Popular Inverness Kart Raceway picks up prestigious international award
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Inverness Kart Raceway has beat off competition from across the globe to win a top industry award.
The International Rental Karting Awards were held in Dortmund, Germany, organised by the Fastline Group.
The Highland venue was nominated for the most innovative track award and manager and assistant manager Pete Doherty and Holly Morrison attended in person – and were not disappointed.
Picking up the prize Mr Doherty said: “This is quite a personal one for me, as a lot of work behind the scenes during Covid has brought us to this big pat on the back.
"This is such an incredible achievement for IKR, which is in fact owned by youth mentorship charity Day1. All the profit generated by the business goes straight back into the charity, which benefits kids and teenagers needing help and support.
"The track now provides a Foundation Apprenticeship scheme for 100 students from various secondary schools in the Inverness area, helping them to develop their social skills and further education, and provides them with an SCQF level four foundation qualification in automotive skills for work. With profits generated by IKR, Day1 has been able to build two workshops and a social hub for the young people they support."
In the past year, Mr Doherty has also worked to create a unique automated anti-condensation system to stop the track from becoming wet in winter. No other track in the world has this system.
In October the business also put into action its plan to become more environmentally friendly by installing solar panels.
Mr Doherty said: "All of this really impressed the International Rental Karting Award judges and put IKR ahead of their competition for the award, since this is something unique to them.
"The future is looking bigger and better than ever for this team of International Rental Karting Award winners, with plans constantly being made and put into action to make the track better, greener, and offer more opportunities for the youth of the Highlands and Islands."
Since opening its doors in 2015 IKR has been the proud winners of numerous awards and were finalists for the Highland Business Awards in 2017 and 2021.
