New Canary Wharf go-kart centre speeds ahead with impressive track

Roar writer Saul Levene covers the launch party that Capital Karts held on May 24 for their new go-kart track in Canary Wharf.

For the event, Capital Karts invited influencers across social media platforms, including Ollie the Car Kid, along with various journalists.

Capital Karts launched in Barking in 2013 and was met with instant acclaim, earning the 2014 Barking and Dagenham New Business Of The Year award and numerous others since. The Barking race track was one of the largest indoor race tracks in the UK, but it has recently been closed for refurbishment.

This new track at Canary Wharf is a 1-minute walk from the Docklands Light Railway station and is less than 10 minutes from the Jubilee and Elizabeth line stops. Unlike the one in Barking, the Canary Wharf track is all on one level, without ramps. This is just a stylistic difference though – different people enjoy different types of tracks. 

Although the launch party wasn’t so well attended, the track was beautiful. You could tell just how new it was. In fact, Roar was one of the first organisations to test it out. 

Photo by Attractor.

The track features a 100-metre main straight, 18 corners, and speeds over 45mph. The average track width is 7.5 metres allowing for up to 20 karts per race with an average lap time of over 55 seconds. It’s best not to go alone, as it is an entirely different experience if you race against others. 

When we asked for racing tips, we were told not to brake and accelerate at the same time. From playing Mario Kart and other top-end racing games, it can be very tempting to skid in order to get around hard corners, but this is counterproductive. Skidding actually slows you down and can even make you spin out of control entirely. To get around hard corners, it’s far more effective to just slow down enough and turn at the right time. We were also told not to slam into other people or the walls. It can be more painful than you might expect.

Capital Karts Canary Wharf opened on May 4, and it features a bar and lounge area alongside its impressive track. This is an experience that’s well worth checking out.