Copyright AL.com
A leading indoor go-kart operator is bringing one of its tracks to Irondale. California-based K1 Speed is expanding with 11 new indoor track centers in the U.S. and the U.K., and one of them is bound for Jefferson County. The company announced Tuesday that it has other locations planned for Totowa, N.J.; Buckhead, Ga.; Cleveland, Ohio; Thornton, Colo.; Kansas City, Kan.; Louisville, Ky., and Charleston, S.C. There are centers also on the board for London and Glasgow in the U.K. All of the centers, including Irondale, are scheduled to open before the end of 2026. The company’s new Culver City, Calif. location opened Oct. 24 and is Southern California’s first elevated indoor go-karting track. It has two levels and is 1,200 feet in length. The company is touting the tracks as providing “a platform for young, aspiring drivers to learn racing techniques and develop confidence in their abilities.” K1 is a family-owned business founded by David and Susan Danglard in 2003 to bring European-style electric kart racing to North America. It has 107 kart racing centers in 32 states and 10 countries. It also has the K1 Speed E-World Championship, featuring racers from the K1 Speed centers, with $79,000 in prize money at stake. The championship takes place at K1 Circuit Winchester in Winchester, Calif. “We look forward to providing a platform for racing hopefuls in these great communities, both domestic and international,” said K1 Speed Co-Founder and CMO Susan Danglard. “Across professional motorsport disciplines like Formula 1, Nascar and Indycar, almost all competitors start their careers with go-karting. As the world’s largest indoor go-kart operator, it is our duty to provide accessible racing to younger generations. We want to open as many doors in the world of racing for our clientele as we can.”
