Travel Tips & Adventures

Out on the highway caught up in traffic, speeding is not an option.  Join a Bondurant SuperKart class and speeding is required.

Go kart and cool gear with author

Tucked off to the side of Interstate 10 south of Phoenix, Arizona, Bondurant Driving School is largely unknown by people driving by.  Races are held which can be seen, but most people don’t know that nirvana for speed is so close. 

I contacted Bondurant to see what classes were available and was graciously invited by Anna to join a Thursday night class of their SuperKart School. 

The Bondurant Driving School has a worldwide reputation for training drivers for movies and races, but the average driver can experience the exhilaration of speed in go carts. Operating within a few inches of the ground, drivers, accelerating from zero to over 80 miles per hour in just six seconds, get to be race drivers.  Bondurant’s instructors have trained people ages 16 to 72 to drive the go karts that, using a 125 cc engine, give drivers a chance to test their ability against a track.

After suiting up with gloves, “ninja” masks, helmets, collar braces and a super sharp-looking black racing jacket, class members are given instructions on how to handle the shifting required to make turns and not stall out.

We were shown how to fold ourselves into the seats, lowering ourselves down almost to the ground.  Explaining how touching the spark plug could give us a nasty reaction, Steve instructed us in what not to touch – the cable by our right foot which connected to the gas and the spark plug.  We now understood why our jacket had a leather patch on the right elbow.  How we held the wheel was also a rethinking of conventional driving.  Unlike the current philosophy which suggests holding the wheel at the bottom, we were told to hold the wheel at “10 and 2” and release it each time with our right hand as we shifted. 

Although I tried my darndest not to stall and keep all of the instructions clearly in my head, I kept stalling at the turn.  Without making me feel like I was inept, Andy, one of the two instructors, disappeared briefly to get me an automatic shift car to drive.  Thank you, Andy!

Before they gave us the one-third of a mile track to negotiate on our own, we were driven around to familiarize ourselves, shown at what gear to take different segments and where to place the go kart as we rounded a curve.

When my group of four drivers was finally ready to hit the track, we were told that when Steve held out his foot and pushed downward, we were not accelerating hard enough and we should hit the gas!  Where else can you be instructed to go faster?

For a few seconds on the straightaway, we were able to accelerate and feel the rev of the engines as we sped up.  Going for broke, we also had to slow down so that when we hit the turn, we didn’t spin out.

Since the track was not an oval, but had turns and curves to negotiate, concentration was required.  Unlike the regular roadway, we were cautioned to pass on the right.  Coming around the curve, drivers were supposed to hug the wall on the left, so passing on the right prevented collisions. 

I was the one being passed –every time!  Here I thought I was a fast driver, but I suppose my efforts to drive safely prevented me from challenging the others in my group.  But, what an amazing rush every time I made it around a sharp turn without spinning out or turning over!

When our turns around the track were done and our group had safely found our way back to our designated spots, we headed back to the shop where we traded in our racing gear for normal, mortal clothing again.  I was still pumping adrenaline. 

Steve and Andy autographed a graduation certificate for me, so I have proof that I actually survived my racing effort. 

Also, I was not done when I headed home.  Looking down at my speedometer in my Honda, I saw I was doing 80! Oops!

Back to a legal speed again, I realized that my exhilaration was still with me.  The phrase from the movie Top Gun popped into my head, “the need for speed.”  I was going to have to behave myself on the road.  But, oh, for a while, stepping on it was quite an experience.

If you go…

Bondurant offers several SuperKart classes, ranging from 2 to 4 hour sessions and $250 to $425 per session.  To enroll, call 1-800-652-KART (5278) or see www.bondurant.com.  The Bondurant SuperKart School is located on the Gila River Indian Community between exits 162 and 164 of Interstate 10 at 20000 S. Maricopa Road, Gate 3 south of Chandler, Arizona.

Not recommended for anyone with back or knee injuries.  Only those 16 and older with a driver’s license may enroll.

Tags: Adventures, Bondurant, Racing

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Southwest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.