To celebrate 60 years, Buckmore Park is hosting a charity grand prix event with some special guests and live DJ
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00:00 Over the line and Holman, oh! Holman is out! That is such cruel luck! Holman puts his hand in the air and Lewis Hamilton goes through.
00:08 So he's been gifted first place.
00:10 A 14-year-old Lewis Hamilton wins from the back of the pack at Medway's Buckmore Park Circuit.
00:15 It was at this very venue that the McLaren Formula One team boss of the time, Ron Dennis,
00:21 would spot the future seven-time world champion and go on to sign him for the team,
00:25 drawing the path for his route to Formula One stardom.
00:28 Besides Hamilton, Buckmore Park has seen the career's rocket of other British motor racing stars like Johnny Herbert and Lando Norris,
00:36 but more recently has been the centre of attention with YouTubers coming down to host their own karting challenges.
00:41 As Mario Kart characters!
00:42 Buckmore Park has long been considered at the forefront of British karting,
00:46 and is now set to celebrate 60 years since it first opened with a special charity racing evening.
00:52 Some staff, including myself, that have been here for a very, very long time,
00:55 obviously remember a lot about its heritage and history, which we have as a circuit anyway, so much history behind us.
01:03 We have a lot of charity events that come here.
01:05 We do a lot of events every day, but very rarely do we put our own on.
01:11 And actually we thought, you know, what a great time for us to be able to actually give back to the community at this point,
01:16 whilst celebrating our birthday at the same time.
01:20 Buckmore Park has had quite the history here in Medway.
01:23 Before it became the circuit loved by so many today, with these things zooming around it almost daily,
01:28 it was originally built by the Royal Engineers back in the 60s,
01:32 and later taken over by the Scout Association, which still owns and runs the campsite next door.
01:37 By the mid-80s, the circuit fell to disrepair, but new owner Bill Cicely revitalised it,
01:44 aiming to legitimise it in the karting scene.
01:47 The first national championships at Buckmore took place in 1992,
01:51 and by the early 2000s the track expanded to a full kilometre, meeting the international standards.
01:57 Fast forward to 2015, when Formula One and motorcycle racing world champion John Surtees bought the circuit.
02:04 After his passing in 2017, his family have since continued as owners.
02:09 Today the track is open almost daily, hosting corporate events,
02:13 international racing series, and for the public to test their skills on the track.
02:17 We like to say, and we do genuinely believe it's the best circuit in the country,
02:21 certainly for safety as well, it's the most technically advanced circuit.
02:25 So we get Formula One drivers, we get the British touring car drivers coming back on a regular basis.
02:30 So you never really know who's going to walk through the door, but when he does it's a great surprise.
02:35 And with such a rich racing history here at Buckmore Park,
02:39 who knows what stars of Britain's Racing Hall of Fame could emerge in the next 60 years.
02:44 Bartholomew Hall for KMTV at Buckmore Park.