A recent social media post by Vroom Karting Magazine has once again stirred up interest in street meetings.
The post (see below) refers to a small street racing event in San Carlo (Italy). Former star karter Max Orsini cut some demo laps and Alan Dove was there to document the adventure of a couple of UK karters who took their own 100cc retro machines (see video, below).
The post poses the question: Street Racing – crazy or brilliant?
Of course, the answer is both!
Australian karting has a strong tradition of street racing, but it hasn’t happened here for about 20 years as a consequence of a fatal accident at the Wollongong Kart Prix in 2002.
While there have not been any street meets in Australia since (well, certainly not under AKA/KA rule) they are not “banned”.
A street track must now satisfy Karting Australia’s “Temporary Circuit Guidelines” to be issued a Circuit Licence. Temporary circuits are mentioned multiple times in the 2025 KA Manual, but the guidelines are not published. The rule book states “For information referring to Temporary Circuit guidelines contact KA.”
So, who’s up to present a case to KA for a modern-era street race?
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Above: On-board at the San Carlo (Italy) event the Vroom post below refers to.
THE VROOM POST
We saw it with our own eyes last weekend in San Carlo: someone showed up at the MXP airport with a kart wrapped in plastic after flying it in from the UK on a budget airline – as if it were just a regular bicycle. That image alone captures the true spirit of street races: less about pure competition, more about community, grit, and passion. From Quincy and Rock Island in the US, to San Carlo and the sun-drenched towns of Sicily (which share a symbol with the legendary Isle of Man), from glamorous Monte Carlo to the often-forgotten Menton on the Ligurian coast – street racing lives on.
Organizers always say it: these races bring back a kind of karting that’s nearly vanished – but still pulses with energy, even if putting together a street circuit is no walk in the park. Budgets, permits, insurance… the list of hurdles is long. But the scene is alive – just ask the crowd in San Carlo, where even former racers like Max Orsini suited up and hit the track. There’s work to be done, and maybe it’s time to team up with the ASNs to carve out a proper place for these events on the official calendar. Because if there’s one way to grow this sport, it’s by bringing it back to the streets—letting people smell the fuel and hear the screech of brakes echo off the sidewalks.
So tell us: what’s YOUR dream street circuit where you’d love to see karts rip through the corners again?
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