We went on May 8th for my daughters 11th birthday and we had a small issue that could of just ruined her bday party!! We had more kids then we expected to have cause of my guest not RSVPing!! Well the manager Scott and Liz were amazing, they understood how splitting up our group was not going to work. They made it work by pulling and extra car out and adjusting the speed to the car so the tallest kid could drive it. My daughter was so happy and now all her friends and their parents want to come and do their kids bday party's at K1!!! Thank you so much for everything you did for us Scott and Liz you guys are amazing and having thirteen 10 and 11 year olds happy and saying it the best party ever makes it an amazing experience!!! We will definitely be back again!!!! read more

This place is TERRIBLE. They were not honest for a time amount. Had kids wait two hours. They were rude and when we ordered a burger it was HARD. So nasty, poorly managed. Don't bring kids here. I'm never going back! read more

K1 speed is awesome! I love coming here with friends and family to race around. The truth is, these karts are fast! Theyre full electric allowing for a ton of torque and they even have shifter karts!! I personally drive a manual truck so I love shifting gears so these karts are a blast in my opinion. However, you do have the option of driving auto mode, which is still a great time if course. These karts are way faster than you'd expect I kid you not. If you're looking for a new experience with your friends and family, I'd highly recommend coming here as I can't seem to stay away!! read more

Love coming to this place. The staff are always friendly. The location was very clean and everyone was doing their part to help keep the customers safe. Missed coming here for our weekly races and thankful they are back open. read more

Took my son and his friends there for his 11th birthday. He was sooo looking forward to this. We did not reserve the birthday because we had 5 kids, instead of the required 8. But when I called on two separate occasions I was assured this would not be a problem and just suggested we arrive early. We showed up to K-1 the day of my sons birthday at 10:15 only to be told the place was reserved for 2 birthdays and would not be available for 3 hours!!! My son was crushed!! Solve the problem by having a calendar on your website or my having better informed employees. I will. NEVER return to this place!!! read more

Sooooo much fun! Found this place through Groupon and after all the warnings on here about the crowds on weekends decided to stop by on a weekday around 4pm. We were immediately welcomed and checked in which was great. There were people racing when we arrived and as soon as they were done we were up. I have done this before in other locations but these karts by far are the fastest. The guys working the track were great about explaining the process and understanding I was a beginner. They keep the whole place clean which is important. Great place to visit when in need of an exciting break in your life! read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

My kids and I had a great time racing. The management and the staff were informative, friendly and helpful. We will be returning. read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - The kids and I had a great time racing. The management and the staff were informative,friendly and very helpful. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I went to the K1 Speed in Carlsbad, CA. I and my daughter signed up for the "arrive and drive", 14 lap race, $20. There were 6 of us on the track for the 14 lap race. 2 of the people on the track were employees of K1 Speed. It was 2 professionals against 4 amateurs. By the time the professionals had completed 14 laps and the "race" was over, the rest of us had only completed 8 laps and we had to stop racing. When I saw how fast the 2 guys were going, I was more concerned about staying out of their way instead of racing against my daughter and the other amateurs. I didn't want read ended by someone going twice as fast as the other racers. Granted, they were "professionals" at it, but accidents happen and I am on blood thinner, so didn't need an accident. All in all, it was fun, just felt I didn't get my monies worth. They could have let us amateurs race 14 laps instead of pitting us against the pros and stopping us after 8. Just be aware you won't get 14 laps in if the pros race with you. read more

165 dollars blown, for two people and two short rides, 15 dollars for three of the smallest tacos I've see in my life and rude front desk people that give no help and barely say hi. Paying so much you expect to have a good excperience with friendly workers and a full run down on how to race and what to prepare for. Kids would constantly bump into you, making the racing uncomfortable and angering. The workers did nothing and even laughed when it happened.The price was ridiculous for the food and riding wouldn't come again. read more

Spent the afternoon here racing with some friends. Had a great time but not much to do in between waiting in line to register and pay to actually racing. The only thing is they should penalize drivers that don't let others pass when the blue/red flag is up. It would be even better if they had side view mirrors to see who's coming behind you. Overall, had a great time. read more

Always clean and always friendly staff. We have been here 7 times and I have even done a corporate event here and a kids birthday party. They had food service, drinks, plenty of places to sit , and games for the kids to play in between races. It is costly but it has to be to pay for the overhead. Highly recommend!! read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - A portion of the raceway - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Great set-up - family of 4 we had a blast. Super easy checkin by Angela who explained everything. Love the birthday free ride.

