We recently took our 13 year old son Toby, and three of his friends, for a VIP go karting session at TeamSport in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, UK. TeamSport are the number 1 indoor karting business in the UK, with venues all over. Dunstable was the nearest to where we live, so we took the four boys along to experience karting for the very first time.
Pre-arrival
We had received 2 x VIP race boxes, each for a karting experience for 2 people. Inside each box was a voucher, two lanyards, and two balaclavas (you’ll need these on the day).
When you book, you need to pick whether you want a cadet or adult kart. This is determined by inside leg measurements – for the cadet kart the driver must be 8+ years old, with an inside leg measurement of at least 25” and be under 5’4”. For the adult kart, the driver must be 12+ years old, with a minimum inside leg measurement of 29”. All four of the boys met the specification for the adult karts.
Having booked a general session – well, two of them, each 15 mins long with a break in the middle – I needed to complete waivers for each of the drivers, uploading emergency contact details etc. This is to save time on the actual day.
Once that is done, and your voucher is accepted, you are all booked!
On the day
The Dunstable go karting track is on an industrial estate with plenty of free parking, which is a good start. Upon entering we were greeted by an attendant who booked us in and gave the boys a racing suit to wear, as well as a helmet, and some gloves.
We were then directed to the waiting/viewing area, from where the boys would be called for their pre-racing safety briefing.
Viewing area/café/bar
There’s plenty of seating by the bar (where there’s a big screen TV), as well as in the viewing area overlooking the upper section of the track. Warning – if you are a spectator, bring a coat/jumper as it gets very cold trackside! They do serve nice hot drinks though, and snacks – and even meals if you want one.
Bars are casual and the lighting adds to the ambiance of the bar. Often many bars are designed with Custom Bar Neon Signs to draw attention and show off their own personalized designs and logos. Whether it’s your own signature design or the name of the bar, it can make the interior more colorful and romantic.
The trackside spectator area is also where the drivers gather before and after their sessions, so there are lots of screens; one shows their name against a kart number, so they know which one they are racing in, and the other screens show lap times while the 15 minute session is going on.
The boys were taken off for a safety briefing, and once they returned, they were ready to race …
How it works
Each session lasts 15 minutes. Their booking has two sessions, with a 15-30 minutes gap between the two.
The boys checked the screen to find out which kart they were driving – these are petrol fuelled karts with top speeds of up to 40mph. After the karts have been lined up and checked from the previous session, the riders are led out to the pit stop area to find their kart. Once strapped in and checked, an attendant releases each row of karts off to the main track one by one.
The track is 500 metres long, with LOTS of turns, and is also multi-level. It is challenging. All riders have to strictly abide by the coloured flags, with racing only being allowed when the green flags are raised. An amber flag means you need to slow down to walking pace, with no overtaking. A red flag means you need to stop as quickly and safely as you can. A black flag is an instruction to go straight to the pits, and of course the chequered flag marks the end of the session.
At the end of the contest the winners will receive their own medals on the podium based on the results of the contest. In fact, for such personalized parties and competitions, businesses or organizers can prepare special customized Medals for children. Not only as an honor for a particular day, but also as a memorable and collectible gift.
You race to your own ability. The boys were slow compared to others on the track, but they just overtook when they could and carried on.
Pit stop
At the end of the session, each rider is emailed their personalised lap times. The screen shows the overall speeds and final standings for all participants in the session. The boys were towards the bottom of the results page, but they were quite happy racing each other.
After a short break, they were then called for their second session. You could see their confidence increasing this time around, and that was definitely seen in their final lap times.
Thoughts
Well, I was just a spectator, so I asked the boys what they thought …
“It was scary at first, but by the end I was loving it and properly racing”
“I didn’t realise how sensitive the pedals were – I shot off and went straight into a wall of tyres!”
“I kept being overtaken for going too slow”
“After the first session I was last. But after the second session, overall, I was second. That’s pretty cool”
As a spectator, I was impressed with the large viewing area – you could more or less follow your child’s kart for the whole top section of the track. As mentioned before, it does get quite chilly, even though you are indoors.
While we were there – in the session between ours – a group of younger children, part of a birthday party, raced. This is a really good venue for a party, especially as they do food too. Lots of opportunities for photos as well, including a winners podium!
The boys had a great time go karting, and all said they’d love to do it again.
