Live Fast: Ready, set, go-kart — and get your race face on

08 April 2015 - 02:26 By Yolisa Mkele

Brake balancing, apexes and clear air. If you are a fan of Formula1 then these are probably the terms you use trying to convince novices that F1 is more than monotonous hours of people driving in circles. A more effective way of converting people to the Church of Speed is to take them go-karting.Sitting at the start line, in a go-kart little wider than the average parliamentarian, a transformation begins. The foot resting on the accelerator develops a nervous tick as its colleague on the brake adopts an increasingly laissez-faire attitude to life.The petrol tank between your thighs starts whispering advice on how to take a corner at maximum speed while your brain tries to recall scenes from the movie Rush.In that moment, the mild-mannered average Joe who spends his day worrying about insurance and the metro police is dead. In his place sits an ultra-competitive speed addict, unconcerned about the fire hazard resting a few centimetres from his crown jewels.When the flag descends to signal the start of the race so does the red mist. For the next 20 to 80 laps every go-kart on the track is a villain, hellbent on destroying the universe.In my experience there are few things more stress-relieving than spending a chunk of your afternoon haring around a race track like an uninsured taxi driver. A further perk is that the next time your F1-obsessed buddy starts prattling on about oversteer, you will finally know first-hand what he's talking about.There are a number of places for go-karting in Johannesburg. For more information contact:The Randburg Raceway at 011-792-2260Xtreme Indoor Karting at 011-234-9192Go Kart Racing at 011-466-3678Dirt Ryder Adventures at 071-677-8673..

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