Went here for a friends bday. We did the two lap race for private groups (12 of us). $45/person or so. First race was to qualify and set you up for the final race (you start the second race in order of fastest lap in round 1). Then you go to the championship race and it's first one past the finish line wins after 12 laps. These cars go really fast, so get ready for an action packed day. Check in was a little slow initially, but service was great once we started the races. Great spot to go for a birthday. read more

We were so excited to come into K1 speed today for the very first time. God what a terrible time we had. First of all, we got there in the afternoon and had the worst first encounter with the girl behind the counter. Our receipt said Samantha but not sure if that was her name. She looked miserable and was terrible. We told her we had never been there before and she gave no direction whatsoever. She was rude and didn't not explain how it worked. I can't stress how miserable she seemed. She did not let us know it would be a two hour wait before our first ride. Or that we would watch multiple parties that arrived way after we did, get called up three times within an hour after our first and only ride. When I approached another very kind worker, she let us know that it was strange not to be told about the wait time and also said that after we had our first ride, the next ones should follow every 25-30 mins. We also had purchased four rides and boy was that a mistake. Once we had waited two hours for our first ride, the second never came. We gave up after four hours of sitting and watching people ride multiple times. Thankfully, the manager was extremely kind and helped us out immediately. He's the only reason I didn't put only one star. I wanna say his name was Kevin but not sure on that. wish this was a better first experience. read more

We had the best experience hosting my sons 8 yr birthday . The staff was super friendly and helpful. The kids and the adults had fun racing and hanging out playing video games and eating pizza . My son said it was the best day of his life . Thank you K1 for making the experience good ! We'lll be back ! read more

We took 4 kids for drop-in and drive last week ages 8 and 11. One of the kids was completely freaked out watching the adults race, I could be incorrect, but I believe the adult cars go faster. After we registered and paid, tears began to form in the little one's eyes. After Matt explained all of the rules, we thought oh no, she is not getting in this car. However, Matt was unbelievably amazing with her. He asked her what she most was afraid of, explained how everything worked, and took extra special care to ensure she was going to have an enjoyable time. This could have been a hot mess and they had a blast. We didn't even have to force her to go on her second drive! All in all, great experience, amazing employees-especially Matt. It's a little pricey, but well worth the fun! read more

It's probably better to trust Walter M.'s review because I didn't actually drive a go-kart since I was on baby duty and wore flipflops. I was surprised to see it was 50/50 grown adult men and teenagers. I expected more of the youngins, but totally missed the mark there. As a spectator you can watch your friends do laps around a loopy track about 13 or so times and watch the leaderboard as the times are posted. They make you charge an annual fee of $8, regardless of how many times you race, so it can get a bit pricey (even though it's already pricey) especially if you are just going for one or two races. read more

Amazing place, always love coming here employees are always great. I talked to both Lew and Richie and they taught me about "the Line" and how to improve my times! I got my time down to 29.7! Beginners luck I guess. K1 is always super fun and enjoyable. read more

We love it here If you are surrounded by boys then this is a place for you to bring them! They'll love it read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - Pretty fun place! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I took my kids K1 and we had the pleasure of working with Jayden!! He was a gem!! He made the experience worth the money hands down we will definitely be coming back as long as hes there, he created a lifelong customer!! read more

Me and a group of buddies went there for the first time and Angela helped us all out with the process and explained the run down easily and had great customer service. Would definitely go again read more

