Are you on a quest for speed? Then Chiang Mai Speedway offers you plenty of action. Here, in Northern Thailand thrillseekers can find a wonderful natural setting where competitors meet in the great outdoors for sport adventure. Chiangmai, Thailand is a serene place in the middle of beautifiul scenery and it also offers plenty of shopping opportunities where everything is very inexpensive.

In travel circles Thailand has been a magnetic destination that draws millions of visitors because of its beauty, culture and reasonable prices. The Go kart track is only one of several outdoor adventure sports in northern Thailand. How's this: microlight flights, hot air ballooning, trekking, open face rock climbing, rafting, tubing, ATV paths and professional X-treme sports park for skate boarding and trick biking. Even sporting action for beginners such as mountain biking with paths only going down hill. Come on, DO IT! Contact the editor for more information on these great activities..

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO RACE A GO-KART?

With no clutch or gears to worry about, there is no motor sport vehicle easier to drive than a go-kart. The brake is on the left and the accelerator is on the right. Direct steering is done with the little feather-rim wheel. How's that for simplicity? As for easy handling that only takes practice. The track at the Chiang Mai Speedway is 500 meter international standard track.

Let's envision the track. A short straight takes you to a hairpin bend. The best approach is from the middle of the 5 meters wide track. Then comes the most interesting sequence of the Chiangmai International Speedway. A fast and easy right hand bend is followed almost immediately by a deceptively tight right hander and then right back to the "Start--Finish' line. Put in your practice and you'll have the highest speed down the longest straight. This is an important part of how races are won.

On the approach to the first hairpin bend it's time to reduce speed by braking hard before turning. The Golden Rule for best results on any bend is brake late, brake hard and brake only once. After your confidence increases and you know the track, it's time to start mastering racecraft. That's the art of actually overtaking people with just the same amount of power you have under your hands. Remember "Days of Thunder"? Tom Cruise had to pay his dues but in the end he got the champagne and admiration he set out for.

A MOTORBIKE RACE TO THE SKY!

It's good, smooth tarmac, it's 10.72 kms long and it rises thousands of metres from the plain of Chiang Mai to the mountainous Doi Suthep, the most famous Buddhist temple in the north of Thailand. It's Asia's nearest thing to a European Speed Hill Climb and racers are going to tackle it against the clock on a 125cc Honda!

The bikes are light, easy to handle and semi-automatic. You'll get a steady-speed run to familiarise yourself with these sturdy little beasts, to find that there is no clutch to worry about and your left foot just clicks up and down the 4-speed box easily and smoothly. From the timed start at the statue of Kru Ba Siwichai - the 'engineer monk' who built the first road here in 1935 - you need to co-ordinate vision, power, gears and brakes for as long as it takes to get to the finish - the foot of the cable car which takes visitors to the superb mountain-top temple. The roads are well paved and not dirt tracks so you don't have to worry. Sure, these are low powered bikes, but it is a profiltic test of skill.

AWESOME 4 WHEEL DRIVE

Get out of the city for a full day Navigation Rally into north Thailand's beautiful farmland and forests. Vehicles are identical 4 wheel-drive Suzuki Caribean (that's how they spell it!) 4-seater jeeps with air-conditioning and seat belts - which must be worn by law. These chunky 5-speed vehicles are easy to drive but - take note - not built for speed! Your aim is to view the beautiful countryside on any route you choose.