A gang of us ended up at Amigo Go-karting last night in the back of Gatineau (wayyy in the back) to celebrate Nigel’s birthday, and had a blast. They have some really fast “Superkarts” there that they claim get up to 80km on their winding outdoor track.

I ended up in a slightly less powerful kart (I guess it’s rare that they’re all evenly matched) but even though I was outmatched on the straightaways I had a lot of fun trying to perfect my lines into and out of corners. With the rear axle fixed, when you hit the hairpin turns you can feel the back tires chirping up and hopping across the ground, about to come loose. It’s exhilarating to be on the edge of control.

I ended up coming home smelling of gasoline, rubber, and motor oil, which satisfied my machismo requirements for a little while. I’ve also got a really fantastic bruise on my hip that Natasha was shocked to discover this morning – a casualty of slamming into the sides of my seat on S-curves. Lots of power in those things!