The Club was formed in 1959 and after a couple of years moving around located to a former rolling
skating area in the Chasewater Park and became Chasewater Kart Racing Club. The first circuit was
tiny by today’s standards, but then karts were not particularly fast. As karts improved the circuit
was extended twice in the 1960’s to become the 495m long circuit that remained until the end.
Even this circuit was small by comparison with most others. The facilities were basic to say
the least, but somehow it had a special atmosphere. Many drivers started their karting life at
Chasewater and its open relaxed nature smoothed the path for many new drivers, and their parents.
The saying was that if you could race competitively on Chasewater’s narrow, tight and twisty
circuit then you could do it anywhere! The Club’s string of British Champions, including Mark Beddall,
Jeremy Cotterill and Jonty Millward, provides testament to the skills required to compete at Chasewater.
All this was good until the plans for the M6 Toll (Birmingham Northern Relief Road) appeared in 1993.
Unfortunately those plans put the motorway across part of the track. No amount of arguing could get
the Motorway moved, even a little bit, or get Lichfield Council to give us more land in the Chasewater
Country Park, even a little bit, to replace what we were to lose.
The last race was run in December 2000 and the old track finally closed in May 2001. Forty years after
it first started.
Member Profiles
[Andrew Wood]
[Dave Clark]
