Hurting from the night before, we brushed off our hangovers and headed for the go-karting, our main activity before drinking took over again. We also managed to get Sam Canlett, our stag, into a Princess Peach costume, creating a true Mario Kart experience. We were going to bring some plastic turtle shells and banana skins along, but apparently they don’t allow anything on the course for safety reasons…yep, fair enough.
The Location
It was based in the bottom floor of an abandoned mall. It honestly looked like something out of a zombie film, with every shop ransacked and left in a dire state, however it looked cooler than any museum or art piece i’ve ever seen!!
The actual course was incredibly long, completely circling the entire basement floor of the mall, much longer than the ones we get back here in the UK.
The Race
There could only be 8 people in each group, so as our group size was 14, we split into two groups of seven. Each group gets one practice round, one qualifier and then one final race.
While the practice round just helps you to get a feel for the course and to learn all the turnings, the qualifier is critical, as this will decide if you are in the fast or slow race at the end.
You get 12 rounds, however in both the qualifier and the practice round, you are judged purely on speed rather than positioning. Quicker you are, more near the front you start on the final race.
The Winner
In the final race, the winner of the fast group ends up with a trophy, while the top three all stand on the podium and receive medals. Our winner was Gareth Evans (Gaz), who used to be a proper boy-racer, so he was always going to win. His best lap was 37 seconds, however the month record was 35 seconds and the ultimate holder was on 33 seconds!
What About If You’re Not Racing
For anyone waiting, there is a waiting area which has a big TV (playing the football when we were in there), a non-alcoholic bar (damnit) and a TV showing everyone’s speed. We were pretty glued to everyones speed, as it began to feel like a proper race. We were also up against the windows trying to put off anyone karting past at the time.
They don’t allow you to drink alcohol if you’re racing, so make sure nobody turns up half-cut, but if you’re not racing then you can bring along a few bevvies. Just make sure they don’t witness you handing any of them to the racers.
My Review
I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it for a stag party. There was a bit of a wait time as there was another group that would race in-between our group, meaning you had to wait a bit of time between races, however in a big group that won’t matter at all as the banter will be flying.
They are completely fine with fancy dress costumes, so get creative and have a laugh.