The track has seen the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris excel on their way to Formula 1, but with the introduction of state-of-the-art simulators, it's hoped Kent's role in fostering future talent won't be overtaken. Bartholomew Hall reports.
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00:00So many great British motorsport careers began passing through these corners and that's what
00:20bosses here at Buckmore Park want to see continuing on into the future.
00:25Bosses say that it might not be on the track that the next Lewis Hamilton or Orlando Norris
00:30is discovered here, instead it will be over there.
00:34The plan is to replace a previously overlooked paddock building with a 20,000 square foot
00:39hub including a restaurant, sports bar and 18 top of the line motion simulators.
00:45We have obviously leisure karting and appealing to the general public is a big part of our
00:50business but we also have a lot of the big F1 stars that have started here at Buckmore
00:55Park and that is with our Owner Driver and Visiting Series so that's why it's really
00:58important to build the facilities so that they can still come to us, that's where we
01:03see the stars of tomorrow coming through.
01:06So these facilities will also mean that they can come here and use the simulator rooms
01:10which is now such an important part of training for a motorsport career.
01:15Behind the plans is husband and wife duo Leonora and Richard Martel-Sertys who say they want
01:20the circuit to become the go-to place for both racing leisure and competition.
01:25Following Formula One's burst in popularity since the release of Netflix's Drive to Survive,
01:30the track owners say they want to capitalise on Kent's new wave of motorsport fans and
01:35cater to its changing landscape.
01:37Buckmore Park has always been a place that motorsport fans and people when they're young
01:41get into karting and karting is typically the route that people go through for motorsport.
01:45We wanted to create somewhere that people could come whether they're into motorsport
01:47or motoring and it's somewhere that is family friendly and they can come, drive simulators,
01:52they can have some great food, drink, meet like-minded people and generally have a good
01:56time.
01:57The vision continues on, that's set by Leonora's father and motorsport legend John Sertys who
02:03bought Buckmore Park back in 2015.
02:05Yes, I think my dad would be really pleased to see what we're launching today.
02:10For him, he always had so many plans with Buckmore and sadly he wasn't really able to
02:14see his vision fulfilled but I know for certain that he'd be absolutely delighted with how
02:21that's going to secure the future of Buckmore as really staying at the forefront of not
02:25just karting but now motoring and motorsport in the UK.
02:30Buckmore Park has a long and at times complicated history, from royal visits, future international
02:35stars passing through its ranks to almost shutting down entirely during Covid.
02:41But with planning approval alone standing in the way, it's hoped when the paddock opens
02:45in 2027, the Kent circuit will be future-proofed in the ever-evolving world of motorsport.
02:51Bartholomew Hall for KMTV at Buckmore Park.