About Matchams Karting
Matchams Karting was an outdoor karting business at Matchams Leisure Park near Ringwood. The Lovell family began trading there in November 2004 and hosted timed sessions, parties, corporate races and stag and hen events. The operation relocated and rebranded as South Coast Karting, opening at Chapel Gate on 1 April 2017. The Matchams site is permanently closed, while the active successor has its own separate Kart Directory profile.
Detailed guide
Matchams Karting is permanently closed
Matchams Karting formerly operated an outdoor circuit within Matchams Leisure Park near Ringwood. Karting no longer runs from the Hurn Road location; the same family operation relocated and rebranded as South Coast Karting in 2017.
The Matchams era
- Family operation: the Lovell family’s official history says Matchams Karting began trading in November 2004.
- Outdoor circuit: the former track sat alongside the leisure park’s wider motorsport activity.
- Session formats: timed sessions and competitive group races were core products.
- Group market: corporate events, birthdays, stag and hen groups were hosted over the venue’s operating years.
Relocation and rebrand
- Opening date: South Coast Karting opened at its new venue on 1 April 2017.
- New location: the active circuit is at Chapel Gate near Bournemouth Airport, not Matchams Leisure Park.
- Continuity: the family team carried its karting experience into the new South Coast operation.
- Separate listing: use the South Coast Karting profile for the live venue.
Closed-page guidance
- Do not travel to Matchams: the historic Hurn Road karting site is closed.
- Do not mix addresses: Chapel Gate belongs to South Coast Karting and should not overwrite the former Matchams address.
- No booking here: this museum listing contains no checkout or external booking link.
- Current information: check the South Coast profile for today’s circuit, requirements, opening pattern and availability.
