Go-kart racers tackle the winding 103rd Street Sports Complex in 2024. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on April 3, 2025 at 2:24 pm
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At 11:15 a.m. Saturday, 24 teams will begin piloting knee-high go-karts in a six-hour endurance race around the winding 103rd Street Sports Complex for their shot at winning the 23rd annual Jacksonville Grand Prix.
As they battle sun, heat and each other, they will speed around at more than 50 mph, their seats just inches off the asphalt.
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It’s all to raise money for Spina Bifida of Jacksonville.
More than 100 racers are split up among teams with names like Hooligan Masters, UNF Osprey Racing and Speed Bumps in the longest-running charity go-kart event in Jacksonville. Since its beginning, the race has raised over $175,000 for Spina Bifida, with upwards of $10,000 more expected at Saturday’s race, agency executive director Demery Webber said.
“This race has been such a mainstay for us for 23 years now,” she said. “It was organized in honor of my daughter, Lindsey, and others who are living with spina bifida. It gives us just a really neat and unique platform to race in honor of them to to keep pushing forward in life, and to have a fun time doing it.”
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Spina bifida is a disabling birth defect that happens when a baby’s spine fails to close properly during the first month of pregnancy. The defect can cause paralysis because of damage to the spinal cord.
Founded 52 years ago, Spina Bifida of Jacksonville helps about 85 families with children and young adults who have the birth defect, assisting them with doctors visits and medical reimbursements, plus referrals, research and vocational development. The agency also hosts monthly events supporting clients and families.
One of its biggest fundraisers is battled every April at the city-owned track at 10244 103rd St. The idea for it go-kart race came from racing fan Rick Mansfield, who first proposed it as a way to help the agency since Webber’s daughter Lindsey, now 25, was dealing with the birth defect.
Racers have ranged from championship-winning professionals to first-time fans who will compete in one of seven classes in 10 horsepower racing karts provided by Endurance Karting, which now runs the race. Each kart weighs 285 pounds without the driver and can do more than 50 mph.
Spectators can watch the action at the 12-turn course from bleachers at the track, just east of the First Coast Expressway.
“For people who have been around racing, it’s a hometown event that gives the thrill of racing,” Webber said. “The sounds of the karts zooming by and watching them have fun and competing is a real thrill.”
Each team paid $1,850 to race, with $400 of the entry fee benefitting Spina Bifida of Jacksonville.
