Rye House Kart Circuit
Rye House Kart Circuit is a kart circuit, in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England, and is adjacent to the Rye House Stadium.
![](../I/m/Rye_House_Kart_Circuit.jpg)
The circuit is one of the oldest in the country, and has been driven by many of the big names in motorsport, including Jenson Button, Anthony Davidson, and Lewis Hamilton.[1]
It hosts many events throughout the year; from Arrive and Drive karting sessions, endurance races, and many other activities.
Hoddesdon Kart Club
The Hoddesdon Kart Club is an approved MSA club, which holds its events usually on the third Sunday of every month. Events are run year round, running from February to December.[2]
- Bambino
- Honda Cadet
- Clubman Cadet
- Junior Rotax Max
- Senior Rotax Max
- Junior X30
- Senior X30
- 177 Rotax Max
- And occasionally Iame Cadets
In September, the club run an event called the London Cup. This has been televised on Motors TV in previous years, except for 2010. The event attracts many well known competitors in the karting industry, the majority from the Super 1 National Kart Championships as well as other drivers from National kart clubs and associations. The London Cup ran finals for the following classes.
- Bambino
- Honda Cadet
- Clubman Cadet
- Junior Rotax Max
- Senior Rotax Max
- Junior X30
- Senior X30
- 177 Rotax Max
Circuit improvements
Since 2003, the circuit has undergone some major refurbishments. Early that year, the track was resurfaced, and since then a new cafe and hospitality area have been added. In between the March and April MSA meeting, a new covered grandstand was built at Stadium Bend, the fastest corner on the circuit. The grass on the exit of both hairpins one and two has been replaced with brickwork, in an effort to reduce the water-logging which plagues the circuit due to the close proximity of the wetlands and surrounding lakes and rivers. The new race control building was completed in late 2009.
An onboard lap of the circuit in its current layout can be viewed .[3] A more recent onboard lap after completion of the aforementioned redevelopment project (including new control tower and kerbing/paving) can be seen at .[4]
In popular culture
The track featured prominently in the 1964 movie 'Go Kart Go' starring Dennis Waterman and Wilfrid Brambell.[5]
Coordinates: 51°46′03″N 0°00′41″E / 51.767588°N 0.011287°E
References
- ↑ The Sun extract from Hamilton's autobiography Retrieved May 6, 2008
- ↑ Hoddesdon Kart Club
- ↑ Lap of Rye House
- ↑ Lap of Rye House
- ↑ "Go Kart Go". Reel Streets. Retrieved 22 February 2016.