Children in Mount Maunganui are getting a taste of the racing life as a tri-school go-karting competition gets under way.
Children from Olive Tree Childcare, Arataki Primary School and St Thomas More Catholic School will design and build their own go-karts before taking to the racecourse.
Though small scale, with kids from ages 3 to 10 racing in little wooden karts around a carpark, the stakes are no less high.
Prizes will be awarded for the fastest karts and the highest points accumulated.
Olive Tree Childcare administrator Lindie du Toit said the kids were "going nuts", getting right into the swing of things as they built, painted and named their go-karts before the big races later next month.