TeamSport Go Karting Dunstable — Attraction in Dunstable

We booked to go as a group of 5 as the website described as it as good family day out for all experience levels. That was not our experience.

First, we were greeted by the kind member of staff at the entrance, but I was given a suit that was way too small for me, I wish I was asked what sizes were available because when I went back, the size up was still not adequate but I thought I’d make do as I didn’t want to go back for a third suit. It’s embarrassing.

They categorise 14 year olds as adults and therefore we were grouped together with people who clearly have more experience than we did. We were given a safety briefing but that was insufficient. We were asked in the briefing room if this was our first time go karting, everyone in my group put their hands up, but what was the point, when after we put our helmets on, we were expected to know how to steer and members of my group, didn’t get the courtesy of having their seat adjusted during the first session.

On the 2nd lap, as I was going around a corner, a man wearing a blue suit hit my kart from behind; we were told in the briefing that if this happened, the lights will come up so that the person will be pulled aside. That did not happen.

On the 3rd lap, I lost control of my vehicle and hit a corner at speed, I flew off my seat, into the steering wheel, braced only by my left leg, and I was off the seat when I landed back. I was in so much pain I couldn’t raise my hand to signal for a MOS. Once a member of staff reached me, they asked me if I was okay, I said no. When he asked me to get up, I said I couldn’t as I was feeling sharp pain and numbness in my legs. I felt trapped in my seat as it was pushed forward, the member of staff didn’t offer to push it back as he saw me struggling, I forced myself to get off my kart in extreme pain, to not spoil the session for everyone else. They asked if I wanted to continue and I said no. A female member of staff then came to me and escorted me back to the spectator seats, and at this point asked if I was okay, I told her that I don’t think I’ll continue for now, and think it’s best I just watch as I limped back. My point here is, why there wasn’t a first aider on hand to properly check me over. Once I returned home, I was in extreme pain, with a sharp pain in my abdomen and I couldn’t bare weight on my left foot. Turns out I’ve sprained my ankle, and now I have a bruise the side of my palm on my abdomen with a hematoma bruise that makes it difficult to move.

During the second half, when I was spectating, both my sisters were hit from the back by two men in purple suits. While they looked to be more experienced players, I witnessed the staff pull aside the least experience drivers, but never pulled aside the drivers who have been hitting people from the back and weren’t slowing down when the lights were yellow.

I think that if you advertise it for people with different levels of experience, maybe you should take more care to separate them from the people who want to go at high speeds. Maybe we should’ve been given a test run of the course or a more intensive guide on how to use the karts. This was honestly such a tragic experience for us. I’m incredibly disappointed that I got injured but I believe this could’ve been prevented if there was more preparation and guidance on how to use these high powered machines. I sit here in extreme pain typing this. I wouldn’t recommend this at all. I wish I asked for a refund but I couldn’t bare the wait to speak to someone due to my injuries as the front desk only had one lady manning so...

TeamSport dunstable, the least empathetic karting establishment to grace this earth. Unprofessional, rude and unaccommodating are 3 words that come to mind when I think about TeamSport dunstable, as a Leicester local, I am a passionate karter at the areas TeamSport where I am graced by the friendliest and most supportive karting team, this is why I esteem the TeamSport brand so highly. Going into TeamSport dunstable today I was expecting the same quality and competence to which I have received on literally hundreds of occasions, but after completing 110 races at the track in my district it’s nice to have a change of scenery, hoping to taste some action at an offbeat course I ventured to TeamSport dunstable, just shy of 2 hours from my home, this is a massive undertaking at an 175 mile round trip. Typically I aim to arrive at track 45 minutes before the session commences although not essential being a member but due to unforeseen circumstances out of my own control involving heavy traffic on the m1, I was late to the first session, this is something that I could come to accept due to it being a 3 for 2 in which I’d still receive 2 sessions with my friends (which Leicester would always allow) but I was blessed with the most vile chorus of staff, I was aggressively told upon entry that there was NO CHANCE I COULD RACE, to which I challenged and the best answer the staff member could give was that its company policy, the terms and conditions say “we will always try our best to accommodate you, we cannot delay a race for customers running late. If you are late, you might lose some track time” which implies that it is definitely possible to be placed into the session but this was obviously impossible. For obvious reasons I escalated this issue to the manager who was just sarcastic and uncooperative, I asked if I could have a reason why I couldn’t race the other 2 sessions and I was given an answer… I could not race as I couldn’t complete the safety light check to which I politely mentioned that there should be a check every single race regardless if there has been a previous session with the current group, as well as this I did mention that I have 110 races under my belt and am a motorsport professional as a career so am extremely familiar with the safety precautions, this was no use to Tom the manager who leaped to give me a second reason, he said that many of the fleet karts were broken and they only had the 8 working, to which I replied why was I allowed to book if there wasn’t a suitable vessel for me to race in? This is was such a poor reason to give and a blatant lie. This is the last time I visit TeamSport dunstable solely due to the staffs incompetence, after 4 hours of driving and my wallet £30 of petrol money lighter I can say that I’m feeling unfulfilled with a bitter taste left in my mouth...

Absolutely love this place, I've been racing here for just over a week and have been seven times already. The track is great and has a few technical turns and two ramps (one up and one down) for a multi level race experience. I suffer with anxiety but the staff have been great and I have not felt anxious once whilst being there. I don't know why people are complaining about the staff as I've only had great conversations with them and they actually make an effort to remember you if you are a repeat customer which is more than I can say for other places. I've signed up for the elite membership and I'm taking full advantage of the 25% online booking discount each time I go. They have a great app too that allows you to track your progress and race stats and make bookings. It's a very simple process. The venue has always been clean and as for covid safety top marks. The suits are cleaned using a state of the art machine and although a little worn are great (it's to be expected that they are a little worn due to how much they are used). There is sanitiser gel around the building and all staff are wearing masks. There is a cost for a balaclava and gloves but it's to be expected for you safety and you get to keep them to use the next time round. Sessions may feel quick but that's because you are going quick. After racing for 15 minutes it's good to take a break and the bar sells refreshments and food is also on offer. 15 minutes later and it's round two and by the end of it you will know that you've raced as you will feel it in your arms and legs (or maybe that's just me 😂). Everything is paid by card, which again is great for covid safety. They also have an option for the rental of head cams so you can record your racing experience and they sell trophies and medals if you want to show off your winning skills 🥇.

In closing, this is a great place for a fun race and well worth a visit, so much so that I'm going back...