Embracing Acceleration at K1 Speed

Not even the coolest race car video game could prepare your family for the sensation of authentic racing at K1 Speed Atlanta, Duluth’s indoor go-kart center. The bright, clean interior is inviting, and the revving engines are just loud enough to thrill. K1 uses electric go-karts, so there are no fumes. Go-karts whiz by at 45 mph, and adrenaline levels soar.

K1 karts are the fastest in the industry, with 20 horsepower engines. Racers enter the track on a staggered basis, and are ranked on time. A reverse gear enables drivers who spin out to reposition themselves. At other racetracks, kids drive on circular tracks. At K1, even the under-16 set races on a twisted track. Racers must meet minimum height requirements (48 inches for the junior karts, and 58 inches for the full-size karts).

Registration at the kiosks took about 20 minutes for our group of 11 – my son, Nick, 11, and eight pals, ages 10-12, and my daughter Katrina, 14, and her 15-year-old friend. We waited about 25 minutes longer for a few other races to finish. We whiled away the time by snacking at the café and playing arcade games. Once called, we attended a training session, then strapped on the headsocks and helmets provided and entered our karts.

K1 recommends scheduling ahead for large parties of eight or more. At $44 a person for two races or $60 a person for three races, you will not have to wait in line, and you will race exclusively with your group. Each group member also gets a T-shirt.

Choosing to “Arrive and Drive,” as we did on a weekend afternoon, the wait could range from 20 minutes to a couple of hours. A 12-lap race, which takes 10-20 minutes, costs $19.99 per person. The best deal is $39 per person for three races, Monday through Thursday, when K1 is less crowded. My son and his friends could not stop talking about K1. One texted me the next day to ask for pictures. Another said he could not wait to race his dad.

Nick was surprised at how challenging it was to reach top speed in the beginning. “In the last two laps, the pit crew made our karts go faster, and that was the most fun,” he said. Not one kid said they wished they’d played Xbox instead.
– Beth Burnett-Balga