CityPages Kuwait June 2016 Issue June 2016 | Page 38

DRIVING ME CRAZY
For the first time in my adult life I
am at the mid-year point with my
New Year’s resolution (to try a new
activity each month) still intact.
So far this year, regular readers
will know, I have tried my hand
at squash, Kuwait’s walking a nd
running routes, trampolining and spinning.
With an obvious bias towards fitness and wellbeing activities, this month I thought I might
try something quite different – go-karting.

Ali Stewart
Born in Cambridge, England, Ali
enjoyed a career in the logistics
and safety sector for 15 years.
Following the birth of her son,
she switched careers to pursue
a life long love for education
and teaching. Since moving to
Kuwait in 2013, Ali’s interests
include fitness, healthy living and
running. From her University days
she has maintained a passion for
world history and creative writing,
although thanks to her son, she can
also now consider herself quite the
expert on all things ‘Marvel super
heroes’ and Karate related.

With zero interest in karting, racing, rallying or any
other car themed activities, plus many years of driving
on gridlocked UK motorways, I have a loathing of any
car-based pursuits. My time in Kuwait has only served
to strengthen this dislike and I choose not to drive
here. My idea of personal television torture would
involve being subjected to a Formula one race, or even
worse, those seemingly interminable qualifying races.
I know go-karting bears little resemblance to any of
these pursuits in reality, but the prospect still holds
little appeal. So when the social invitation was received
from a group of girlfriends to join them for an evening
of karting at Pro-Kart, it wasn’t met with an instant
jump for joy. Yet, this year’s personal challenge was
all about doing things I would not normally choose to
do or had never done before. Karting met this criteria
fully, so I agreed. What’s the worst that could happen,
right?
We arranged to go early on a mid-week evening, as
we were lead to believe the karting circuit can get
very busy later in the evening or nearer the weekend.
Clearly sign-posted and located around 10 minutes
from the 360 Mall, the track was easy to find. When
we arrived we were the only ones there and initially it
looked as if the venue was closed (but perhaps that was
wishful thinking on my part). Upon closer inspection
we found the small office porta-cabin was open and
fully manned.
The welcome team spoke good English and it was
explained that we could purchase a fixed time period –
around 10 minutes – for 5KD (cash only). With some
‘seasoned karters’ in the group we agreed to purchase
2 sessions. Following the signing of the obligatory
insurance waivers (which always make me nervous),
we went to the track to collect our disposable hairnets
(highly attractive) and try on our helmets. My first
helmet was too big and left my head rattling around
like a pea in a tin can, but I soon found one to fit.
By now the adrenaline was starting to kick in and we
were lead by the Pro-Kart team to our karts, all parked
in pole positions ahead of the start line. Once seated the
only instruction given was to inform me which pedal
was the accelerator and which was the brake - and a
very cursory reminder not to confuse them (thanks
for that!). By this time two of my friends were already
off, zooming past in a cloud of dust. As someone with
a terrible grasp of left and right in familiar situations, I
was still confirming in my head which pedal was which
when the Pro-Kart team cranked up the engine and I
was off!

38

JUNE, 2016

We have a word in England – ‘pootle’ – which means
to move or travel in a leisurely manner. This word is
perfect for me. I pootled around that go-karting track
as if I was auditioning for the lead role in the remake
of ‘Driving Miss Daisy’. My husband and son had come
along to watch, eager to observe mum’s humiliation;
they were not disappointed.
On my first lap I was ‘lapped’ by everyone else on the
track; sometimes more than once. I had absolutely
no idea what to do with corners. Was I supposed to
take them wide, speed up, slow down, sharply turn the
wheel…? I ended up being that slow that my husband
later told me he thoroughly expected me to indicate
at each turn. Unlike my friends who seemed to take
each turn at high speed, I found I needed to really
concentrate on where I was going, despite the route
being very obvious. As I pootled past my husband and
son I could see them hanging their heads in despair.
In truth, once I’d completed one lap – two if I’m being
generous – I found myself becoming bored. Lacking
any competitive adrenaline juices I found each lap a
little repetitive. I even tried to feign ignorance and pull
into the final pit stop lane, but was waved away by the
staff. When I did see the black and white flag waving,
ironically my speed increased for the first time in my
rush to finish. I did have a few panic thoughts about
all the possible outcomes associated with stopping
and parking, but managed to stop easily and literally
abandoned the kart where I stopped. No surprise, all
of my friends were out of their karts eagerly waiting to
see their individual lap times displayed on the digital
screen. As a group there was a strong sense of good
willed competition, and of course plenty of laughter at
my hilariously slow performance. In fact, my lap times
were so slow they did not even register on the same
page as everyone else’s.
With no interest in getting back onto the track for
our second session, my husband and son quickly
volunteered to save the family honour and take my
turn, this time on one of the family karts. Watching
from the side-lines and listening to the whoops of joy
as people overtook others I’m sad to say I still never
felt any rush of excitement. It all just felt a little
‘samey’ for me.
I am glad and feel proud that I once again tried
something new, and although this time it wasn’t for
me, this should not put anyone else off having a go.
Of the party I went with, everyone else really loved the
activity, quickly planning their next visit with a lot of
competitive and humorous banter. The Pro-Kart team
were very helpful, and the equipment and track well
maintained with good safety equipment.
I have tried some activities this year which I absolutely
loved and have repeated many times since (squash
being my absolut e favourite), but karting is not for me.
Yet I feel I may be visiting the venue again soon for
my husband to have a go on the single karts; although
next time I think I’ll stick to being chief cheerleader
and photographer.
For more information, please check the ProKart
website www.prokartkw.com