| rev:text
| - I went here as part of a party of four for the first time on Thursday 10/26 not knowing quite what to expect. We opted to give the Go Kart racing a try with the thought that it might elicit some degree of entertainment.
The price structure of a race was clearly intended to create the illusion of some kind of deal, but in actuality, is excessive if not outright exorbitant. While a 14 lap race can be had for a mere $20, there is a separate required $7 fee for essentially nothing. This includes an Octane license which unless you ask for it they don't give you, nor for that matter explain what the plastic card with a magnetic strip is good for, if anything. A used sock cap that has been recycled an unknown amount of times which you are encouraged to recycle after you're finished. A helmet rental that by all rights should be optional given the amount of signed waivers that are part of the process. If I had to guess, even if you crashed and were burned alive in the wreckage of your vehicle there has to be a clause absolving the company of any liability. There is a 10% discount for all merchandise in their gift shop which consists of overpriced Octane emblazoned products and trophies, none of which have any redeeming value. Finally, an annual membership that waives this $7 nothing fee if you are foolish enough to return. Added together these ten minutes of fun come to $29.15 or almost $3.00 a minute.
As part of the 8:10 pm race we needed to wait almost a half hour for our turn and one of the staff kindly suggested killing this time by taking advantage of their Virtual Reality entertainment. Even ignoring the $40 per person cost, I couldn't figure out how you could fit the 45 minutes of the experience into 30 minutes. Although you could argue that you were getting far more for your money at $1.00 per minute. We politely declined.
After being seated in the car, I missed most of the crucial video I wasn't even aware was playing as I tried to determine how the seat belts worked. I was the fourth one seated in our party but felt my overall driving experience would easily allow me to be in the running to at least place in the competition. As we rolled on to the track there was a moment of anticipation that perhaps there might be some fun involved here as we drove the cars in a reduced power mode. Once the cars were put into full power within moments everything changed. At the first turn, I was immediately rammed from behind by another driver I didn't even know existed, and I realized my friendly race was polluted by a clique of regular drivers seemingly hell bent on doing whatever they pleased with absolute impunity.
As a result, the race was frequently interrupted and the cars put in reduced power mode because these reckless maniacs were crashing with regularity. The staff was constantly waving flags warning of "no bumping" or "move over" to no one in particular trying to enforce rules without negating fun (an unenviable task). Steering the cars became physically challenging after awhile and having your helmet on with the visor down created an oxygen deprivation conundrum where I had to decide whether to quit competing or pass out at the wheel. To call it a miserable experience would be an understatement.
I'm not sure how management can resolve the wretched situation of trying to attract new customers without alienating the local boys. Perhaps allotting some time of the day or a day of week to a no rules, no holds barred, Mad Max type of racing would suffice but what do I know.
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