STRONG NUMBERS TO START 2016

2016 Race Meeting entry numbers across Australian karting competition are on par with figures recorded in 2015.

“The average entry numbers across the 214 Race Meetings held so far in 2016 are just three entries per event down on the same period in 2015,” said Karting Australia CEO Kelvin O’Reilly.

Four of the of the seven States including New South Wales and Queensland – the largest and third largest States – have increased their entry rates at their Race Meetings over last year.

The average event entry in New South Wales is 9.8% up on last year’s figures across 52 Race Meetings.

Karting South Australia has recorded a whopping 27% increase across the 16 Race Meetings that they have run, their best start to the competition year since 2013.

“We rely on accurate race meeting entry figures from Karting Australia’s Competitor Management System for our analysis,” said O’Reilly “it’s the only reliable data available.”

The trends in Victoria and Western Australia show entries in their events to be slightly down on the corresponding period in 2015.

“That some States are clearly doing better than others and that there is no uniform trend across all States indicates that a number of local factors are also heavily influencing the decision to enter Race Meetings,” said O’Reilly.

“There are clearly a number of factors including economic factors, the overall enjoyment of the event and the amount of time that people have available that influence where, when and how often people race.

“One of the most concerning long term statistics for karting has been the number of drivers who have left the sport each year. It normally sits at around 30% and has done for many, many years.

“It’s an encouraging sign that the number of drivers keeping their licences has increased from 69% at the end of April last year to 75% for the same period this year.

“These are the plain and simple facts.”

For Karting Australia Chairman Mick Doohan, the release of these true and accurate figures is encouraging for the long-term goals of Karting Australia.

“Over the past two years the sport of Karting in Australia has gone through significant change and right now the sport is on the path for a bright future,” said Doohan.

“The improvement in the retention rate of licence holders is a significant step forward and a clear sign that we are heading in the right direction.

“As a Board we are working very hard on providing the sport with a long-term future, our staff are putting in place some great grassroots programs to assist with growing the sport for the future.

“These are true, accurate figures rather than the manufactured stories that some have elected to distribute throughout our community.”