K1 SPEED INDOOR KARTING // TORRANCE VIP OPENING PARTY

I recently had the opportunity to attend the VIP opening party for the newest K1 Speed indoor karting center, located near LAX airport in Torrance, California. Among the other attendees were Alex Roy, who is somewhat infamous for setting the cross-country driving record in his police-liveried E39 BMW M5, and world-renowned racecar driver Boris Said, who is co-owner of the company. With unlimited free karting and food, it goes without saying that I had a great time! [read more]

Indoor karting has been growing in popularity in recent years, with centers popping up throughout the country, but K1 Speed is arguably the leader in the industry. With six locations spread throughout Southern California and the Pacific Northwest and high-performance electric karts, K1 Speed offers a far different experience than you'll find at your local miniature golf course. 

If you've never driven electric karts, you owe it to yourself to try them. The electric karts at K1 Speed are surprisingly quick, no doubt due in part to their "all in" torque curves, and require genuine effort (and dare I say skill) to extract the most out of them. In comparison to gas-powered karts, such as those found at Dromo 1 in Anaheim, electric karts feel much quicker out of low-speed corners, and are both quieter and cleaner, but it must be said that the driving experience is completely different. If you're expecting to feel the rumble of a single-cylinder two-stroke thumping away six inches from you, electric karts can be strangely unfamiliar, but you must try them. 

In my final race of the evening (I will admit I was a bit sore and tired as it takes effort to drive these karts at 10/10ths!), the pressure was on to push as hard as I could, not only because I happened to be up against some of the fastest and most accomplished K1 Speed customers (a fact of which I was reminded of after checking my score sheet), but also because I was racing against Boris Said himself! I was able to put up a good fight against some hard-charging regulars, and towards the end of the race, with only two laps remaining, Boris (above) came into my sights. I started chasing him down, but was unable to catch him with so few laps left in the race. The final results showed that my fastest lap time was roughly half a second faster than his! However, I know that this proves nothing and that he is a far better driver than I am, but I was pleased with the results nonetheles.

Photo/Editorial: Robert Carrier