by Rozman Mashor
Back in the mid 90s when Brunei’s Jerudong Park was in its heyday, there were numerous attractions to keep visitors entertained. In the many years since, a lot of features eventually went into disuse due to host of reasons, but one attraction that many thought would not be affected — the Go Karts — also follow suit. This surprised many given its popularity, because as a general rule of thumb, Bruneians have always possessed an inherent disposition towards competitive racing.
Fast forward to today, and after half a year of planning and preparation, local company, AZ Karting rolled onto the scene 2 months ago with their fleet of red and white Italian-designed Biron Art Go-Karts. Officiating the return of this dearly-missed activity at our national theme park, were Chief Youth Officer at the Department of Youth and Sports, Hj Mohamad Mariswanddy Hj Omar, as well as an advisor from the Brunei Darussalam Go Karting Association. Also in attendance were representatives from the Institute of Brunei Technical Education’s School of Energy and Engineering, and Go-Karting enthusiasts.
There is always a magical quality to any activity that can result in wide grins and broad smiles breaking out across the features of grown men in their 50s, as they eagerly get strapped into their seats. This was no exception, as after a few tugs of several cords, multiple mini engines roared to life, and before you could even think the word “Go!”, several drivers were off and away, contagious laughter spreading from racer to racer, where for just a 20-minute duration, they were all in their youth again.
