Zoom!

I remember one of the instances where I rode like the wind. I rushed from Los Banos to Makati in a matter of 45 minutes. Of course there wasn't any traffic at 1am, but can you imagine the speed it took to cover all that road? Never mind why I wanted to reach my destination that quickly, I'm just glad I got there without a scratch on either my car or myself, hehe!

For those who have that burning desire to speed up, but will not compromise their safety joining drag races in the wee hours of the morning, there is such a place to accomodate that speedlust. A speed demon friend of mine, RL, brought me to City Kart. It sits at the West Service Road in between the Sucat & Bicutan exits. First timers can ease themselves into the world of karting enthusiasts and buy themselves an experience that driving on an empty highway can never bring. The place boasts of a 520 meter long covered track with an extension of another 360 meter outdoor track with a width of 5 meters. It also has eleven technical turns, an elevated steel bridge and at least 3 high speed straight aways (one of which is a whopping 60 meter length straight away) for those familiar with the EDSA-is-free-to drive-on feeling, haha!

For first timers like me, I was briefed on the how to's of the karting world. They dressesd me up in a racing suit, had me put on a balaclava (which is likened to a ski mask or will make you look like a ninja if you pose right, haha!), then a helmet. They also explained how the different flags work. Since I was just racing for fun, I was introduced to the yellow, blue & the well-known checkered flags. A yellow flag would signify that there is danger in the area, and that a marshall waving it would ask you to be cautious of the area you are approaching. A blue flag would mean that a much faster kart is approaching you from behind, and that the marshall will signal you the direction of the driver's ovartaking side unless you choose to speed up. And of course, the checkered flag will signify that time is up and that you will have to check your kart into the pit.

It was a fun 10 minutes of my life! Of course I was really slow during my first 2-4 laps or so, since I was familiarizing myself with the track and the tricky turns, approaching them like i would under normal driving conditions, yet as time passed, I gained familiarity & was more comfortable speeding up and even having my tail whip as i do a hairpin-like turn, woot! woot! You will feel that adrenaline rush as you speed down the straight aways, adjust your speed and body lean with every turn, your eyes checking ahead of the track and the flags being waved at you, your legs pumping a different combination of gas and brake at every second. Your body is wide awake and all senses come alive! It was exhilirating!

The checkered flag brought me back to reality. I eased my kart into the pit (wow, i feel like such a pro, nyahahaha!) and took my helmet off and breathed. It was a rush like no other. Driving home using my car seemed so tame after this, hahahaha!!

For more information on City Kart, log on to http://www.citykartracing.com/ or contact them at 8217087.