While many of the karting enthusiasts at the Mount Isa Go-Kart Club aspire to be the next Mark Winterbottom or Mark Skaife, many of the members just enjoy the adrenalin rush of travelling at high speeds close to the road, the challenge of breaking times and simply winning.

Mount Isa Go-Karting public relations manager Adam Akuzmanovi said the club is in its best situation since it’s establishment in 1981.

“Go-karting is very popular in the region and is at its strongest position ever,” said Akuzmanovi, who joined the club three years ago.

“We have members that travel from Cloncurry to compete and it continues to grow due to the sport being so family orientated.”

“When I first joined in 2005, we had three classes but now we have increased to seven classes.”

Besides its family feel, Akuzmanovi believes go-karting was a relatively cheap and beneficial sport compared to other motor sports.

He believed the skills that the younger drivers were learning while karting would advance their road skills for the future.

“With so many youthful drivers in the club, they are actually learning driving skills and how to have control behind the wheel… they learn a lot.”

And the club is in the enviable position of great support and plenty of numbers to get things done.

“It’s a great sport surrounded by great people.”

“Everyone helps each other out and enjoys each others’ company, not only when racing but when socialising as well. I enjoy it.”

Doesn’t matter how old your are, if your male or female, tall or short, basically, as long as you can control the kart and over the age of seven, you can join the club.

Maddison Twyford, a year seven student at Good Shepherd Catholic College, isn’t intimidated being the only girl in her junior division as she battles, and often defeats, her male rivals.

“It’s pretty good,” said the 12 year old, who has been competing for almost seven months.

“A lot people say I’m giving them (the boys) a run for their money.”

Many of the go-kart drivers where introduced into the sport by “giving it a crack”, such as Maddison, whose father won an auction to drive a go-kart and suggested to his daughter to follow suite.

For Akuzmanovi, it was simply just jumping into a kart and going for a drive.

“I first got involved in Go-Kart racing when I went down to the track with my brother in law and niece,” Akuzmanovi said.

“On my first lap I got hooked on the sport and by the second I think I crashed but I have never looked back since.”

The Mount Isa Go-Kart club races every three weeks - next being the 31st of May - at the Mount Isa track on Duchess Road, with the club hoping to re-host the Top Run fundraiser later in the year.