Magna karta, man!

Need for speed

The only place in Bangkok you can whip around a track in a go-kart without worrying about rain-induced spinouts is EasyKart on the second floor of RCA Plaza.

The four-year-old noise factory is a destination for skilled drivers

as well as novices, with helmets, suits and even shoes handed out as

needed.

The track isn't exactly tarmac, so expect slippage on the corners, and it's fairly narrow, so you should take it easy until you get your bearings.

"The karting stadium is a place I expect to see people just having fun as they discover motor sports," says managing director Christian Gilles.

"It's affordable and it's a great place to get together after work or on the weekends. We've had many customers go into advanced racing after getting addicted here.

Karting party

"We've even set up endurance races of six, 12 and 24 hours so racers can experience working together as a team," adds Gilles.

With racing more popular than ever in Thailand, he says, more parents are getting their children involved in go-karting as a first step. The Toyota UBC Racing School for children is at EasyKart.

The arena gets about 1,000 customers a week, including tourists. You can hold your birthday party there, and companies often arrange meetings on the premises so the staff can enjoy some karting afterward.

There's another EasyKart at the Bira International Circuit in Pattaya that has an outdoor, higher-speed track, as well as all-terrain vehicles for off-road enthusiasts. Yet another branch, near Pattaya's

Bali Hai Pier, caters mainly to tourists.

XTRA

What's this cost?

>> At the RCA facility, driving a kart with a 160cc engine costs Bt390 per eight minutes, or you can have three eight-minute turns behind a 270cc engine for Bt1,100.

>> Anyone can get behind the wheel at EasyKart as long as they're at least 120 centimetres tall.

>> It's open weekdays except Wednesday from 4pm to midnight and on weekends from 1pm.

>> Call (02) 203 0621 or visit www.EasyKart.net.