WILMINGTON, MA – K1 Speed, an indoor family entertainment go-kart center coming to Wilmington, received its requested licenses (Common Victualer License, Automatic Amusement Device License, Billiard Room License, Sunday Entertainment License) from the Board of Selectmen on Monday night.
Opening Date
The Go-kart Center, located at 40 Fordham Road (where the Got Books? Warehouse was once located), is aiming for a mid-December opening.
“We’re probably looking somewhere in mid-December now [for an opening],” said Mike MacGuire of K1 Speed. “The opening date was pushed back due to construction issues. We had been hoping for mid-November.”
Company Overview
“We’ve been in existence for 13 years. We’re California-based. Wilmington will be our 29th location within the United States and 2nd in Massachusetts. We open in Kingston, MA about six months ago” explained MacGuire. “We’re really excited to be up here.”
“Our primary product is indoor go-karting. We have electric carts. We have two types of carts – larger adult carts and junior kids carts,” said MacGuire.
Driving Requirements
Driving requirements are based on height, not age. All drivers must be at least 4 feet for smaller carts and 4 feet, 10 inches for larger carts. There is a 250-pound weight limit. And parents have to sign waivers for children.
Racing
“75-80% of what we do is just people coming in – what we can ‘arrives and drives’ – where they simply walk in, sign a release form, pay for their races, and they’re off and running,” said MacGuire. “We also do birthday parties for kids and team-building events.”
Concessions
“We don’t do alcohol as we’re family-oriented” noted MacGuire. “We will have a small concession stand offering real simple ‘ballgame food,’ like frozen pizza and popcorn.”
Amusement Games
The go-kart center will also feature 7-8 amusement games, including a basketball toss, a couple of racings similar games, a plush animal crane game, and couple other non-violent video games. There will also be one table. The games and pool table will serve as a filler when people are waiting to race.
Driver Safety
“Employees are trained to give everyone a brief instruction on how to race. This isn’t bumper cars,” assured MacGuire. “These are strictly automatic carts. They can conceivably reach up to 40 miles an hour, but never get that fast due to the design of the track.”
In addition to providing drivers with a “headsock” and a helmet, 3-4 staffers are working the track at all times and, via remote control, can slow down or stop individual carts for safety concerns.
Hours Of Operations
K1 Speed’s hours of operations will likely be Monday-Thursday: Noon to 10am; Friday & Saturday: 10am to midnight; and Sunday: 11am to 10pm.
Employment Opportunities
K1 Speed will be hiring 20-25 employees. The location is currently interviewing managerial candidates and will begin hiring additional staff soon. (NOTE: The job listings aren’t on the K1 Speed website yet.)
Learn More
Learn more about the company at its website: http://www.K1speed.com.
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