Whether you consider yourself to be a total petrol head or have never been behind the wheel, a day of gokarting can be an exciting and a fresh way to get your adrenaline pumping.

It is an exciting way to challenge yourself and your friends and maybe take you out of your comfort zone a little.

Birthday parties, stag and hen dos, or even office socials are perfect opportunities to head to the track for a day of competitive drag racing or tactical endurance team races.

Josh Wood, a full-time karting competitor, says: “It's the safest and cheapest form of motorsport out there, especially at a commercial level.

“It is where every professional driver started out.

“For team building it’s brilliant, from the point of view of an office social, to beat the other team you have to be dynamic.”

Croydon’s TRAQ offers an outdoor track full of hairpin bends and speed friendly straights.

Up to 15 people can race on the course at one time with the karts capable of reaching 45mph.

And it is safe for children aged eight and above as races can be monitored by radio controls on the karts that allow staff to control their speeds throughout the races.

Track manager Terry Colliver said: “It's fast enough to be exciting and still really safe.

“When you start karting the machines at that level are built around safety and to withstand any accidental impact.

“You get your helmet, which is bullet proof, and your overalls, which are fire proof.”

But don't let the size of the karts fool you at top speed you will feel some serious g-force and you will quickly be reminded why professional drivers, and even karting competitors, need to be in top physical condition.

Mr Wood says: “Forty miles an hour may not seem like much but when you are an inch off the ground it feels a lot quicker.

“People forget that racing is a sport, do some stretching before you get in the car, you will thank me in the morning.”

A day at the track definitely isn't just for the boys, more and more women are enjoying the adrenaline fuelled world of motor racing.

At TRAQ Mr Colliver boasts that most of their parties are often a 50/50 split and the women are always able to hold their own.

And Mr Wood adds: “When you see a woman on the grid they never come last.

“Don’t let the boys bully you, if you’re quick I want you on my team.”

TRAQ; Jessops Way, Croydon; 0208 665 0222 or quadbikeracing.com