Founded in 2001, the championship is contested by 126 teams from a pool of 115 universities, the BUKC is one of the largest karting competitions in the world.

Each season takes place across five main rounds in three classes, followed by the annual Drivers' Championship and 24 Hour Race.

The BUKC, originally called the Inter University Karting Championship (IUKC), was founded in 2001 by students Will Tew and Tom Batho of Imperial College London.

In order to keep the organisation consistent and the relationship with Club100 strong, Batho and Tew founded 3T Racing Ltd in 2003 as an independent governing body for the championship.

Emanuele Pirro entered the first round of the 2015 season at Rye House as an independent entrant, becoming the first Formula One driver to compete in the BUKC.

[3] In 2018, the final season of the TKM era, Oxford Brookes became the first—and to this date, only—team to have achieved a 1–2 finish in the Premier class championship standings.

The Premier and Clubman class championships are competed in the same races, with Intermediate the day after being targeted at less experienced drivers and teams.

In 2021, Loughborough won their record-breaking sixth Premier class championship, with Oxford Brookes equalling this one year later.

The BUKC uses a unique format that races in teams of four drivers, taking place across a number of rounds throughout the academic year at several world-class kart circuits in the United Kingdom.

In the Premier/Clubman class championships, commonly known as mains, each round takes place across six back-to-back races with randomly generated grids.

[5] In the Intermediate class championship, commonly known as inters, each round takes place across six qualifying sessions, followed by six respective sprint races.

Unlike other motorsport series, there are no points awarded for pole position or fastest lap.

[6] The two-stroke 125cc Rotax engines produce over 20 hp, and are capable of speeds in excess of 70 mph.

For the 2024 season, five rounds took place at four venues across the United Kingdom: Whilton Mill, PF International, Buckmore Park and Warden Law.

Loughborough and Oxford Brookes are the joint-most successful teams in BUKC history, each achieving six Premier class championships.

Coventry are the only team to win multiple championships in the Rotax era, taking back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020.

The annual BUKC 24 Hour Race is held post-season at Teesside Autodrome, the largest kart circuit in the world,[13] for up to 90 university teams.

Unlike the regular season, non-recent graduates are able to enter their respective university's teams.

The 24 Hour Race is the only event on the BUKC calendar that does not utilise Club100 machinery, instead using twin-engine 200cc Prokarts.

Inclusion criteria: Entered the BUKC and competed in auto racing at an international level.