Karting First Impressions

I’ve been a car and motorsports enthusiast for my whole life, but when I started working at Atlanta Motorsports Park in July I had never been go-karting.

It was something that I had wanted to do for a while but never made the time for and I was eager to experience it firsthand after hearing my new colleagues praise the exhilarating encounter.

The extent of my racing experience prior to karting at AMP was exclusively sim racing, which had taught me the basic principles of racing lines and car handling but I still craved the feeling of adrenaline and speed that makes racing so unique.

After arriving at AMP for my three sessions, I attended the driver’s briefing where a thorough walk-through of the track and karts prepared me for what to expect when I took to the track. Next, I folded all 6’5″ of me into the kart and awaited the signal to take to the track.

As I exited pit lane and plunged onto the back straight the only experience I could compare the feeling to was riding a roller coaster except I was in control. During my first race, I didn’t push it too hard as I was learning my way around the track and getting acclimated to the kart. It wasn’t my quickest time of the day, but when I took off my helmet after the race, I was still grinning from ear to ear.

In my second race, I began exploring the limits of what I could do. My quickest lap time dropped by nearly ten seconds and I began to push myself to get even faster as I raced wheel to wheel with my friends. My time dropped by another four seconds in the final session as I tested new lines and tried to brake later and later.

When my time at the track came to a close I couldn’t believe how physical it had been. During the races, I never thought about the physical exertion I was putting myself through because of the adrenaline and focus I maintained throughout the race, but I was genuinely drained afterwards.

I would highly recommend AMP to anyone who is an adrenaline junkie or looking for a small taste of what the world’s best racing drivers endure on a regular basis. AMP’s kart track is open Tuesday through Sunday and you can click here to reserve your session today.