Spring Mountain Karting outside Las Vegas is expecting to open end of 2024 (Photo: springmountainkarting.com)

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘new and improved’ when it comes to products we buy at the store. But for the topic of this edition of ‘Morning Coffee’, when I mention ‘new and improved’, I’m preparing to discuss the positive momentum we have in our sport when it comes of karting facilities. For karting to thrive and grow, we need race tracks on which to race. Thankfully, we’re in a really good place right now when it comes to loads of twisty asphalt on which to get in our racing fix. I always get so excited when I hear that a NEW facility is getting built, and I’m equally as thrilled to hear that someone is IMPROVING or renovating an existing or former track.

Let’s start with the new facilities.

California ProKart Challenge became the first event to hit the new K1 Circuit (Photo: K1Circuit.com)

I have a feeling that everyone in Southern California breathed a collective sigh of relief when Superkarts! USA held its most recent California ProKart Challenge race at K1 Circuit in late August. The loss of CalSpeed Karting in 2022 struck a massive blow to both the karting community and the industry in SoCal, and the hit was visible with low numbers and a tangible feeling of decline throughout the last two seasons. The sheer size of the turnout at the K1 event is a super positive sign of a big turnaround for the region, and with SKUSA planning to head back there at the end of the month, another packed house is expected. There have been some challenges with the track since the debut event with SKUSA, but we’ve been assured that everything that can be done is being addressed. When all is in position, add in the Tri-C Karters club at the facility in 2025 and the second round of the west coast national program – the Challenge of the Americas – on March 7-9 and SoCal karting is certainly on the up and up.

Sticking with the Southwest, I’m loving all the updates were seeing on Facebook from the folks at Spring Mountain Karting in Las Vegas. The pavement has been laid on this impressive facility, which includes an ode to the old Las Vegas Karting Center / XPlex track within its multi-configuration layout. The facility is located in Pahrump, less than an hour from the Las Vegas airport, and a track series is expected. Acceleration Kart Racing, which is located in Las Vegas, made a trek to the track this week to log some initial laps and posted to social media, which is exciting to see. Once it gets up and running, we’ll see if and how the facility interlaces itself with any of the main regional series that run through the Southwest. The bottom line is that Spring Mountain is going to be a first-class facility that will bring more racers into our sport.

I sent a message to Kris McCrone to get an update on the new Lorain Ohio Kartplex, which is currently in the middle of construction and is located just west of Cleveland. A quick follow of the track on social media will be met with weekly updates on the construction, showing how the track layout is underway with the base material being laid down. Kris let me know that the base is done for both the competition and rental kart tracks. The stone and pavement will be going down end of October and utilities are being installed now, and this will continue through mid-October. Things are coming together nicely and the steel buildings are scheduled to arrive in November. With the pavement being allowed to cure through the winter, the track will be race-ready when the facility opens officially in May 2025.

Quaker City Motorsports Park karting circuit is set to open in 2025

Ohio may be the hottest state for karting in the country right now, following in the wake of the growing position of the Motorsports Country Club of Cincinnati as a major national event destination. The pending opening of the Lorain Ohio Kartplex will bring karting to the Cleveland area and, not to be outdone, Quaker City Motorsports Park is adding a kart track to their IHRA drag racing facility. The venue is located just 40 miles east of Akron, Ohio and just southeast of Cleveland. We’ll have more on the development of this track in the near future, as we’re currently in touch with the track management.

It’s great that we get excited about new tracks that being built and opened around the country, but it’s equally negative when a track closes. Over the course of the summer, two facilities have been fortunate to be picked out of the ashes by new owners or management teams, and their regions will benefit as a result.

In its past, ‘The Track at Centennial’ hosted the US Rotax Grand Nationals in 2007 and it was a big part of karting in Colorado. Located in south Denver, the track was eventually abandoned by its last tenant and has been laying dormant for years. This year, an energetic trio of passionate karters and industry members stepped into revitalize the facility, renaming it the ‘Colorado Karting Circuit’. The group had invested heavily in the track, primed and ready to take its place as the premier venue in the state. The facility has a full line-up of CRG Centurion rental karts that will bring new people to the sport, and the first competition event was run this past weekend when the Colorado Karting Tour ran the eighth race of their 2024 schedule. The return of this facility, and its fantastic improvements, is huge for karting in Colorado.

In upstate New York, Batavia Raceway Park was a core facility in the region for many years. The track is located just 40 miles east of Buffalo, right off I-90. I personally attended the IKF 4-Cycle Grand Nationals there in 1997 and got a chance to check out what is one of the most unique tracks in the nation, complete with two large monza corners that take full advantage of the property’s unique topography. Over the past decade, the track became overrun with trees, grass, and bushes, and its pavement showed the wear of neglect and the continual pounding of harsh winters. That is, until Mike Lauterborn and Bob Reis stepped in and took on the project after buying the property in 2021. The work began with a clearing of the bush and they continued with a herculean clean-up effort. The photos that have emerged recently show a miraculous transformation. The track has been put in action recently by a group of vintage karters, and the new ownership is looking forward to establishing a club series and then opening the doors to regional or national events.

Kelly’s Motorsports Park in Batavia, NY with fresh pavement in August 2024

The state of Texas increased their raceable facilities by two this summer as well, as the Dallas Karting Complex hosted its first Texas Spring Racing Series regional event in many years, having rebuilt its track area to have separate racing and rental tracks. The dual track approach, also used at Speedsportz Racing Park in Houston, allow track owners to keep their rental kart income flowing even when they’re running their own club races or renting the facilities to regional or national traveling series. The TSRS ran the fourth race of its season – the Mid-Summer Mash-up – and drew over 170 entries for the race.

With Texas boasting a long list of kart tracks such as Speedsportz, North Texas Kartways, GCKI Katy, Hill Country, San Antonio, Heart of Texas, Rim Rock Raceway, and Amarillo, they’ve also gained yet another new facility with Kart Moto, which is located at the Motorsports Ranch in Cresson, TX. The TSRS visited Kart Moto in early May and the feedback was extremely positive. Texas is definitely a hot bed of karting right now with no less than 10 tracks and a strong regional traveling series.

When combined with the growing number of indoor karting facilities around the nation, the continued development of new outdoor tracks is massively important for US karting. We’ll provide more in-depth reports on the tracks I mentioned in this column and others that are in the works as well but suffice it to say that our sport is getting stronger and more accessible every day.

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