The Store
AusCarts
50 Salmon Street
Port Melbourne
VIC 3207
Tel: (03) 9646 6015
Email them!

The value
I was recommended AusCarts by my brother who had been there previously during his work outings. I found their $40 for 40 laps deal of extremely good value. This deal is hard to beat anywhere in Victoria. Believe me, I did my research. On average, the prices in other centres is much higher, and many of them are based on time frames. AusCarts is one of the few centres who focus on lap based prices.

The experience
Okay, so I came 2nd to last but that’s not the point. Sure, I was lapped by my brother several times but he works in the car industry and test drives European cars for a living so I expected nothing less. Sure enough, after I finished my 40 laps, I got out of the car and felt nauseous and dizzy for about 2 hours, but eventually I recovered. I found the experience to be exhilarating. Auscarts caters for the beginning, as well as experts. After all, I was about 1.5 seconds off the lap record.

The service
Things are relatively easy. You rock up, sign up electronically at the entrance and pay the fees at the bar. The ambience is nice, but a little loud. They have a separate breifing room, and a moderate sized function room. The elevated bar is a great idea for the family to relax and want their loved ones compete.

The facilities
The go karts are great, fast, and the track is challenging. Like I said before, it makes you dizzy. The corners are quite tough to make on full speed, so you will need to use your braking and cornering skills. Overtaking is a hassle. I did find the electronic sign up process a bit cumbersome. It would be much better if they just used computer keyboards to sign up, rather than having a touch screen based system. It just takes ages, and is the last thing you want before your experience.

Inside tips
* During december they are running $1 per lap special, so take advantage of it.
* There have several racing packages here.
* This is a great place for office get togethers, or a bunch of friends who just want to race to their dreams

Suggestions
* I would seriously consider using keyboards and computers for the sign up process. Even the bar staff got fed up trying to set things up
* I think having a membership fee is a bit silly, as most people will only come once in a while. So guys, take this silly fee off. Its a waste of $5 bucks for someone like me, who go karts once in a while.

Summary - 9/10 (The sign up process is annoying though!)
Great place, challenging track, good equipment, and a serious race ambience. Great fun!

Continue the conversation at Mr Feedback Forums - $1 a lap sale @ Auscarts Port Melbourne during December!