An Afternoon At Wight Karting

Warning for all you beauty lovers.... today's post is something a little different than the normal lipstick love and haircare addiction.

As you may or not know I live on an island. The Isle Of Wight to be precise and as much as we have exciting events and festivals going on throughout the year there isn't always that much to do around here. (there's only so many times you can go to the cinema) 

So when something new comes to the island there's always a buzz and an excitement about it, and I don't just mean Starbucks (did you know we've totally got one now!).

Wight Karting is a the island's new premier go-karting venue and since opening back in April this year (2014) has become highly well-known as a must-do for all ages!

 Earlier this month Wight Karting asked if I would like to join them up at the track and check it all out with a friend to see what it's all about! After hearing so much positive feedback from people I know I jumped at the chance and a week later my friend Megan and I got on our comfiest shoes and headed up to the track.

It was a Sunday so we knew it was open 10-4pm (compared to the Mon-Sat times of 9am-8pm) we arrived at about 12:30pm pleased to see it wasn't overly busy in the car park. The great thing was we didn't have to book, we just rocked up and got the ball rolling!
First up we were told we had to set up an account and membership* for Wight Karting, this is mandatory for anyone who wants to race on the track.

These memberships are just £2 and they last for a year - very reasonable. With it you receive your own swipe card to help make each trip quicker and easier, prints out of your time sheets from your time on the track and you are added to Wight Karting's mailing list so you can hear about all their upcoming promotions and offers.
Off to the computers we went, filled out the easy forms, agreed to the t's &c's had our photos taken and now it was onto the fun bit....

Obviously when go-karting you don't wear your usual get up. Nope that cute little outfit you picked out is hidden beneath a sexy ensemble including a suit and helmet.
We headed into the ladies and changed into our suits and then waited for our race to be called - we had 2 sessions* - race 20 and race 22.

Each session is 10 minutes and they cost £15.

Once into our suits we entered the briefing room to get the low down on how everything worked and what was going to happen!
We were told that we would have 10 minutes on the track, our first lap we would follow the instructor round to get us used to it and see the track and then after that we would be free to go as fast (or slow) as we wanted!

We were also told about the different flags that could be shown whilst driving. Yellow was a caution flag which means slow down and be careful - this could be if someone had got stuck and needed assistance, if you saw the red flag you had to stop and pull over as someone may need to talk to you and the chequered flag was an indication that your race was coming to an end and to head back to the pit stop at the end of the lap.

Feeling confident with all the information we'd be given we got our hair nets and helmets on (sexy... bad day to wear extensions, my ponytail had to go down the back of my suit!) and headed to our karts!

I'm not going to lie I was a little nervous, I don't drive so I thought it was very likely that I was going to be total pants at this!
After the first lap following the instructor I felt okay and luckily in control! Once that first lap was over though people really went for it, which for a second did scare me! People overtaking at first really made me jump but I learnt just to get out of the way haha!
A couple times more round the track though and I my confidence grew and the faster I went!

By the end of it my hands and wrists hurt so, so much as I had been so tense haha - what a muppet!
 The 10 minutes feels like ages and it is so simple - no expert skills needed, you could be 8 or 88!

After our first session Megan & I went and had a quick sit down in the cafe area and had a little look round at the other things available on site.
Before we knew it it was time for our next session! Back to the briefing room we went and we had the same talk again with a new set of people!

This time though I was in kart number 1 - the very front one and away from my buddy Meg.... oh god! I knew that as soon as the first trial lap was over everyone would be zooming past me - especially the guys who you could tell were regulars!

Another great session, I really felt like I had got it down by the time this one was over, it's crazy how fast these things can go!
 I did get stuck once after I mucked up a corner ..... but the guys there were there to assist me in seconds and I was back at it again like nothing had happened!!


All go-karted out we decided to have a proper sit down in the La Babalu Diner!
The cute chequered tables and chairs are a perfect match for the racing scene and with the sofas in there too there is plenty of space for people and their parties to have sit down, which is great if you're waiting for your turn! 

We both had a fabulous Oreo milkshake* which were amazing! We both admitted we aren't usually big milkshake lovers but these were amazing... I think I'd go back there just for one of those!

As well as a vast menu of cooked foods/meals and yummy snacks there are some great things to keep you entertained in the diner!
When we were there there was Formula One was playing on a big screen as well as a live feed of what was going on on the track!
Yup that's right, a leaderboard is shown for each match, showing the heat, who's in what position and their times!
This is fab if you are in a large group and not all on the track at the same time as you can watch how your friends are doing on the screen! (and as you can see you can pick a nickname for yourself!)

Overall we both had a fantastic afternoon, after a few hours there we came away on a high and would definitely love to go back!
Both of us were seriously impressed by how professional and well-run the whole venue was, I can see why it has become so popular so quickly.

 We both had the same idea though... to go back with a big group of friends! Being some of the only girls on the track was slightly intimidating at first, so going with a large group of friends/people you know, especially if it's your first time, would be amazing/hilarious!

There is a ladies night every last Wednesday of each month and you can have a sample for just £10 - the perfect time to try it out for the first time I'd say!

A HUGE thank you to everyone over at Wight Karting for providing us with such amazing, safe and fun day! We will be back soon!!!
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