Shop 3 / 21 Isles Drive
Coffs Harbour NSW 2450   0266529300

Australian Kart Masters - Honouring Ian Brown
We’re on the countdown now until the annual Australian Kart Masters honouring Ian Brown at the Coffs Harbour Kart Racing Club — an event many people would remember for years as the Over 40’s.
What some people may not realise is just how much of himself our Dad, Ian Brown, poured into this event over the years. Dad didn’t start the event, and he was never the only volunteer behind it, but he truly took it on as his own.
It became far more than just a race meeting to him — it became his obsession. For months leading into every event he would spend countless hours chasing sponsors, collecting donations for auctions and finding ways to raise money for the club and its members.
None of it was ever about recognition or profit to him. He simply wanted people to enjoy themselves and feel welcome. One of his biggest priorities was always making sure everyone was fed at the free Saturday night dinner. He’d wander from pit to pit chatting to people, checking in on drivers and families, and making sure visitors felt the hospitality of the club. And if you stood still long enough, you probably heard one of his terrible jokes… usually more than once because he’d forgotten he’d already told you.
Retirement didn’t slow him down either. His days were spent at the track measuring pit spaces down to the millimetre and inspecting blades of grass like they were part of the race regulations. Then, the day after another huge event, he and Mum (Robyn) would disappear off to his second love — Fiji. He’d come home and almost immediately start planning the next year all over again. Dad never measured success by trophies or podiums. Half the time he barely noticed who won.
What mattered to him were the people who had broken down, crashed out or needed help getting back on track because he never wanted anyone’s weekend ruined. Even during his final battle with aggressive cancer, karting was still at the centre of our conversation. Every visit he wanted updates from the track — the latest kart changes, who was racing and how many entries there were. By the next visit he’d often forgotten and we’d explain it all over again, but he loved hearing every detail each and every time. Having the event named in his honour meant a great deal to our family because it recognised not only his love for karting, but the community he loved being part of.
Today, through The Kart Shop, our family tries to continue some of that same spirit Dad had — welcoming people, supporting drivers at the track and hopefully making sure people leave with good memories no matter where they finished. Every year we’re blown away by the number of people who stop by our tent just to say hello or share a story about Dad.
Times change, events evolve and commercialism naturally becomes part of things, but for us this weekend will always simply be about Dad, the community he loved so much and an event that will always be one of Coffs Harbour’s great traditions. We encourage everyone to come along, enjoy the atmosphere and be part of the spirit of the weekend. We’ll be there with our crew offering parts, advice, support and probably plenty of laughs along the way. The only thing that’s really changed is that these days we try to spare people from Dad’s terrible jokes… …although somehow they still seem to live on.