John Surtees buys Lewis Hamilton Buckmore Park kart track

John Surtees, pictured in 1966, won World Championships on two wheels as well as four

Former Formula One world champion John Surtees has bought the karting track where Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button practised as youngsters.

Surtees, 81, who won seven world motorbike championships before becoming F1 World Champion with Ferrari in 1964, has bought Buckmore Park in Kent.

Modern-day F1 champions Hamilton and Button honed their skills on the Chatham circuit.

Surtees and Buckmore Park announced the sale on their websites.

John Surtees Ltd, based in Edenbridge on the Kent/Surrey border, has bought the business and assets of Buckmore Park, but the circuit's former owner Bill Sisley is to stay on as a consultant.

John Surtees attended Henry Surtees Foundation Kart Challenge at Buckmore Park last year

Surtees, who lives in Lingfied, also runs the Henry Surtees Foundation, set up in memory of his 18-year-old racing driver son who died in a crash during a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch.

Henry, who began driving as a child at Buckmore Park, was a pupil at Worth School, West Sussex, when he died.

A series of fundraising events has been held at the kart circuit in his name.