Go, Speed Racer

Last night the family enjoyed an evening of indoor go-karting. We went to G-Force Karts, where I had a gift card received for Mother's Day. 

The nice thing, especially for us new to this thrilling activity, is that it was "family night," where each group has a period of time on the track by themselves, so you are racing against friends and/or family, and you don't have to worry about the experienced speed demons crashing into you. 

We registered, signed about a million waivers that give them the right to discard your crumpled remains, or let them sue you for staining their track with your blood.... I don't know; I didn't read them. Let's go RACIN'!  We actually said, "boogity boogity." 

We were gathered before a huge poster listing the rules, the meaning of all of the signals and flags that we might see during our race, and the track staff reviewed each point. We nodded in unison, not seeing any of the signs or flags, and not caring. Let's goooooo, lady. Pedal to the metal and get ahead of everyone - what's so hard about that?

We suited up in some (filthy, nasty, sweat-stained) awesome neck collars to protect you as your head whips around due to the MASSIVE motorcycle helmet you need to wear. Or, let's clarify, the MASSIVE helmets my entire family need to wear because of our oversized craniums (crania, actually). No worries! Who needs peripheral vision or the ability to see over your shoulder? Not us! Woo Hoo! 

The track cleared of the previous group of racers, we were assigned karts. The kids got the junior karts and us grownups got the adult size. Adjustments were made so that we were comfortable, and they started our mowers (um, motors) with the pull string. We were at last turned loose on the track! 

It. Was. Awesome. I really enjoy driving, and I enjoy driving much more when I can feel the machine and feel the road, which is not really possible in my living-room-on-wheels that is the Ford Expedition. I'm basically sitting on a sofa and steering the thing through traffic, which is great for road trips and transporting a group of people ("here, kids, watch this DVD!"), but it does not satisfy my need for the physical sensation of powering a machine through time and space. 

After a lap or two I got the feel and was able to really let loose, and felt the sensation of the G-forces around the turns, just like the name of the track suggests. The younger kids had never driven anything before, so there was a bit of a learning curve to operate the kart and figure out how to brake with the left foot and accelerate with the right, but they soon got the hang of it. Unfortunately, my husband was ahead of me out of the gate and I never caught him, though I tried. I kept getting stuck behind the slower kids, who blocked the track, and I had to maneuver carefully to get around them. In the end, R finished in first place, I was in second, our oldest in third, and the twins of course in the last two places. I was only 2 seconds behind R for the finish, but that really burned my toast! 

I am very (very) competitive, so this was a blast for me. I care about nothing other than catching and passing him, though I was able to quash that bitter aggression and not ram into the kids. I was getting a stomach ache from having to wait for them to get outta my way, but I really wanted to ram those little darlings! I think we were able to go about 30 mph, which to me seems slow but on an indoor hairpin turn track it was pretty darn zippy. Now I want to go back, and doing that every day would not be a problem for me. I'm actually sore in my arms today from gripping the wheel and making the turns, since at speed you really have to hold on. 

The facility could not be nicer, and when we were done we were given a printout of our performance (if I had known I was being clocked and evaluated like that I'd have tried harder - dang it!) and we got to take home our head socks. I wish we'd been given a neck sock, but oh well, that's what showers are for, right? We all wore our head socks in the car on the way home. Cuz that's how we roll. 

P.S. My dear R, love of my life, recognizes my need for speed and power, and I have to thank him for facilitating this passion of mine. After the race I was very pumped up and exhilarated, and he knows I love it. One year he gave me a Richard Petty Racing Experience, where I drove a NASCAR car at Richmond International Raceway, which was one of the most exciting things I've ever done, and I adored that, too. He's a doll and I'm lucky to have someone like him, who wants nothing more than for me to be happy.