Europe Travel Tip: Go Fast in Germany

by James Martin

Sure, you know that Germany's autobahns are legendary for their speed. Perhaps you know you can even race in Germany without a racing license by paying a per-lap fee at Nurburgring Race Track. But if flogging your rental car on a race track/autobahn isn't enough, here comes a story from small town Mönchengladbach:

A teen-ager speeding through a German town in a go-kart with seven squad cars in hot pursuit managed to give the frustrated officers the slip, police said on Friday. ~ Teenager in go-kart leaves police standing

Yet another Formula One driver in training? Turns out he bought the thing and didn't have a trailer to get it home on. So, why not drive it? (It's against the law, of course.)

By the way, Mönchengladbach has produced two Formula One drivers: Nick Heidfeld and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. That's a spawn rate of 1 Formula One driver for every 130,000 normal people. It's very likely that the reason for all this talent is the very strong Carting tradition in Mönchengladbach, which Europeans use as an introduction to all forms of racing for youngsters who have a knack for moving about quickly. You make a form of transport light and sturdy enough and the potential for going fast safely is amazing. And maintenance is easy. You just tip the thing over to work under the car. It's child's play. Sorta. In any case, if you find yourself in Mönchengladbach, in western Germany near the border with Holland and Belgium, you can give carting a try. Who knows? (Hint: the US could use a Formula One driver.)