A new raceway opened in Bridge of Don this weekend and petrol heads at The Press and Journal got to experience life in the fast lane.
Fast Lane Indoor Raceways opened to the public at Broadfold Business Centre – in the former Kartstart Indoor Raceways, which closed six years ago.
The track is run by 31-year-old Reis Robertson, along with business partners and friends Bruce Porter, 42, and Allan Smith, 39.
Mr Robertson, who worked at the former track, said a venue like Fast Lane was sorely missed in the area and that there is “nothing like this in the north-east”.
Mr Robertson said there have been challenges along the way as the venue needed a “complete refurbishment” and they were keen to make safety “a top priority”.
A team of marshals are stationed around the track to alert drivers of obstructions etc.
A former competitor in motorsport, the Bridge of Don native hopes Fast Lane will appeal to all types of racers, from those with no experience to those fully-fledged petrol heads.
He said: “A lot of indoor karting centres are going electric, but when we first started looking at opening one here, there was a lot of pushback, people just were not that interested.
Fast Lane raceway opens in Bridge of Don
“But as soon as we announced we had traditional petrol karts, the footfall through our social media channels really ramped up.”
To get more people interested, in addition to the 14 adult karts, there are eight kids karts, one double kart for those who need additional support and a hand drive kart for those who do not have use of their lower limbs.
Hundreds turned out over the weekend to experience the petrol-fuelled adrenaline rush of zooming around the specially-designed track and to support a new local business.
Mr Robertson hopes this new raceway will help dispel the image of Aberdeen as “Aber-doom”.
Mr Smith added: “Aberdeen’s in this place right now where if we want change we have to do it locally we can’t wait for big companies to come here and flood Union Street with activities.
“If local people can create the activities then it’s better for us all.”
The trio also have their sights on a new crazy golf venue in Union Street and will offer a shuttle bus service between the raceway and crazy golf.
They wanted to emphasise the “local-ness” of the raceway having all three grown up in or near Aberdeen.
Mr Robertson added: “We are local guys investing in the local economy.”
The Press and Journal lap times
Members of The Press and Journal’s editorial team were invited to “leave it all on the track” as they competed for pole position and bragging rights around the newsroom.
Can you beat the times set by our team?
1.Darrell – Photographer – 23.758
2. Ross – Live Reporter – 24.497
3. Graham – Live Reporter – 25.317
4. Derry – Live Editor – 25.890
5. Chris – Live Reporter – 26.117
6. Aidan – Newsletter Editor – 26.644
7. Alberto – Live Reporter – 26.715
8. Ryan – Energy Voice Reporter – 26.832
9. Kirstin – Features Writer – 29.621
10. Kirstie – Local Democracy Reporter – 34.664