Race Karts: Go Kart Racing

For a lot of people on vacation or just looking for fun, there's nothing quite as enjoyable as go kart racing. Go kart racing provides racing thrills, while being fun for the whole family. It's also quite an affordable way to spend a few hours at most of the attractive vacation destinations in the United States.

Go kart racing began in 1956 as a project of a car builder named Art Ingels. It quickly became a very popular feature at many theme parks and tourist destinations across the United States and Europe. Go kart racing is even developing a bit of a following as a semi-professional sport, with drivers going up to 60 miles per hour.

One of the most popular tourist destinations in the world for racing go karts, Orlando, Fla., has 6 go kart racing tracks throughout the Orlando/Kissimmee area. This doesn't even include race karts that vacationers will find within the Disney and Universal theme parks. It is a fun option for families that are tired of the hustle and bustle of long days and long lines at the bigger parks, to take time off and go go kart racing.

Maybe the fastest growing vacation destination in the U.S., Las Vegas has everything a person looking for racing go karts could want. Race fans will want to check out the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and while they're there, they can check out one of the best race karts destinations in the country. The LVMS' go kart racing facility is 3/4 mile of actual race track for anyone looking for the thrill of tearing up the track in the same way their favorite drivers do.

More adventurous go kart racing enthusiasts should look no further than F1 Outdoors, a go kart racing facility in Bridgewater, Mass., that offers a peculiar type of go kart racing. F1 Outdoors simulates real F1 racing conditions, with race karts that exceed 60 miles per hour. Definitely not for the faint of heart or the kids, but anyone looking to experience the delight of being in a real F1 race, there's no better alternative to the real thing than go kart racing in one of these karts.

That's not to say that the U.S. is the only place to find go kart racing fun. Europe and Asia boast some of the best go kart racing facilities on the planet. Tourists looking for a little slice of home while in Spain, for example, couldn't go wrong with a visit to the Go-Karting Lanzarote, a world renowned go karting facility situated in picturesque San Bartolo, Spain. It's a great destination for any fan of racing go karts traveling to Europe.

While go kart racing is not for everyone, there's no denying that it's a fun diversion for locals and tourists alike. Racing karts gives children the joy of being able to drive on their own and adults the competitive excitement they don't, or at least shouldn't, experience on the open road. Most major cities and theme parks have facilities for racing go karts, and many popular destinations have buildings built specifically for it. Additionally, go kart racing is only just gaining popularity overseas, so vacationers to Europe, Asia, Australia, and even some places in the Middle East will be happy to find this little slice of Americana far from home.



Sources:
"Kart Racing." Wikipedia. 3 Mar. 2007. 4 Mar. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kart_racing>.< br />Dean, Bill. “Racers can Find Go Kart Tracks to Ply Around Central Florida.” The Ledger. 1 June 2006. TiMEOOUT. 4 Mar. 2007 <http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article ?AID=/20060601/TIMEOUT/606010529/1325/TIMEOUT1001& />Las Vegas Motor Speedway. North American Motor Sports. 25 Dec. 2006. 4 Mar. 2007 < http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/NV/LasVegasMS .html>.
Travel Guide to Spain and Tourist Information. STA Travel. 2007. STA Travel LTD. 4 Mar. 2007 <http://www.statravel.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/au_di vision_web_live/hs.xsl/travel_guide_to_spain.htm?d />Grimes, William. “Just Browsing." New York Times. 16 July 2004. 4 Mar. 2007 < http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0 4E2DE143AF935A25754C0A9629C8B63&sec=travel&