Inaugural Test Race

It's happening. After weeks of scouting, emailing, and getting nowhere fast, we finally have a date, a venue, and a way to book. Our first session is locked in for Saturday, 22 August — and this one is as much a test of the venue as it is of our racing skills.

Why Mobikart?

Simple: they were the only venue that let us actually book in. Mobikart, for all their communication quirks, at least had a working booking system — and a date on the calendar beats a due diligence checklist every time.

The race details

• When: Saturday, 22 August, 15:00 (arrive 30 minutes early)

• Where: MOBIKART Fun Racing GmbH, Bornitzstraße 106, Lichtenberg

• Format: 25-minute session on the upper track, electric karts

• Price: €37 per person

• Grid: max 8 karts on track at once

What you need to know

Requirements — This one's straightforward: drivers must be 18+ with a minimum height of 155 cm. No experience required. Helmets — If you don't have your own helmet, you'll need to bring a balaclava. Alternatively, you can buy one on site for €3. The €5 "expert mode" mystery — The karts have an optional expert mode for an extra €5. Their website does a spectacular job of not explaining what this actually is, but from what we can piece together, it looks like a push-to-pass system: a temporary speed boost you can trigger mid-lap. Interestingly, most of the group who've signed up so far have decided to skip it. Whether it's worth the money — or a complete game-changer — is something we'll only find out on the day.

Note: We found out later why the website was confusing. There is an expert mode, and a boost mode. Boost gives you 10 kph for a brief period. Expert mode is only open to people who can do a laptime under 25 seconds with or without boost mode on; it opens the extra 10 kph top speed permanently.

Why this race matters

This is the test race in the truest sense. Mobikart aren't exactly forthcoming with details — emails go unanswered, and some questions about the booking process only got answered when we figured them out ourselves. (Including the small detail of how to actually book, which took a couple of attempts.) So instead of guessing, we're going to find out. On the day we'll confirm:

• How the booking and check-in actually work in practice

• Whether expert mode is essential or a waste of €5

• How the track handles a full grid of 8

• Whether this place could host a regular league — the future of the whole season depends on it

One way or another, by Saturday evening we'll know a lot more than any email was willing to tell us. If it goes well, this is the first race of many.