DAY1 and Inverness Kart Raceway

On track to carbon neutral karting

Inverness Kart Raceway (IKR) is a well-known indoor karting venue, and in 2025 it celebrates having been an integral part of the Highland community for a decade. Thrilling as the ride is, the Raceway isn’t just about the entertainment it offers. It’s also taking poll position when it comes to demonstrating social impact and sustainability.

The Raceway is a social enterprise owned by charity DAY1. Its core aim is supporting local young people, especially those who are vulnerable or who face barriers to employment. The karting business provides the perfect vehicle to deliver their second social enterprise - DAY1 Training.

The Raceway is the base for a variety of training programmes, including helping primary school pupils transition to high school, to accredited foundation apprenticeships in automotive mechanics.

Green credentials

The business also takes an innovative approach to delivering its business sustainably. It has a track record of taking action in day to day operations including lighting, water consumption, facilities and waste.

With support from our Green Grant Fund, it has made the seismic shift from petrol-powered go-karts to electric vehicles, significantly reducing its carbon footprint and saving an impressive £20,000 annually on fuel costs.

Pete Doherty, one of the directors, explains how this was crucial for the future of the business: "We know that governmental regulations on emissions are only going to get stricter, so we made the proactive choice to transition to electric karts. The change has transformed the business - not only are the emissions drastically reduced, but the air quality and noise levels inside the track are much improved.”

The Board of DAY1 also choose to invest profits from IKR in 2022 in solar panels. They now have the capacity to produce 50kw per hour of their own electricity

“For the supply coming into your building solar power and battery storage is the way forward. It’s easy energy - if the sun is out your bills are coming down. And if you have batteries your battery feeds from the solar in the day time to cover your night time," Pete added.

With battery storage now top of their list, Pete is keen to encourage other businesses to take advantage of green energy solutions.

"The Green Grant Fund was a game-changer for us. I’d recommend other organisations look into solar power and battery storage - there are huge savings to be made, and it’s the future of energy."