Our FAT Karting League review, from a race weekend at Adams. Electric arrive-and-drive kart racing for kids 5–17 at Adams, Apex and Willow Springs, with real coaching, mechanics on site and a funded F4 seat at the top.
Arrive and drive: they supply the kart · Ages 5–17 · Regional race weekend about $1,300–$1,650 · Instagram @fatkartingleague
The short version
If your kid has done K1 Speed and wants more, FAT Karting League (people call it FKL or FAT Kart) is the best next step we’ve found in SoCal. It’s the best organized arrive-and-drive racing we’ve done: matched karts, a coach for every group, mechanics in the paddock, and a race day that runs like clockwork. It cost less than half what our gas kart weekends cost with a team. It’s not as competitive as a gas regional yet. We’d do it again in a heartbeat. Our rating: 5 out of 5.
What is FAT Karting League?
FAT Karting League is an arrive-and-drive kids’ racing league started by former F1 engineer Rob Smedley and Ferdi Porsche. Every driver races the same 48V electric race kart, built for the league and speed-limited by class. FKL owns the karts, looks after them, and has mechanics in the paddock all day. It runs hubs in the UK, the Midwest and Northern California. The SoCal hub races at Adams Motorsports Park in Riverside, Apex in Perris and Willow Springs, all within a drive of Los Angeles and Orange County.
FKL classes: Bambino, Cadet and Junior
Three kart sizes. Your kid is placed by age first, then height, then weight with race gear on. Cadet and Junior split again into Light and Heavy. At our weekend both splits had more Heavy drivers than Light, which is mostly the older kids in each class.
| Class | Age | Height | Min weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bambino | 5 to 9 | 110–128 cm (3 ft 7 in to 4 ft 2 in) | 21 kg (46 lb) |
| Cadet Light / Heavy | 8 to 13 | 122–156 cm (4 ft to 5 ft 1 in) | 27 kg / 37 kg (60 lb / 82 lb) |
| Junior Light / Heavy | 12 to 17 | 153–190 cm (5 ft to 6 ft 3 in) | 40 kg / 60 kg (88 lb / 132 lb) |
FKL weighs in kilos, with race gear on; the pounds and feet are rounded, for reference. Each class practices and races only against its own class, and the Light and Heavy splits race separately. Bambinos can usually pick either day or both.
How FKL works: testing, Regional, Pro, World Finals
- Testing and coaching day (mandatory). Half-day sessions from $384. Sign-in and weigh-in from 6:45 am (11:15 for the afternoon), a briefing and a track walk, then four 9-minute sessions. Each group rotates through seat fit, practice and driver coaching, so every run gets a debrief.
- Driver training, if your kid is brand new. Three levels. FKL says most beginners need 3 or 4 sessions before they’re cleared to race. Kids with some seat time can be cleared on the testing day.
- Regional Championship. For kids with less than two years of racing. FKL will lend a helmet, suit and gloves, though most kids at our race had their own. You need a rib vest, a chest protector if your kid is under 13, and shoes that cover the ankle.
- Pro Championship (the SoCal Fall Cup). For kids with at least a season under their belt. You bring all your own certified gear.
- World Finals. The points leaders get invited. The Junior winner gets a fully funded F4 season.
How much does FAT Karting League cost?
Per round, one driver, 2026 prices from FKL’s booking site:
| Bambino | Cadet | Junior | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Testing day (half day) | from $384 | ||
| Regional practice / race | $598 / $883 | $609 / $889 | $715 / $931 |
| Pro practice / race | $598 / $883 | $699 / $986 | $845 / $999 |
| Pro season pass (5 rounds, practice included) | $5,589 | $6,322 | $6,778 |
A Regional weekend with practice and the race lists at about $1,500 to $1,650. Ours came to $1,320 all in for a Cadet: $609 for the morning practice, the afternoon session free, and $711 for the race after a 20% discount. Budget $20 a day for each adult, too: at Adams every grown-up pays a $20 pit pass at the gate just to come in and watch.
Season pass vs paying per round
You can enter one round at a time or buy the whole series. The Pro Fall Cup season pass covers all five races plus practice at the three rounds that have it. Bought one at a time, that’s $6,209 for a Bambino, $7,027 for a Cadet and $7,530 for a Junior, so the pass saves about 10%: $620, $705 and $752. FKL splits passes into four monthly payments. Once the season has started there’s an in-season pass for the remaining rounds ($4,018 to $4,833). For how all this compares with owning a gas kart, see Kart Math.
What an FKL race weekend looks like
It depends on the round, so read the ticket. Ours (Regional Round 4 at Adams) was a two-day weekend: two practice sessions on Saturday, morning and afternoon, and the race on Sunday morning. That isn’t the usual setup. Other rounds are a one-day event: Heavy classes practice in the morning and race in the afternoon on one day, Light classes do the same the other day. The race itself is a short practice, qualifying, a pre-final and the final. The Pro double-header at Adams in November is racing only, no practice. Arrival is 7:30 am and a morning session wraps up around 12:15 to 12:45. FKL runs in most weather; heavy rain, standing water or fog can cancel a day. Every date is on the SoCal karting calendar.
What to bring. Your own lunch: at Adams the nearest real food is more than 10 minutes away, and the break between the morning and afternoon sessions is short. Packing lunch is the pro move. Also your own chairs, a pop-up canopy for shade, plenty of sunscreen, and umbrellas if it might rain. We brought backup toilet paper too. Didn’t need it, but it’s porta-potties.
