MotoBob
06-08-2009, 04:55 PM
http://www.prokartindoor.com/
I checked out an Indoor Karting facility in Burnsville, near Minneapolis, MN. It was called Pro-Kart Indoors. After visiting several places now, this type of facility seems to be the average. Situated in an Industrial Strip Mall the track was decent sized. Times averaged around 24-26 sec. The lobby is small with just a counter and a few monitors. The karts were nice. 6.5HP, clean and pretty well maintained.
Like most places I have gone, I am unaccustomed to the lack of safety compared to CIR. People wearing shorts and getting out of karts before other drivers were stopped. Timing was to the hundredth which is good, but the track was so slick it is probably unnecessary. It was hard to put together consistent laps because of the grip level. It was a lot like drift racing. The other challenge was the level of grip (or lack thereof) was different from corner to corner.
Pricing seemed a bit high too. The discount for buying bulk was almost not notable. I spent $52 for three races, (not my usual amount), which was fine. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to drive with my dislocated/broken shoulder still on the mend but it wasn’t too bad. The checkered flag brought on pangs of pain, but the laps before were okay. I figured I’d quit while I was ahead.
Their other facility (Maple Grove) looked promising, but I didn’t get a chance to check it out. That track ran half indoor and half outdoor. There are some pictures on the web site. The outdoor portion looks pretty cool with some actual elevation changes. Maybe next time…
Although I was a little sore, I think I might try to do some A&D’s at CIR this week. I have a ways to go before I can ride and I need to do some racing! See you there.
I checked out an Indoor Karting facility in Burnsville, near Minneapolis, MN. It was called Pro-Kart Indoors. After visiting several places now, this type of facility seems to be the average. Situated in an Industrial Strip Mall the track was decent sized. Times averaged around 24-26 sec. The lobby is small with just a counter and a few monitors. The karts were nice. 6.5HP, clean and pretty well maintained.
Like most places I have gone, I am unaccustomed to the lack of safety compared to CIR. People wearing shorts and getting out of karts before other drivers were stopped. Timing was to the hundredth which is good, but the track was so slick it is probably unnecessary. It was hard to put together consistent laps because of the grip level. It was a lot like drift racing. The other challenge was the level of grip (or lack thereof) was different from corner to corner.
Pricing seemed a bit high too. The discount for buying bulk was almost not notable. I spent $52 for three races, (not my usual amount), which was fine. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to drive with my dislocated/broken shoulder still on the mend but it wasn’t too bad. The checkered flag brought on pangs of pain, but the laps before were okay. I figured I’d quit while I was ahead.
Their other facility (Maple Grove) looked promising, but I didn’t get a chance to check it out. That track ran half indoor and half outdoor. There are some pictures on the web site. The outdoor portion looks pretty cool with some actual elevation changes. Maybe next time…
Although I was a little sore, I think I might try to do some A&D’s at CIR this week. I have a ways to go before I can ride and I need to do some racing! See you there.