Ever dreamed of stepping into, say, Michael Schumacher’s shoes and losing yourself in a rush of speed, roar of engines and the thrill of the chase? OK, so it’s not quite the same scale as Formula One racing, but go-carting is a great way to experience something close to the real thing. Go-carts aren’t exactly Ferraris, but they can move pretty fast for their little size, and adrenaline is guaranteed.

As one would expect in a city that seems to offer pretty much everything and anything these days, Moscow has a number of go-cart tracks. Some people see it as a sport and take it seriously, organizing competitions. For others, it’s entertainment and a good way to get rid of stress.

If you don’t have any experience, it’s better to start out on one of the small tracks, like Formula One at VDNKh or Trassa na Voikovskoi. If you already know the ropes, longer tracks like the ones at DIXXodrom and Pilot School will be of more interest.

Serious go-carters can enter the competitions organized at different tracks. One competition that took place last Saturday at the Serebryany Dozhd-2 track on Varshavskoye Shosse lasted 12 hours, with participants, including some show-biz stars, spending two hours each at the wheel demonstrating their speed and stamina. Go-carting does require a certain amount of physical strength and emotional stamina.

If this seems a lot, you can start out with five- to 10-minute rides, the standard ride times offered at Moscow’s go-cart tracks. Five minutes of riding a go-cart at 50 km/hour will cost you 100 rubles at the Go-carting Club in Strogino or 120 rubles at VDNKh. On straight stretches, go-carts can reach speeds of up to 70 km/hour. You can clock up 20-24 laps of the track in a standard ride session. The current record is 27 laps, which makes for an average speed of 50 km/hour. Each go-cart is equipped with a chip that allows the central computer to calculate its speed at any moment. After the ride, the racer gets a printout of his results and those of his competitors.

Up to eight go-carts can take part in a race, but the ideal number is four, because it leaves more space for maneuvering and gives the racers more opportunities to show off their skill without getting into jams.

How good a go-carter you become depends on what you want from it. If it’s just speed you’re after, that’s one thing, but picking up skills at maneuvering the go-carts takes more time and money, though regular clients are entitled to discounts.

The cost of go-carting also depends on whether you need to rent equipment or not. Standard equipment includes a suit, helmet, liner and a pair of gloves. At VDNKh or at the Pilot School in Medvedkovo it can be a problem finding all these accessories to fit, so we recommend you call before you go to check that they have your size.

If you decide to buy your own go-carting gear, don’t rush to the store for the trendiest suit after your first ride. Go-carters follow unwritten rules, meaning your gear is like a uniform – and should correspond to your level of skills and experience. Ignoring these rules could make you look like a fool in the go-carting community.

Go-carters tend to be people who like having fun and who are crazy about cars and speed. Like in many groups, newcomers get sized up first and it takes a little time to become an accepted member of the community. For all the stereotypes about men and their car obsessions, go-carting is completely open to women, who are accepted as equals and are subject to neither prejudice nor special treatment.

You don’t have to have a driver’s license to go go-carting. Many go-carters do say, though, that driving a car helps. What’s good about go-carting is that you can live out all these speed and car-chase fantasies for real without running the risk of killing yourself or someone else. Drivers who let off steam and aggression at the go-carting track are more disciplined on the roads afterward.

Go-carting is not only an affordable motor sport, it’s also a novel form of group entertainment that can be ideal for, say, companies wanting to organize some kind of fun event for their staff. The Indoor Carting Club has special deals and discounts for corporate clients.

Locations:

Go-Carting Club in Strogino

24 Kulakova Ul., Bldg. 3 Metro: Shchukinskaya Tel: 757-7461

Formula One

VVTs, carting zone Metro: VDNKh

Pilot School

50 Proyezd Shokalskovo, Bldg. 2 Metro: Medvedkovo Tel: 781-0072

Trassa na Voikovskoi

16 Leningradskoye Shosse Metro: Voikovskaya Tel: 786-2230

DIXXodrom

69 Izmailovskoye Shosse, Raketa Stadium Metro: Izmailovsky Park Tel: 465-8110

Indoor Carting

19 Leninskaya Sloboda Ul. Metro: Avtozavodskaya Tel: 725-3391