Tired of driving? Hop on a go-kart!

Floor the pedal on the straightaways. Release the gas pedal before the curve. Enter the turn from outside, cut the corner and go on the inside at the apex, and exit the curve on the outside. Mash the gas pedal as soon as you have a straight line exiting out of the curve. Keep an eye out on the driver behind you and don’t let him pass. Hog the road. Go fast or go home.

This is no way to drive a car. This is kart racing. 

City Kart Racing (CKR), the leading exponent of kart racing in the Philippines for over 25 years, has just opened a new race track at the Circuit Makati, Barangay Carmona, Makati City, an entertainment district currently being developed in what was once, quite aptly, the famous Santa Ana horse race track. CKR was formerly located at the top level of Park Square 1. 

The track surface is specifically constructed to provide the karts’ racing tires maximum grip in both wet and dry conditions. Used car tires bound together by rope line the entire trackside, providing a harmless and effective way to prevent racers from going off track.

All the karts have a bumper that goes around the entire vehicle, even protecting the wheels. The backside-hugging bucket seats, the extremely low center of gravity of the karts, the limited power of their engines, as well as the design of the track all but make it impossible to flip over the vehicle or unintentionally eject from the seat with the standard adult and kiddie carts.

Nonetheless, all racers are required to don a helmet. CKR has maintained its decades-long reputation by adhering to international safety standards.

The facilities boast over 90 race karts as well as numerous helmets, race suits, and gloves to choose from for everyone from pros to children children over the minimum height requirement of four feet.

There are also powerful two-stroke professional racing karts reserved for experienced drivers. 

The karts fit a variety of sizes by simply adding more buckets seats atop each other, thus positioning shorter riders closer to the steering wheel and pedals.

There are instructors on hand to provide mentorship as well as trackside crews to ensure safety. CKR also offers a racing clinic for beginners. The facilities even include a trackside bar complete with drinks and chow. 

Newcomers pay a one-time P160 registration fee. Every 12 minutes of racing costs P620. Registration comes with a free racing balaclava, to be worn inside the helmet, that comes in a variety of colors to choose from. The track is open from Monday to Thursday, 3pm to 12am, and from Friday to Sunday, 10am to 12am. 

CKR’s online system uses a Facebook log-in that broadcasts your racing stats such a lap time and personal best in real time through a Facebook app. There are also LED displays onsite that announce these stats in real time. There’s never been more motivation to claim bragging rights to the podium. This is where race car dreams begin.

No license necessary 

At a press event held recently, journalists were challenged to form relay teams and race for over an hour. A number didn’t even know how to drive a car, but not that it matters. You don’t need to know how to drive to go kart racing. Kart racing isn’t city driving.

James Deakin, astute motoring journalist, walked me through the track and gave me pointers. And that was his first lesson; “know the track,” he said. Deakin took note of where to accelerate and where to let ease off on the gas pedal, where to enter the turns and where to exit. One should enter turns from the outside, seek to cut the corner at the apex, and exit on the outside of the curve, he counseled.

“We always used to say, slow in, fast out. If you have to favor something, favor the exit all the time. It’s better to go in a little bit conservative in and then power on early, get out of the corner power on. rather than outbreak yourself and miss the apex,” he advised.

Though hitting the tire wall that runs the perimeter of the track is safe, it can lead to the kart getting stuck, its nose pointing in the wrong direction, or the engine stalling. Since the kart has no reverse gear and the engine has no ignition key, a driver in any of these situations must await assistance from the track crew.

CKR chairman Jean-Marc Freihuber instructs participants, “Under no circumstance should you leave your kart at the track during a race.” This is to prevent other racers from running over the stalled driver.

Freihuber also explained the meaning of race flags. A green flag being waved means the start of race. A yellow flag means caution; another car is experiencing technical difficulty at the track and is being assisted at the location where the flag is being waved. A blue flag means one should allow a faster driver to overtake you. And of course the famous checkered flag means a winner has crossed the finish line at the final lap.

Road rage becomes me 

Properly attired in helmet and a racing suit in an kart appropriate to my racing skills and on CKR’s well-designed race course, I felt couldn’t hurt myself even if I tried. And I confess, I intentionally did everything on the race track that I could never do on the streets of Manila driving my car. That the race kart resembled a bump car only goaded me even more to go nuts on the track. 

It was exhilarating feeling the G-force throwing my weight to the side of the seat during turns and feeling the rumble and whine of the engine at my back. Despite Deakin’s advice, I found myself pushing the kart on the turns.

But alas, even at the kart race track, hubris and road rage has its price. I washed out on a couple of turns, slammed on the tire wall and lost precious momentum while savvier drivers such as Deakin shot past by driving smoothly and effortlessly.

Not that it mattered. The race proved fun and addictive – worth giving a spin if you’re looking for something new to do.

The press event not only promoted the brand new track but also CKR’s upcoming race. Race to Boracay is set to bring 500 racers vying for the grand prize: a three-day, two-night hotel stay and round trip airline tickets for two to Boracay Island. Race registration is P3,900, which includes five qualifying rounds from October 23 to November 14. The pre-finale is on November 22 and the finale, grand finale, awarding as well as raffle is on November 23. The race will have two categories: juniors (13 to 17 years old) and adults (18 years old and above).

And with 500 drivers, the race is set to become a social event that brings together the country’s racing community. Freihuber declared, “This could easily be the biggest motorsports event Manila has ever seen.” – Rappler.com

For details, visit citykartracing.com. Book your slot by reservation only, at 0917-4551060.

Writer, graphic designer, and business owner Rome Jorge is passionate about the arts. Formerly the Editor-in-Chief of asianTraveler Magazine, Lifestyle Editor of The Manila Times, and cover story writer for MEGA and Lifestyle Asia Magazines, Rome Jorge has also covered terror attacks, military mutinies, mass demonstrations as well as Reproductive Health, gender equality, climate change, HIV/AIDS and other important issues. He is also the proprietor of Strawberry Jams Music Studio.