Our FAT Karting League review: a rainy weekend at Adams
We did the Saturday practice day at Adams Motorsports Park and raced the Regional Championship on Sunday.
It’s run like clockwork. Practice days and race day were both super well organized. Every group has its own coach. The coach starts the morning with a track walk with the kids, then gives them tips and pointers after every session. The kids respond to it, and you can see them get better from one session to the next. After about 40 minutes on track in the morning and another 40 in the afternoon, with all that coaching in between, our kid said it felt like two or three days of practice in one.
The karts are matched and looked after. They’re reasonably well matched and well maintained. If something feels off, you tell the mechanics between sessions and they get you back to even quickly. There’s even a kart feedback app (QR code at the track) to flag anything. That alone is a big step up from rental karts, where you get whatever kart you get. Like our gas karts, there’s no differential, just a solid rear axle. The tires aren’t as fresh as on our gas karts, but the way it corners and moves around felt much closer to a gas kart than to indoor K1 Speed.
It rained all weekend. It was our first time driving in the rain on slicks. Having a coach right there for it, then going out and racing other kids in the wet for the first time, was worth the trip on its own.
The staff. The staff were amazing with the kids. The woman running the day really listened to the kids and went out of her way to be supportive and helpful, and Cristina, who keeps everyone posted on Discord, was great too. It’s an international crowd, with plenty of European accents among the dads in the paddock, and a fair number of the drivers were girls. It felt inclusive and welcoming. I can’t say enough good things. Once again, the motorsport community has been unbelievably welcoming, helpful and supportive.
The deals. Right after we booked the morning session, FKL emailed a code for a free afternoon session (first come, first served, for that date). The evening after practice they emailed a 20% off code to race the next day. Watch your inbox after you book.
Not as competitive as gas. It wasn’t as competitive overall as a gas kart regional, but for kids coming up from K1 Speed that’s fine. It cost us less than half what our gas weekends cost with a team.
A super positive weekend. If your kid is ready to take K1 Speed to the next level, this is where I’d send them. We’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Brent
Is FKL the next step after K1 Speed?
For most kids, yes. K1 Speed Challenge GP is cheap and real racing, but you have no control over the kart. FKL feels like the K1 Circuit Semi-Pro league with more dedicated coaching, more structure on race day, better-matched karts, and mechanics you can actually talk to. It’s outdoor, it’s on real tracks, and you still don’t need a kart, a trailer or a tent. If your kid wants gas 2-strokes without owning one, look at Podium TKC (13 and up).
What other parents say
There isn’t much out there yet. A UK dad who tried it for PistonHeads liked the organization and the short debrief after every session, same as us. He wanted more one-on-one coaching, and to see what power level his kid’s kart was set to; that wasn’t an issue for us. Some karting people online think it’s too cheap to last, or that it’s a scouting program first. That doesn’t change much for a kid who wants to race now.
Why you might not
- Electric: no gears, no clutch, no power band, so only part of it carries over to gas karts.
- A full season costs about what club racing does, and you don’t own a kart at the end.
- Grids are less competitive than gas regionals for now.
- Pro needs your own certified gear anyway.
FAT Karting League FAQ
Is FAT Karting League worth it?
For a kid coming from K1 Speed, yes. It’s the best organized arrive-and-drive racing in SoCal, the coaching is real, and a race weekend costs less than half what a gas weekend with a team does.
What age can kids start FKL?
Five. Bambino is 5 to 9, Cadet 8 to 13, Junior 12 to 17, with height and weight limits for each.
Do you need your own kart or race gear?
No kart, ever. For testing and Regional they’ll lend a helmet, suit and gloves, though most kids bring their own. You need a rib vest, a chest protector if under 13, and shoes that cover the ankle. Pro drivers bring all their own certified gear.
What’s the difference between FKL Regional and Pro?
Regional is for kids with less than two years of racing, and FKL can lend the gear. Pro is for kids with at least a season behind them, costs a bit more per round, and needs your own gear. If you’re not sure, FKL’s coaches will tell you at the testing day.
Does FKL race in the rain?
Yes. Our weekend at Adams was wet the whole time. They only cancel for heavy rain, standing water or fog.
Is FKL good for girls?
Yes. A fair number of the drivers at our race were girls, the staff are great with every kid, and FKL runs a female driver scholarship with the Petersen Museum that puts girls into the SoCal Pro Fall Cup.
Is an FKL season pass cheaper?
Yes, by about 10%. The Pro Fall Cup pass is $5,589 to $6,778 depending on class, against $6,209 to $7,530 paying round by round, and you can pay it over four months.
Where does FKL race in Southern California?
Adams Motorsports Park (Riverside), Apex Motorsports Park (Perris) and Willow Springs (Rosamond). The World Finals are at Willow Springs in December.
First time
Book a testing day. It’s mandatory before your first race, and it’s the cheapest real look at whether your kid wants this. Next FKL dates are on the SoCal karting calendar.
Get on the FKL Discord
FKL runs its SoCal hub on Discord: the day’s schedule, the run order, the QR code for the kart feedback app, and anything that changes between events all get posted there, usually early the morning of. It’s far more current than the website. Ask FKL for an invite when you book. Tri-C and COTF work the same way, and it’s a big part of why breaking into karting is hard: if you’re not in the Discord, you don’t know. That’s a big reason this site exists.
Live timing
Alpha Timing: alpharacehub.com/fatkl (and fatklhub2 for the World Finals).
Where this sits on the Journey
Stage 2, racing without owning a kart. See the map and the FKL stage write-up. Every FAT Karting League date is on the SoCal karting calendar.