Why does the Veterans' Foundation support KartForce?

KartForce is a charity that gives injured British Armed Forces veterans the opportunity to drive competitively. The karts are adapted for each of veteran’s specific needs. There are not many activities that veterans who have lost limbs and body parts can take part in and compete with able-bodied people. Due to the nature of motor racing, veterans’ in modified karts can take on fully able-bodied opponents in a level playing field. This can go a long way in giving veterans independence, pride and self-worth - three things many injured veterans struggle with. 

The charity’s primary focus is enabling veterans to compete in endurance karting. The British 24 hour Kart Race is considered to be the pinnacle of endurance karting in the UK. In 2019, KartForce entered two teams of veterans into the race. Racing for 24 hours alone is hard enough, but the teams had to overcome crashes and mechanical issues too. The veteran drivers found themselves mentally and physically exhausted, so the sense of accomplishment once they finished the race was tremendous and goes a long way in helping in their recovery process.

KartForce has helped its veterans achieve the world record for distance covered in 24 hours using hand controls. Team KartForce covered 1,888.6km in 24 hours. KartForce explains: “This works out to be only 168.1 km (8.2%) short of the existing record set by a team of very experienced kart racers using a faster and more powerful geared kart, in dry conditions.”