My name is Aidan Dunleavy and my mom is the editor/publisher of Macaroni Kid. She asked me to write a review of Grand Prix New York/Spins Bowl in Mt. Kisco and I was excited to do this. Last week, I got the chance to go to Grand Prix before it opened that day. I went in and met Mike and Ben who showed me around and told me how the day would work. Mike is the Track Manager and he loves teaching kids how to drive a Go-Kart the right way. He told me there are four different kinds of cars and there are three different tracks. One track is for younger kids who are just getting started. You have to be 8 years old to drive unless you get certified with a private class. Since I am 11 years old, I started on the teen track which is for kids 11-16. The first car I drove was the Junior League car which is used for a competitive league that GPNY has on Saturday mornings. This car went at a mild speed and was fairly easy to turn so you didn't have to jam the wheel one way or another. The teen track, which is 1/8 of a mile, is called the Brownstone track. It is cool because it has scenes from New York City on the walls -- It feels like you are driving through NYC but at a faster pace!
My instructor Ben showed me the "racing line" which is the best way to handle the track. I followed his lead to learn the shortcuts of the track. I learned when to stay on the inside of a turn to get more speed and when to stay on the outside when the turn is sharp to avoid spinning out. Then we switched to a Jr. Sodi car which is a little faster but a little bit harder to turn. I really liked this car a lot. After I went around the teen track 10 times, the instructors thought I was ready for the adult track! I was so excited because the adult track is for ages 16+ with a driver's permit but if you get certified, then a kid can drive the adult track. The adult track is called uptown and it is much longer at 1/4 mile. I got to drive a GT-5 car which was bigger, faster and easiest to turn. Mike took over giving me a lesson on how to drive the big track. Uptown has a hill with two hairpin turns but it wasn't hard for me to learn how to manage the track. It was so fun being able to ride on the big track! Mike told me the speed was between 30-35 miles per hour. My first time around the track I clocked a 41.46 time and Mike told me I had some work to do. He showed me the racing line and how to get more speed and by my last run I was down to 34 seconds flat! A huge improvement!! I had such a great time racing and Mike and Ben were great instructors.
Grand Prix is more than just racing. Now we went over to the arcade. Grand Prix has one of the biggest - if not THE biggest - arcades in Westchester County. I did snowmobile racing, motorcycle racing, basketball where I set a new high record. They have over 85 games! They all looked like so much fun - I could stay there all day!
After the arcade, we went a bowled a game at Spins Bowl. This is a really nice bowling alley inside Grand Prix. You can order food and there is even a private seven lane bowling alley that you can have for a party. I am not the best bowler but it was fun to bowl against Mike and Ben. Grand Prix also has bouncy houses for little kids and Sparklicious, which is a girls place for manicures, crafts and parties. Grand Prix is a great place for a birthday party -- you can race, bowl and play in the arcade. They also have Racing Summer Camps. There is something for everyone at Grand Prix! I had a great time at Grand Prix. I can't believe I am now certified to drive the adult track. I will definitely go back!
For more information on Grand Prix New York, visit their website at www.gpny.com.
Macaroni Kid Chappaqua was hosted by Grand Prix New York for this review.