I've enjoyed coming to K1 for a competitive speed rush now for years, so I figure its about time I through down a fast review. I seem to always find a good coupon from Yelp! for a sweet deal on multiple races. In fact I had an old one that I couldn't remember if I had used or not...and if I hadn't used it, it would have been long expired. I asked the friendly staff member behind the computer if they could look it up and long story short...they had to get their manager to come over and approve the thing. But they gave me the credits on my account anyways. I prefer K1's Electric carts over the ol rickety ones at say, another go-kart location in Mira Mar. The carts are super response and smooth. I think the larger track layout and track space helps with that, as the racing surface is much wider than their competitions. They recently got some new carts that I got to try out the other night while "Glo-Karting" (go-karting with only black lights illuminations the tracks barriers). The new style "Shifter Karts" are noticeably different than the regular karts. The deceleration and steering (front wheels aren't as wide) were the biggest difference, I recommend you give a shot. There's also a Boost button, which I don't think I quite got figured out. I could definitely feel the boost when it was actually activated. If you don't want to worry about shifting through the karts 3 gears, you don't need to. It will accelerate just fine without your fingers interactions. If you want to get the shifter karts, you'll need to request them...and I think you need to ask them to activate the shifters. I look forward to going back and having all my races on the new shifter karts. read more

Great family friendly place, super friendly staff, if you need advice on the track make sure to ask Jayden he's a great help

My son turned 10 yesterday we went to K1 for his birthday Scott the manager of K1 Carlsbad helped us he was incredible I hope the corporate office is taking note of Post about Scott I highly recommend that you go to K1 Carlsbad Scott was fantastic read more

Great place to go with family or friends. Very good people that work there as well. Kirstie and Devin showed us exceptional customer service and we're very professional. We'll definitely be returning. Can't wait! :) read more

Me and a couple friends come here every few months when we have a guys night out. These cars were gas powered for the longest and I'm not sure when but they switched to electric. Still about the same speed but quiet. They tell you your fastest lap and the time of all your laps. It's good clean fun to be had by anyone. It's always fun to see if there are any younger kids that are fast to race. Always a good time here!! read more

Shelby...thank you for the amazing customer service and the staff for being super professional about my situation. I bought 3 races and unfortunately my first race my kart was dying. Me assuming there was multiple accidents so they kept slowing down my kart. With only 3 laps left my kart would slow down on every turn(gas pedal all the way down). At that point I realized it must be the battery. Mid race they had me switch karts on the track. Being a competitive person I am I was bummed I never got to get any good laps in. Due to the situation they were SUPPPPPER nice enough to give me a free race. So thank you as I'm very appreciative for your excellent customer service and professionalism! read more

Came In with my niece and nephew for the first time. Heard great things, but wanted to try for ourselves. Very friendly staff, who answered all of our questions. Wait time was minimal. Ride time was longer than expected. You definitely get your money's worth! These cars are fast with some serious G-Force! After the race, the Manager was very helpful explaining the score sheets. The kids really liked that part! We will definitely be back!! read more

I'm going to come at this review a bit sideways. I can't believe this facility is owned by the same company as the San Diego location. I actually feel kind of ripped off having spent many hundreds (probably thousands) of dollars paying for myself, kids and friends, to race at the San Diego location in their poorly maintained facility and busted carts. This location is night and day comparatively. The staff at Carlsbad is awesome, the facility is super clean, they have newer carts that are not busted or bent half sideways, the track surface is better and more challenging. Easily worth the extra drive for me, but after seeing how good K1 can be, I think they owe me at least ten free races for having put up with the team at the San Diego location. read more

