In conversation with Dominic Gaynor, CEO of TeamSport

TeamSport, the UK’s #1 indoor Karting brand, has expanded into Europe in its 30th year with the opening of its first track in Germany. Established in 1992 with its first track in Guildford, TeamSport currently operates 35 venues across the UK, three of which trade under the ScotKart name in Scotland. Now, in TeamSport’s 30th year, the new opening in Monchengladbach, Germany, is the business’s first European E-Karting location.

What does your business offer its target audience?

We are a fun, premium brand, offering customers the ultimate indoor karting experience. We have also adapted the on-site experience for returning consumers since the start of the pandemic, in 2021 launching crazy golf at several locations to increase dwell time and customer experience, as well as expanding into Germany this year.

How do you set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry?

We pride ourselves on providing a gateway to grassroots motorsports for individuals to enter the expensive world of motoring. One way we’ve done this is by re-launching the British Schools Karting Championship this year, which we’re really excited about, and continuing the British Indoor Karting Championship (BIKC) in partnership with Motorsport UK for the third year running. The championship, supported by Britain’s leading governing body for four-wheel motorsport, Motorsport UK, aims to create an accessible and affordable grassroots racing event set to revolutionise indoor karting across the UK.

What plans do you have for TeamSport over the next two years?

We have plans to continue our European expansion, with the opening of further tracks in Germany and Holland.

Alongside this, we have plans to make the business even more sustainable. We have invested £3m in a whole host of electric karts in the UK and our first European track in Germany is fully electric. At present, six of the 35 UK tracks are fully electric with a further two tracks moving to electric in the coming months. We’re committed to not opening any new petrol tracks and to make a change across all locations by refurbishing existing tracks. 

How important is company culture and what is your top tip to get it right?

Our ‘One Crew’ business mission is key to delivering commercial growth and is the foundation of our expansion in to Germany. TeamSport was one of 2021s and 2022’s ‘Great Places to Work’ as voted for by staff, the benefits of having diverse teams, customers, and communities are a huge part of how the business has been able to expand into the European market. Our success is down to our crew.

In order to find, retain and recognise the hard work of our amazing crew members we have recently invested over £1 million into front line wage increases to ensure that all crew receive pay that is significantly higher than National Minimum wage. This increase, combined with a lucrative staff bonus scheme, has made us one of the best paid operators within the leisure industry. 

Describe your business in three words.

Fun. Passionate. Accessible. 

Thinking about the future, do you have any strategic partnerships or upgrades in the pipeline?

With a projected record level of drivers this year at circa 1.5 million, we are outperforming the general leisure market by circa 20%. This puts us in the great position of being able to deliver on our ESG agenda and plans for the full electrification of the business by 2027, well ahead of government targets.

What impact would you like to have on women around the world through your business?

We’ve partnered with Motorsport UK to support their ‘Girls on Track’ platform, which through using our tracks, aims to get more girls into motorsport and help increase female representation within the industry, which is notoriously male dominated. We’ve also launched ‘Ladies Only’ evenings branded ‘Girls On Grid’, which are race sessions run by female crew for female customers which we hope will engage more women to want to come karting with us at the same time as hopefully attracting more female talent to the business.

Does your company help the community that you’re located in?

Commitment to diversity is core to the business, developing an initiative with Fast Forward Training, whereby 15 tracks across the UK run a mechanics training programme for students aged 14-16 y/o from local schools who then receive a qualification upon completion. Our aim is to give them technical knowledge, improve their STEM understanding and build their confidence. Generally, the students are from disadvantaged backgrounds many of whom are struggling with mainstream education and the majority are from within BAME communities. On completion the students receive a CERTA recognised qualification, and we also hope that the programme will provide a pipeline for future mechanics and industry workers. 

Why do you think your business has had such a positive impact across your industry?

Our passion, knowledge and insight about our industry is definitely the key to our success. This has enabled us to scope out the gaps and create the many schemes and initiatives we have, such as the ‘Girls on Grid’ concept, ‘Fast Forward Training’ and ‘British Schools Karting Championship’. Also our dedication to creating a more sustainable future in the karting industry has also had a positive impact, helping to make us Europe’s largest indoor karting company leading the way in the motoring’s industry shift to green.

What’s the most important question entrepreneurs should be asking themselves?

What are you doing to make a difference not just in the wider industry but also internally within in your business? Investing in your staff is the most impactful thing you can do to help grow and expand a business. For TeamSport, our overall business successes stems from our staff, with our ‘One Crew’ business mission being key to delivering commercial growth and is the foundation of our recent expansion to Germany.

Why do you think now is the right time for the world to begin exploring and adopting technology that aids sustainability?

The climate crisis is such a prominent issue at the moment that every business should be attempting to adopt more sustainable practices to do their part for the world. In the motorsports industry particularly, the rise of Formula E and with more and more electric and hybrid cars on our roads, has created huge potential for the rest of the industry to make the shift to green, and we’re leading the way at grassroots level. As aforementioned, we’ve invested £3m in a whole host of electric karts in the UK and our first European track in Germany is fully electric. The business is committed to a number of green initiatives and we have plans for the full electrification of the business by 2027.