Becoming a member of the Vancouver Island Karting association has enormous benefits! We are a light hearted group who comes together for the love of karting and the love of community. If you are considering joining the sport of karting and are looking for a friendly, competitive, local group that you and your family can enjoy spending multiple weekends a year with, look no further – you’ve found it.

Karters come in all shapes and sizes, young or old, male or female. Young karters are able to race with us starting on their 5th birthday (National Karting Alliance), and we have had one very dear member that drove with us until he was 83 years of age!

If you’re considering joining the world of karting, stop by one of our events or meetings, contact one of our club executives, or take a leap to the front of the pack and start filling out the Membership Application today via Motorsport Reg!

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

 In 1970, a group of kart enthusiasts got together and started the first kart racing club on Vancouver Island, called  the “Capital City Kart Club”. The club’s home track between 1970 and 1994 was Western Speedway, which closed in 2022..

During those years, the club had several different track configurations to race on. There was a long sprint track, a short sprint track, a large oval, a small oval, and a one-mile road course. With such a variety of track configurations available at one facility, the club saw many champion karters go on to have successful car racing careers. Outside of all the racing at Western Speedway, the club branched out and hosted race events at both the Grandview bowl oval in Nanaimo and Saratoga Speedway, Black Creek on Vancouver Island. In addition to these race facilities, the club also held races in several different parking lots over the years both on and off the island. Most notably was the International Kart Federation (IKF) Gold Cup Series  race that the club hosted at Westwood Motorsport Park  in Port Coquitlam.

In 1994, the club built and started racing at the now closed Cassidy speedway in Nanaimo. Although the club only had use of this race track for six years before it was shut down, the club hosted many races and IKF Gold Cup races attracting racers from all over the Pacific Northwest. Club member David Seville Peck organized the Chemainus Grand prix money race that saw racing take place through the streets of downtown Chemainus. Again, racers came from all over to compete at this world-class event. That race inspired the club to do another street race. This time, it was located in downtown Port Alberni and continued for seven years with fantastic club races as well as BC Regional races. The club also spent a few short years racing in Youbou hosting club and regional championship races before karting faded on Vancouver Island.

After sixteen years with little to no kart racing on Vancouver Island, the club changed its name to “Vancouver Island Karting Association” before making a come back in 2020. This resurgence of kart racing started when eight club members approached the Gain Group convincing them to allow kart racing at their world class facility, “Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit”. With a lot of hard work, kart racing on Vancouver Island bounced back in a hurry and the club welcomed sixty new members in it’s first year under the new club’s name. In 2021 the Gain Group and the Vancouver Island Karting Association became partners in trying to promote kart racing on Vancouver Island. The club has continued to grow each year hosting club races and bringing back the BC Regional Series which had a record turnout of 185 entries in 2024. The club membership hit over 220 members in 2024 consisting of 11 race days and 15 practice days. The club is looking forward to the upcoming season and with many new members already joining along with the continued support of the Gain Group, the upcoming season is shaping up to be the best season yet.

See you at the track.