Remember your last experience at a go-kart rental track? How it was a whole bunch of fun until you realized your tires were ripped to shreds, your brakes didn't work, and your speed was limited to that of a tricycle? And how every other driver on the track was a total flake?
Well, forget all that. The Kartplex project at Area 27 Motorsports Park just south of Oliver is almost ready to launch, and it'll rock the world of anyone who wants to experience high-end karting.
Craig Finer is the Kartplex director of operations, and he's thrilled that the finish line to a five-year planning and development cycle is finally in sight.
"So Bill (Drossos, Area 27 president) came to me when I used to run a karting centre at the Penticton Speedway. He visited as a client. And he said he was building this fantastic new project in Oliver, and asked if I'd like to move my karting centre," said Finer.
"I said yes, and we've been working on it ever since basically. I was part of the original proposal with the Osoyoos Indian Band for the designation of the land. I guess it's been about six months since we finally broke ground."
The Kartplex circuit was designed primarily by the same guy who mapped out the Area 27 automobile road course - Canadian racing icon Jacques Villeneuve. Finer and Drossos had input too, making it a collaborative effort.
PentictonNow had the opportunity to walk the track yesterday, and we came away impressed. There are fast sections, technical sections, and a huge variety of corner types. There are plenty of elevation changes too that you'll feel while you're racing, and several of the turns are noticeably banked. It should be a real test of driving acumen where simply figuring out your ideal racing line will take time, patience, and skill. Add other drivers, and it'll be a blast.
It'll be 1.21 kilometers long in its standard configuration, but it can quickly be modified. Add in the chicanes - essentially a tight series of fast, alternate-direction turns - and it grows to 1.31 kilometers. Subtract sections, and it shrinks to a single kilometer.
"We can say without prejudice that it's the best track in western Canada," said Finer. "It's certainly one of the best 'Arrive and Drive' tracks in the world. A lot of really high calibre tracks like this are used for racing only — for people who own karts and are serious about competing."
And that's the cool thing about Kartplex. Circuits at this level are typically reserved for hardcore racers with their own machines. But, says Finer, Kartplex will be a "full-service centre."
"We'll have a fleet (that's arriving in the next few days) of 40 rental karts. So anybody with 30 bucks in their pocket can come and drive on that track. This is pretty unique for a race track of this calibre."
"And it's not just rental karts. It's everything. We sell, we service, we tune, we race, we have a driving academy. We'll have a rotation. Mornings we'll have more emphasis on people who own karts and members, and from noon on it'll be more emphasis on group rentals, birthday parties, corporate events, and of course drop-in rentals."
And according to Finer, the rental karts will be "the best you can get."
"They're competition karts. They'll be a 55 miles per hour-ish speed on this track. They have more bumper protection than a typical rental kart would, and they have adjustable seats and pedals so they can accommodate a wide variety of people."
As we toured the track yesterday, we couldn't help but notice copious quantities of PVC piping. Turns out it's not for plumbing. It's for Cat5 cable.
"The entire track is enlivened with a WiFi network and the karts have sensors," says Finer. "We'll have the most sophisticated electronic safety system in North America."
"There are lights that show you the condition of the track as you go into each sector. If you fail to pay attention to the condition of the track, your kart actually has a brain on board, it will know there's an unsafe situation, and it will slow down automatically."
"Our system also helps make sure everybody gets their maximum time on track. It knows when you're behind someone substantially slower and will slow the slower person down further and let you pass them immediately and then return both to full speed. Or if you're driving like a nut, we'll know and we can issue a penalty."
Kartplex workers will also wear smartwatches through which they can slow the entire track if they see a bad situation. According to Finer, "The net effect is that we can rent more extreme machinery while maintaining high safety standards."
Finer says Kartplex will be open every day of the week, and adds that it won't shut down for the year until winter weather forces a closure. "If it went like last year, we could still be open in early January. But realistically, it should be the end of October or early November."
Once fully built out, the Kartplex complex will also feature a clubhouse (Finer calls it a miniature version of the Area 27 clubhouse) with a restaurant, washrooms, and a driver's classroom. And an enormous tent just about the size of a two-story house that drivers can use to escape the heat - or the rain.
Finer projects an August 10th opening. For more information, and in the future for online bookings, check out the Kartplex website.
