Chiang Mai X-Centre - Go Carts that drive you round the bend

So you think of Chiang Mai as all Thai cushions, cruisey cafes, and being laid back to the point of lying horizontal? You want to take your adrenaline gland out to the X-Centre at Mae Rim for a workout ...

Oooh, shiny!

They've recently added Drifter Karts to their roster of activities such as Xorb balling, ATVs, bungy jumping and other new and improved  ways to kill yourself. It will surprise no one that this place is run by a Kiwi, in this case Ian, who runs things to highest international quality and safety standards (I'm not sure if this includes the katoey in the coffee shop, but).

Drifter Karts are go carts with a difference. 165cc machines that blitz around a specially coated indoor track which means you are barely in control the whole way round.

Think of it as drunk driving meets ice skating, jing jing.


I was about as in control of it as a 5-year-old boy put in charge of a crate of pythons. I was about as in control of it as a monkey looking after a banana stall. I was about in control of it as a lone policeman with a truncheon fending off a mob of soccer hooligans with molotov cocktails. I was not in control!

 Always use a rubber

 It took me a good 3-4 laps to get the hang of it, and the local pit crew soon tired of pulling me out of the tyre barricades as I lost it on yet another corner.

These drift karts can reach 100 km/h, "but ..." said my instructor. But meaning, if you reach 100km/h there is no way on this earth that you will possibly make it around the corner without stacking. You can can brake all you like, you can reverse lock all you like, but your wheels will skid across the shiny polymer surface as though it was a mirror lubed up with Vaseline.

Nervous laughter!

But once you settle down, wow, the fun really kicks in. It requires much more artful combination of acceleration, brake and steering to achieve the desired outcome, as you whip yourself into corners, flicking the tail out behind you, then gunning it to the next corner.

"Woah -- that's a whole nother beast!" exclaimed Justin as he removed his helmet, hands trembling, T-shirt sweat-stained.

While grammatically questionable, his outburst summed up the experience well. It is like go karting but different. A different skill set.

I ask about the champion at this circuit. "The champion is a Thai guy from Lamphun," I was told. "He's the champion ... he even drifts in his real car on the road," they enthused.

Oh shit. I've got no idea if it's safer on this track or out on the roads of Chiang Mai.

Details: 10 minute session 800 baht for single seater. Crash-free driving is often rewarded with extended time.