Buckmore Park celebrated its 50th birthday at the weekend and there was a star studied bill on hand to help them do so.
Johnny Herbert came home and helped the track celebrate despite the poor weather conditions, it didn’t stop him getting behind the wheel of a kart.
Many of the kart circuit’s old boys came back to in join the celebrations and also John Surtees OBE, the only man to win the World Championships on two and four wheels and a great supporter of the venue for many years popped in during the day as part of his work for the Henry Surtees’ Foundation Charity set up by John in memory of his son Henry who was killed in a freak motor racing accident at Brands Hatch.
Johnny Herbert was the star of the show demonstrating a restored 135cc Cobra/Komet which he used to win the British Karting Championship in 1982. The Kestrel/Cobra kart brand was manufactured by circuit owner Bill Sisley in the 70s and 80s and was one of the most successful karting brands winning the British Championship for 10 consecutive years.
Also joining in on the day was Indian Formula 1 star Karun Chandhok who actually started his motor racing career at Buckmore as a youngster. Further kart demonstrations during the day included circuit owner Bill Sisley a kart champion himself in the 60s and 70s, and his son Tom, a multi-kart and car champion in the 90s who demonstrated the prototype 1959 ‘Yellow Peril’ go kart, the first ever machine to be built in the UK.
Further demonstrations included a high speed demo by the current Under 18 Karting World Champion Henry Easthope, using the very latest 100 mph KZ1 125cc international equipment karting equipment and a display by the British Historic Kart Club of machinery from 1961 – 1982.
Apart from the demonstrations the on track action included the ABkC IDD Contracts Honda Cadet ‘O’ plate event for drivers aged 8 – 12, which effectively was a one day British Championship for drivers from all over the UK including Northern Ireland. After 42 drivers had raced wheel to wheel in a series of heats and pre-finals, victory finally went to Dartford’s Myles Apps. 
Buckmore Park is the circuit where many current and past Formula 1 drivers learnt their trade, including Johnny Herbert and World F1 champions Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton (who was discovered by Ron Dennis in the 1996 Champions of the Future Event held at Buckmore Park).
Recent F1 graduate Max Chilton also started his career at the circuit as did Mercedes F1 reserve driver Sam Bird. The circuit also played host to Princes William and Harry who made their debut in 1992.
Buckmore boss Bill Sisley commented: “It’s was a fantastic weekend and I am really grateful to Johnny for spending so much time here and to all the other Buckmore ‘old boys’ who came back to see us. I’m also sure that one of the young drivers that we saw over the weekend in the Honda Cadet race will be in Formula 1 in 10 years time.”