Motor Clubs Near Me: How to Find and Join a Local Motorsport Club in the UK

The quickest way to find motor clubs near you is to search by your county or nearest circuit, then cross-check what disciplines each club runs against what you actually want to do — watch, marshal or compete. Most UK motor clubs are affiliated to Motorsport UK, the sport's governing body, and a good number are also members of the Association of North West Car Clubs or another regional association that pools events between neighbouring clubs. That affiliation matters: it tells you the club runs proper permitted events with insurance, timing and scrutineering, rather than informal meets.

There are hundreds of motor clubs across the country, and they run a far wider range of events than most people expect: not just circuit racing, but autotests in a car park, sprints and hill climbs, road rallies on a winter evening, scenic tours, treasure hunts, autosolos, 12-car navigational rallies and karting. Whatever's near you, there is almost certainly a club within a 30-minute drive that would welcome you at their next event.

How to find motor clubs near me

You have three reliable routes, and it's worth using all three rather than relying on one:

• Search by venue. Clubs cluster around circuits, kart tracks and hill climbs. If you know your nearest venue — say, Cadwell Park, Curborough, Prescott or a local kart circuit — find out which clubs run permitted events there. The motorsport event map lets you see what's happening venue by venue, which is the fastest way to work out which clubs are active in your area.
• Use the Motorsport UK club finder. The governing body keeps a directory of affiliated clubs searchable by region and by discipline. This is the authoritative list, and every club on it is running properly permitted, insured events.
• Browse upcoming fixtures near you. Sometimes the easiest way in is to find an event first and work back to the organising club. Our motorsport calendar and the full UK events listing let you filter by venue and discipline, so you can spot a local autotest or club sprint, then contact the club that runs it.

What kind of motor club do you actually want?

"Motor club" covers a lot of ground. Before you join anything, it helps to know which type suits you, because the cost and commitment vary enormously.

Type of club	What they mostly do	Best for	Typical annual membership
Multi-discipline local club	Autotests, autosolos, road rallies, treasure hunts, social nights	Newcomers wanting cheap, frequent, low-pressure motorsport	Around £20–£40
Circuit racing club	Organising race meetings, championships and race licences	Aspiring racers and dedicated spectators	Around £40–£80
Marque / owners' club	Events for one make of car, plus track days and tours	Owners of a specific model	Around £30–£60
Karting club	Club kart racing, race days, championships	Families and future racers on a budget	Varies by circuit
Historic / classic club	Sprints, hill climbs, tours, shows	Owners of older or period cars	Around £30–£50

Note that these figures are typical ranges rather than fixed prices — always check the current fee on the club's own site, as they change and vary a lot region to region.

How to join a local motor club

Joining is genuinely straightforward, and you almost never need any prior experience or a licence to get started.

1. Turn up to an event first. Most clubs are happy for you to spectate, and many will let you marshal or spectate at an autotest or club sprint for free. It's the best way to see if you click with the people.
2. Fill in the membership form. Usually online, usually under £40 for a year. Family and junior rates are common.
3. Get on the mailing list and social channels. Clubs live on their WhatsApp groups, forums and Facebook pages — that's where entries open and car-sharing gets arranged.
4. Enter your first event. An autotest or autosolo is the classic starting point: you use your ordinary road car, entry fees are often £15–£30, and no competition licence is required for entry-level events.

If you find you want to go racing on a circuit rather than compete in club-level tests, that's a separate path involving a licence. We've laid the whole thing out in how to become a racing driver in the UK, and the specifics of the licence process in our guide to the Go Racing pack.

Do you need a licence to join a motor club?

No. Membership itself never requires a licence. What you can do as a member depends on the event:

• No licence needed: spectating, marshalling, social runs, scenic tours, treasure hunts, and — in most cases — entry-level autotests and autosolos on private land.
• Motorsport UK licence needed: circuit racing, most sprints and hill climbs, and many stage rallies. The good news is your club is exactly where you'll be pointed to get one.

If your goal is track time rather than wheel-to-wheel competition, a track day is a different thing again and typically needs no licence at all — our sister guide covers whether you need a licence for a track day, and there's a full walkthrough of your first novice track day.

Why join a club rather than just booking events?

A few reasons that add up quickly:

• Cheaper entries. Members almost always pay less to enter, and many club events are members-only.
• People who know the ropes. Someone will happily walk you through scrutineering, timing and what to bring — no gatekeeping.
• Car-sharing and equipment. Clubs are how you find a co-driver, a spare seat in a rally car, or someone lending you a helmet for your first autotest.
• A path forward. Fancy karting first? Start with our guide to the ARKS test and karting licence. Most competition careers in the UK began at a small local club.

Building parts and prepping a car through your club

Once you're competing, the club network is also where you'll pick up who does what — welding, fabrication, mapping and increasingly additive manufacturing for brackets, ducts and jigs. If that side interests you, there's solid background reading on motorsport 3D printing in the UK and on how a part goes from CAD to a component that survives the car.

FAQ

How do I find the nearest motor club to me?

Search the Motorsport UK affiliated club directory by your region, and cross-check against active events at your nearest venues using the event map. Clubs tend to run events at the same handful of local venues, so finding the venue usually finds the club.

How much does it cost to join a UK motor club?

Most local multi-discipline clubs charge somewhere around £20–£40 a year, with cheaper junior and family rates common. Racing and marque clubs can be higher. Always confirm the current fee on the club's own website.

Can I join a motor club with no experience?

Yes. Clubs actively want newcomers, and entry-level events like autotests, autosolos and treasure hunts are designed for people using their everyday road car with no licence required.

What's the easiest first event to enter?

An autotest or autosolo on private land — low cost, no competition licence needed, and you can use your own car. It's the traditional way in for almost everyone.

Start with what's on near you

The simplest next step is to see what's actually happening within driving distance this month, then contact the organising club. Browse the full list of UK motorsport events, filter by your nearest venue, and you'll have a local club's name and next fixture in a couple of minutes.