Unbelievable, it starts with cashier complaining about the female customer in front of me to other employees and then gave me the same treatment. Place was kinda busy so went to the concession stand where the young gal at the register said to me,"that the prior ladies was a cunt." In front both my kids. Then my child was able to ride, as the young men helped my kid to his car they were talking about something that consisted of using the F word every other word. Apparently they will sell you track time and not let you know of private events and then tell you it maybe 3 hours before you can ride after perches. We're not new to this immaturity, my boys ride dirt bikes but I can tell you we won't be back! . 10/9 update - you were not that busy, 20 mins wait was fact of the situation. The response I just got is a good example of ignoring the experience/treatment my children and I had. Glad my child got to hear about your employees sex life amongst the other employees. Place will take your money and then after treated you like garbage. Another word of advice, you better not ask any question or raise a complaint...you'll just end up here. read more

Wow, where to start. I know, this place has horrible customer service. I was pressing on the accelerator all the way down and it would not respond for some reason. I ended up in last place amongst the people that I came with, obviously. Everyone passed me and was asking me why I was going so slow. Confused, I told the people in the front about it and they brought over a guy with slicked back hair, so-called manager and the reason why my kart was slow was because I was "hitting walls" and "driving recklessly" and had to slow my speed down "for my own safety". I did not touch the walls at all. At that speed?! I was practically going 12 miles per hour. He was full of BS. And at some point in the race, I was given a warning flag. And I was like "okay....? for what?" It's not fair to me that everyone else had a good time, and I was the only one unable to complete a fair race. So they ended up giving me a free ride. But the rest of the people I came with had to pay. One of the people told me that they overheard the staff's radio talking about how the kart I was given had low battery. So the second race: Before the second race started, the kart in front of me wouldn't start--it was out of battery. So it held up the whole line. One of the people was given a kart that had brakes that did not work. A real hazard. They put 13 people on the track. Which is, way too many. The first race was just my group of 7 people. One of the random people that were put in with our group slammed sideways into one of the people I came with. The people at K1 Speed are money hungry, dishonest, and rude. Stay far away from this place. For your own safety. read more

My husband brought me here for Valentines Day. I was so excited to race, until it began!! There were staff who were racing, that obviously didn't pay. All the paying customers were constantly being flagged to let the punk kids pass us, so our whole race was yielding to them. The second race was exactly the same. We politely went to the cashier to cancel our next race, and explained the situation. She was extremely rude, but finally put our last unused race on our card. What could have been a great time with my husband turned into a nightmare of disrespectful teenagers! My husband wrote the company that evening, and got no response. We will absolutely not be returning to this dump!!!! read more

It's definitely not all that. The cars are pretty fast, but the track is super slick and the underage staff tends to be rude and subjective about whom they allow for passing. The slickness can be dealt with by shimmying your tires a little just before a turn to make them stickier. Still no workaround for the staff though. The cars seem to be well-maintained, but it's really a matter of luck. One friend of mine had two cars in a row with slow acceleration problems, and the staff tried to give him the "you should have let us know before the race started" line. As if he'd be able to diagnose an acceleration problem while parked in the line up. In their defense, I've never had a problem with my car. Adding to the douchebaggery, you will invariably get some local superstar in your lineup who will put you and your friends into the wall (with the staff conveniently looking the other way) and then smoke everyone by a couple of seconds. It's happened to me every single time I've gone. Maybe it has something to do with the times I've picked to race. I always went on weekend nights. Be sure to choose a time to go when all the superstars are at work changing other people's oil or whatever. read more

I like to thank K1 for making my son 11th Bday (Dec 22, 2016) the best. Mr. Scott went well beyond his position description to help out: from picture taking, award granting, etc. This was our first visit, so thank you for the help and guidance. My son and friends had an amazing time. I will definitely recommend this place as a must visit for family fun. Thank you! read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - Bday Celebration at K1 Speedway - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

