Go karting can feel competitive, but it is only as competitive as you make it. It’s racing for fun rather than for that first place trophy, so how do you win at an experience like that?

Here at Mushroom Rally, we think of winning at go kart racing as having as much fun as possible. How do you squeeze the most out of this so that you make good memories and feel like you are getting your money’s worth? After years of experience with family and friend groups coming to our go kart racing venue, we have a few tips to share.

Get Everyone Together

Go kart racing is one of those experiences that you want your friends and family to be a part of. It is so much better when you do it with people you know and love. In order to make the most of this, try to choose a time when everyone can be there at the same time. If you are bringing your family, tell them in advance when you would like to go kart racing and give them an opportunity to get time off from work or to schedule time out of their week for it.

If you are taking your friends, let them know in advance as well so that they can arrange their plans around it. It would be a shame if some of your friends would not be able to make it, so it is best to plan this event well in advance and give them plenty of notice. That way, they will be more likely to be able to make time for it. You don’t want to be saying later on, “Oh, if only you were there, it would have been perfect!”

Ditch the Responsibilities

Your responsibilities can nag at you when you are out enjoying yourself. You will be thinking about all the things you need to get done when you should be having a great time. What are the responsibilities that are on your plate that might keep you distracted while kart racing? For many people, it’s house chores. Leave those to the professionals and hire cleaners so you don’t have to tidy up. We know many of the groups that have visited us have asked someone else to clean for them while they spend a few hours kart racing, and they have had a better time for it.

House cleaning is the biggest, most common chore that keeps people at home when they would rather be out having fun, which is why we mention it, but there may be something else that is your responsibility that you need to find a creative way to put off or hand over for the day. The dishes will pile up without much effort, and the floors will become dirty just by regular use, but having someone come and handle all of that will be a huge help in getting you out of the house and down to the Mushroom Rally.

Whatever your responsibilities are at home, don’t let them hold you back from getting out for a great time with friends and family.

Get in the Spirit

So many people come out to Mushroom Rally primed to have a good time. They are excited, cheerful, and looking forward to dressing up as their favorite characters. You don’t have to dress up to have a good time, but you might be missing out if you don’t try it at least once. We recommend everyone give costume racing a try just for the experience. It makes you feel like roleplaying, and it can help you get into the same spirit as everyone else who is there on the track.

If someone in your party is feeling a bit down, encourage them to dress up as well. Just putting on the costume can change someone’s entire demeanor. Suddenly, they feel like they are the characters, and they can’t help but let a smile spread across their face. They start acting like the characters and spouting lines at other racers like they are in the game.

Try to approach kart racing as something that is meant to be fun rather than competitive and serious. If you focus only on getting to the finish line first, you will spend less time on the track and with the other racers than everyone else. That’s not as fun as you might think. Not everyone can cross that finish line first, so even if you are at the back of the pack, you can still focus on having a good time. Our suggestion is to get into character, imagine you are in one of the Mushroom Kingdom courses, and just enjoy the feel of the kart under you.

The experience of letting the wind rush by you in an open kart is rewarding enough, as is seeing the funny collisions of the other players and the way they spin out of control or get off course. Look for something to laugh at rather than focus only on beating everyone else. If you take the race casually, it will be a blast for you. We promise.

Run the Course Multiple Times

If you haven’t been in a go kart for a while (or never), don’t worry about it. Go karting is meant to be fun and not overly challenging. In fact, the difficulty curve is very low, so anyone can enjoy it. Even kids have a blast riding around in the go karts. It’s more challenging than bumper cars but not nearly as difficult as driving an actual car.

We suggest trying the course a couple of times, so that even if the first time doesn’t go very smoothly for you, you have a chance to correct it the next time around. Some people spin out and end up on the walls a lot the first time through, and that’s okay. Keep at it and you will pick up kart racing very quickly. Plan for multiple runs to maximize your fun.