Formula Fast Indoor Karting Ltd, Banbury, Go-karting, indoor kart

The Charles family opened Formula Fast in December 2009, the realisation of a long standing dream to launch an indoor go karting track that combined F1 engineering standards, a meticulous approach to safety and the best karting in the business within a smart, clean and modern facility.

Phil Charles has been in the motorsport business since he was 8 years old, starting his racing career as a young cadet karter and finally becoming the youngest ever Senior British Karting Champion on his 16th Birthday in 1996. He then went on to study automotive engineering at Loughborough university followed by a career as a race engineer in Formula 1, working with drivers including Giancarlo Fisichella, Nelson Piquet Jnr, Romain Grosjean and Timo Glock. Phil left F1 in 2010 to join his wife Hannah full time at Formula Fast from March 2010.

Hannah comes from a varied background; studying Art History at St Andrews University before having a career in the diamond brokering trade and then, more recently, working with children and young adults with PMLD (profound and multiple learning difficulties). This has remained a passion and now Formula Fast runs a special karting programme for people with disabilities and learning difficulties which includes an amazing two-seater go-kart for people who cannot kart themselves.

Formula Fast is very much a family business with both Hannah and Phil’s families very much involved from the beginning and their support and enthusiasm have helped to make everything possible. There has also been a recent addition to the Formula Fast family – baby Primrose was born in June 2011 and visits the track most days to see all her friends amongst the staff and customers.