oakleigh.

Transponders are available new from MyLaps or they can be found second hand on various karting Facebook pages.

If you purchase a subscription based transponder you must setup your account and activate your subscription prior to your first race meeting or the transponder will not work.