K1 speed is really fun! Track Stats: Length: OVER 1/3 Mile Number of turns: 12 Features: Longest Single Track on the west coast Surface: Asphalt Racing Surface Karts: 20hp Electric w/ speeds up to 45mph Racing Events: Challenge GP on the First Sunday of each Month The Drill: Put a hot sock over your head, then a helmet. Squeeze into a tiny souped-up super charged electric go-karts Drive like a maniac around the largest indoor race track on the West coast. (Actually, I'm embarrassed to say, I sucked and ended up braking around every turn in fear of hitting something or flipping over. ) Later I learned you cannot flip these babies over. The track is very twisty/turn-ey. I could do with out the sock over my head, but it's a requirement. Jeff Gordon is the General Manager there and he is a very gracious host! Contact Lada for special group arrangements. The more friends on the track at once, the merrier! All in all, K1 Speed is a fun alternative to my typical night out which usually consists of bar hopping, passing out and alcohol poisoning. read more

I don't have anything to compare my experience with since I've never been cart racing before... I wasn't sure about where to move to in order to be passed, so I was bumped a couple of times. It is obvious there are regulars who come here who don't give a shit about anyone else on the track - it does seem like the people who work there look the other way for them. But the facility is clean, my head sock smelled like fresh laundry. I had fun, but it's not something I need to do all the time - especially for the price. read more

My kids loved it. It's a cool place to bring your kids and have some family time. I will defiantly come again.

I'm used to this place ... always had a lot of fun.. but this time they deserve one star only... I've called in yesterday to ask if they were open today, they said yes so we planned to go with our kids... we drove 35 minutes to get there and to find the place shutted down... the we called in and the registered message keep saying that the place "is now open"... very unprofessional... read more

You can definitely tell that the operators play favorites for the people that come in all the time. On top of that the people that come in all the time are really rude and pretty big douche bags (not sure if I can write that on here). I still gave it 3 stars because it was pretty fun despite the people. I like this kind of stuff anyway though. read more

Went here for my very first go kart experience with the boyfriend. SETTING: This place is pretty much hidden in an industrial area, you would have to gps it to find the location. There is a large parking lot. There are multiple entry doors, feel free to enter and exit through any of them. The one thing i absolutely HATED was that there was absolutely no signs of air conditioning inside. It was HOT, SWEATY, and MISERABLE. I had to keep running over to the giant fan to cool off. But, I DO really love their bucket racing chairs and tables made from tires/wheels. Really nice decor and adds to the "racing" vibe. There is also a section for you to buy food and drinks. Expect to pay double the price. They offer foods such as hotdogs, hamburgers, snacks, etc. They have drinks such as red bull, powerade, orange juice, sodas. NOTES: If it is your first time, you must pre-register on the computers provided to the left of the registers. It will take about 30 seconds - 1 minute to register. Afterwards, wait in the imaginary line behind the registers for your turn. They will make you membership cards. Then wait for your name to be called by the guys who handle the karts. They require you to wait by the gate and read a safety rules list. Remember to watch out for flag warnings ! EXPERIENCE: The go karts are quite comfortable. If you are a bit too short to reach the pedal at full potential, then they can provide you with a boost seat. I prefer the booster seat because it makes you fit tightly and snug in the seat so you're not sliding around. Very easy concept, gas on the right and brake on the left. There is a switch to reverse if needed. GIRLS ! DO tie your hair up because it is extremely hot and sweaty in the helmets and your hair will be a complete disastrous mess afterwards. I really did hate having to wear the head sock under the helmet because i can barely breathe !! If you have your own helmet, DO BRING IT. The go karts are exceptionally fast. I was scared at first because I did not know how hard I can turn the kart without flipping over. But my boyfriend reassured me that the karts are super low to the ground which makes flipping the kart possibly impossible. Attempting to drift the karts at the hard turns is fun, only if you don't spin out. And im not sure if its just me, but my kart seemed to be really shaky while driving at high speeds. I did notice my go kart on the second run got crappier. So do expect that not all the karts are perfect. After the race, they give you each individual score sheets with the times you completed and the rankings, which is pretty cool. Reminds me of laser tagging score sheets. OVERALL, it was a fun experience but could be bigger and use some upgrades. AND definitely NEED SOME AIR CONDITIONING ! read more