Buckmore Park is having its very own ‘renaissance’ for 2025. The circuit has been a cornerstone of British karting since 1963, offering a challenging layout and outstanding facilities in the southeast of England, and remains under the management of the Surtees family.

Late racing legend, John Surtees acquired Buckmore in 2015, a fitting legacy for a driver who is the only person to win World Championships in both motorcycle and Formula One racing.

Now under the management of Leonora Martell-Surtees and her husband Rich Martell-Surtees, Buckmore has revealed grand plans for the future of the circuit with its 20,000 sq ft development; The Paddock.

“John was the catalyst for all of this,” comments Rich, “He got involved in the circuit around 25 years ago, I used to race at Buckmore many years ago – I didn’t get to a very decent level. John always had a passion, even when he left motorsport, he wanted to make motorsport as accessible as possible having not come from a very wealthy background. He actually grew up not too far away from Bernie Ecclestone and they knew each other from school, so they were kind of cut from the same cloth. It was always really important to him, he took a number of drivers under his wing including Sam Bird, Oliver Turvey…and a number of others.

“Sadly, John died in 2017, so after that it was really down to Leonora and myself to pick up and take Buckmore to the next level. Even though the circuit had a fantastic reputation, it was struggling financially, and we wanted to make it commercially successful. It’s always that balance with karting because you want to keep the focus with the club and the owner-driver side, but you also want to consider corporate or leisure karting. COVID saw us have to start again, and we’ve basically built it back from there. Fortunately, we have now got to a point into where we can look to expand it further.

The Paddock would feature a state-of-the-art simulator room, restaurant, sports bar and roof top terrace overlooking the circuit, with plans also outlining the inclusion of 18 state of the art motion simulators and the creation of around 30 new jobs.

“Buckmore has always had a layout that is split between the clubhouse and a 300-space carpark. This doesn’t always lend itself well when we run series such as Club100, or when we’ve hosted the British Kart Championships. It’s always been a bit of a bugbear that we can’t offer the same level of hospitality, so about a year ago we came up with the idea. We want to create a ‘hybrid space’ that not only appeals to owner-driver but also to corporate clients, while we also considered general motorsport fans and newer fans, and we wanted to create a venue for people to come down to and perhaps watch the Formula 1.

“Motorsport doesn’t really have such a social following, fans of football and rugby often watch it in the pub, or with friends, so we wanted to create a space where that is something that is done. So, we have also included a Sports Bar in the planning, with about 20 to 30 screens so that people can watch the track action while its going on. We are passionate about the whole spectrum of motorsport; we love it when we see people get involved.”

Buckmore is also home to a successful Junior Karting programme and has a new Driver Development programme in the works.

“We get drivers coming to us from the age of six, some want to take part just for a bit of fun while others are looking to have a career in motorsport, and over the past few years we have had some fantastically fast drivers, but they don’t necessarily have the complete skillset. It’s not just about being quick, but it’s also skills such as talking to the media, presenting yourself for potential sponsors… so we wanted to put a course together so that they can learn these skills. Most of these drivers are in their early teens, this is not the sort of thing that they can learn in school. We wanted to put together a course that would enable them to up their game. It’s all the elements that you wouldn’t learn on track to progress further in motorsport.”

With numerous plans in place for Buckmore, the circuit aims to keep the southeast firmly on the map.

“There’s lots of emphasis on motorsport corridor, but down towards the southeast there’s not really one place where people can go and meet up with like-minded fans, so that’s what we are trying to create with the Paddock. A venue that is open to anyone.”

More information about Buckmore Park can be found here.