Pedal Kart

The Hong Kong Pedal Kart Grand Prix has been running since 1986. It was modelled after events in Nairobi and the UK, where Karting started at Bristol University in the south-west as early as 1961. The aim of the race is to raise money for charities largely in Hong Kong, but also in China and the rest of Asia.

Typically the event raises around HK$ 1.4million each year for charity with the support of some of Hong Kong's biggest employers, including, but not limited to: Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong Aero Engine Company, Hong Kong Aero Engine Services, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, MTR Corporation, Hong Kong Electric, China Light and Power and Jetta Company. King George the Fifth School in Kowloon, amongst others, also offer a great deal of help to the organisers each year by providing willing students to act as race marshalls, as well as entering a number of teams.

For the first 15 years of its life, the Pedal Kart Grand Prix was organised by Hong Kong Round Table 3. As the event became larger and more successful however, it became clear to the organisers that they needed to recruit a mixed team of women and men to run the event, and the management was transferred to a new enitity, Hong Kong Human Powered Vehicle Association, who retain responsibility for it to this day.

All Pedal Kart Races have a common theme – to facilitate charitable fundraising and to promote sporting and athletic excellence in the community. The Hong Kong Pedal Grand Prix motto is: “Pedal for those who can’t” and each year since it’s founding, Pedal has raised over a million dollars for needy charities in the SAR.

The 2007 race raised over 1.4 million HK dollars which means that the Hong Kong Round Table Pedal Grand Prix is still the largest Round Table fund raising event in the world.

Over the years, there have been many people who have helped keep the race alive through selfless donation of their time and passion. Perhaps the most notable of these is Simon Boyde who has been involved in every aspect of the race since its inception and without whose efforts, the race may have been consigned to a footnote in Hong Kong’s history.

Jim Choy is another name synonymous with Pedal in Hong Kong. Jim has created a complete set of plans for a competitive kart that teams can build themselves. Often, the most daunting part of entering a team into the race is designing and building a Kart which can stay in one piece for 24 hours whilst being pushed to the limit by a team of competitive athletes.

Russ Parker is the man responsible for designing and setting up the race track every year. His knowledge and expertise in this area is unrivalled and a vital part of the success of the race.

An integral part of any race is the timing. We are very lucky to have the services of MST (Motor Sports Timing) - the same company which provides timing services for the Macau Grand Prix. They attach a transponder to every Kart which means computer tabulated results are sent real-time to the internet. As with everyone involved with the race, they provide this service free of charge.

The Pedal Grand Prix is one 24 hour race comprising a number of classes of kart. Race trophies are awarded to: The Overall Winner, The Leading All Female Team, Formula 2000, Formula 88, The Highest Placed Mixed Team and the Highest Placed School’s Team. There are additional trophies given to various industry groups such as Aviation, Construction and Transport/Utilities amongst others. Further awards are made to the teams which raised the highest amount for charity.

Each team pedals in relay for 24 hours and is responsible for collecting its own sponsorship money which then goes to Round Table 10 for distribution (with the exception of funds raised by charities taking part in the race, which may be retained by the charity).

In early years the race was dominated by a team from HKU, winning in 1986 and 1987. They were eventually defeated and the HK Hash House Harriers had a three race-winning run from 1988 through to 1990, followed by Island School who repeated the same feat. The HK Aircraft Engineering Co (HAECO) won in 1994, in turn beaten by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club who set the record in 1995, then lost again to HAECO in 1996. In 1997 and 1998 HAECO managed to successfully defend their title, so that three teams have now won the event for three years in succession. The RHKYC made a return win in the somewhat slower (due to the absence of the aeronautical industry due to the airport move) racing year of 1999. In 2000, KGV – long term stalwarts of the event - managed an excellent win, nearly breaking the record in the process.

On the ladies side, HKU held the initial record, though this was quickly taken by Island School who won the event for many years until KGV beat them, setting a huge record in the process. The RHKYC entered a ladies team for the first time in 1997 and, having won, returned in 1998 to set a new record, which they then broke again in 1999, and by an even larger margin broke the record again in 2000.

In 2001, Pedal moved from its long term home in Victoria Park to Wong Tai Sin. The Wong Tai Sin track was inevitably much shorter, leading to a race which consisted of more corners and fewer straights, inevitably reducing kart speeds. Despite this the winners by 30km, the RHKYC, still managed to break the 700km barrier. In 2002 the organisers managed to obtain permission to use the Tamar site in central and we had a spectacular race, with the RHKYC again managing to do the double, being overall and ladies champions. For a race which we expected to be much faster than previous races due to the longer track, instead we had a slower race with the winners setting a track record of 688km - undoubtedly due to the rough nature of the track which kept the HAESL welding shop very busy indeed.

In 2003 Pedal moved back again to Wong Tai Sin. We had a welcome return of winners from the past in the form of HAECO who again demonstrated their ability to win at will, and despite the very short track, nearly breaking the overall record in the process.

Since 2004 we have been back in our spiritual home - Victoria Park. We have also, in order to avoid clashes with flower shows, have put the event back to November, a move welcomed by schools as well as most of the long term teams.