Had my son's birthday party here and the manager- Scott & his staff were absolutely wonderful! All of them! They exceeded my expectations. My son's name & that it was his bday was announced over loudspeakers and that was a lovely surprise! Everything was explained to us in a manner the kids could understand as well. The place is big and roomy with plenty of chairs, has a snack bar but nowater fountains. Contact the corporate office to book your party- they too- do an amazing job accommodating your party at K1 Speed. Courtney in Irvine- big shoutout to you! read more

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This is the ideal place for my big brother outings. The customer service on Wednesday late afternoon was stellar. Video games and other activities are clean and updated, and overall the experience is worth the cost. read more

We went to K1 to try and race but we got turned away because we were all juniors. They really should post on their website when they have junior races and adult races because now we have three disappointed kids. read more

Came in on Thursday afternoon. These guys are the real deal. Helped me recognize the drive line and created a very good atmosphere for racing. Special thanks to Anthony & Sam. read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - Drive line k1 speed Carlsbad - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

We originally went to the K1 speed in downtown San Diego, but that location had a three hour wait. We called this location and they only had a 30 minute wait so we decided to come here instead. The much shorter wait was definitely worth the drive up here. The wait itself was not that bad either because they had plenty of couches for us to sit at. They also had a bunch of arcade games for my little sister and cousin to play while we wait which was very nice. Right off the bat I thought the staff was very friendly. They made sure that we knew all the rules to stay safe while we were having fun. I also appreciated that they remembered who we were after the first race because they knew that they already went over the rules with us and allowed us to hope right into the next races. One big plus about this place was that some of the carts had paddle shifters and I was able to race them with manual gear options. I never been to a K1 with this option. I am not sure if it's new everywhere, but it added a whole new component to the entire experience. It made it feel like I was driving in a video game, but in a real life. Just because of the paddle shifter option I think the next time I go to a K1 I will go to this location. read more

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

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I called in before taking the 45 minute trek from San Diego to the Carlsbad location in order to have one last hoorah with my buddy who is moving away. The front desk lady who answered my call assured me that there were no events planned at this location (8/9/22) Upon getting there, after a 10 minute check in process with no drivers ahead of me we were informed that there was a party of 10+ now ahead of us. It could have been all of the professional grade cameras that this party had been recording with that prioritized them but that alone made us feel awkward due to us being filmed too without any type of heads up. We bought the 2 for 3 race pass and barely got 1 race in mostly due to that party being prioritized. Both my buddy and I checked in at the same time and informed the lady we wanted to race together and we're both promised 1 race together 1.5 hours later (9pm)... low and behold I was booted to the next race with him remaining in the queue. After minutes of questioning the race ref who called the racers they pulled an extra kart and let me race due to that being their last adult race of the night. That one race ended up being 20 minutes, due to my friends kart shutting down near lap 3 until lap 6 after being recognized. The whole time there were still professional grade cameras filming the us and the crew we were now stuck with. In all, he was able to get 6 laps in out of 12. I myself was found stuck in gear 3/3 the whole shifter race not able to downshift what so ever. The 4 other times after lap 3 my friends kart again stopped I was sitting on the track with no ventilation throughout. After this the ref began to chuckle and finally switch his kart. And shortly thereafter the race concluded. Upon climbing out of the kart, we were now welcomed with a green screen, and studio lighting off to our right while being filmed stepping off the track. Needless to say we both only got one race in... if you want to call it that with no acknowledgment from staff. read more

this K1 in Carlsbad didn't live up to my expectations. While the inside of this place is very nice and the track is by far the best at of all the locations I've raced at, the karts are horrible. I did two races and the first kart i had sounded like it was going to fall apart and the steering wheel was awful as well. The second race I did the kart also sounded like it was falling apart and the steering wheel was so stiff I could hardly turn the wheel, and the wheels are so worn down also. felt like I shouldn't have to pay for theses races if these karts are in such horrible condition. read more

I would not return here - they do not have a system in place in order for you to know when you will be racing so if you sit around and wait you will be here for hours. Today we arrived an hour after opening and was told that the wait would be three hours and to return after 2:45pm. We paid for two races and left, returning before 2:30pm and waited until 3pm before asking the staff when we should expect to race, to which they estimated in 30 minutes. Our kids were placed into the karts at 4pm but had to wait because an adult standard race somehow superceded the junior kart race because "they are still charging." So they did not end up having their first race until 4:25pm. This place is better for birthday packages as I'm sure they have a higher priority in the queue, but for those expecting to walk in and race be sure to temper your expectations and expect at least a 3 hour wait on the weekends. It's additionally frustrating when you have bored kiddos who are eager to race and keep getting passed up (as a parent equality frustrating because you aren't guaranteed a set time to return and there isn't a running list to know where you are in the racing wait line). read more

So, this location and My experience go back to Jeff! Scott is recent manager (havent been in a few months so not sure about current) I've got a few races on my account. Ive been racing at this location (and other k1 speed across nation) with my father since I was 8. Im currently 21. Its not about a 110 mph gocart that is mms from your rear end but instead a fun time with a bit of an adrenaline rush. Im not sure if their policies have been updatedbut about the bdays, Take your kiddo here for a (1) fun free race (that is offered for Bdays) I also see that this location has a customer service individual that follows up on experiences, not many places do this and I feel it is crucial in having a consistent customer base. Some customer service representatives only follow up with poor experiences to ensure that the customer might have a piece of mind and consider using service (or good) being offered. One thing ive always thought K1 speed could improve and expand on is a direct call line to specific location. (I think they have edited this after just calling now) Thanks Scott (and Jeff) as well as the whole K1 Carlsbad crew. read more

the best place to go customer service is beyond excellent Sam the manager knows how to run a great crew of people

We did a group reservation of nine people for a three race package that included a room to hang out in between races, 3 pizzas and 1 soda each, and best of all private races just for our group. First of all I want to highlight the excellent attention I got from manager Frankie, who set everything up and which matched exactly to what he described, no surprises. He was helpful also because we had to change our reservation because of a family emergency and he made our postponed reservation happen so conveniently for us. In addition he was an exuberant announcer for the winners. The family experience of racing was high adrenaline, competitive with a lasting high. The room had comfortable furniture and tables for eating after the races. The three races took a total of about two hours to complete with breaks in between and was as was described when setting it up. The experience was a memorable and bonding time for our family. The only reason not 5 star was the poor customer service from the corporate office when trying to reserve online, they never called back, and when trying to change reservation, again, did not call back after talking to representative. Otherwise great time was had by all! read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - Post race pizza and cool down. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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I was visiting SD from LA and came to this location for the shifter karts. When we did the arrive and drive, we were told there would be a 3.5 hour wait. We decided to go ahead with it, and specifically requested shifter karts. The girl at the counter said she couldn't get those for us for the first race, but could do it for the second and third races. Ok, we could deal with that. Fast forward a few hours, we get done with the first race, end up doing our second race with standard karts too, and then ask to be sure that at least our third race has the shifter karts. It turns out they NEVER paired us with the shifter karts, the next shifter race was already full, and that we'd have to wait at least another hour and a half to get into a shifter race. We're finding this out about 5 hours after we had made the request!! In addition to not fulfilling the specific request that they said they would accommodate, the karts are poorly maintained. My kart for race 2 had a lot of body damage and would keep cutting power, despite my foot being entirely off the brake. Race 3 kart kept making knocking sounds and understeered like crazy. In summary: spent $65 on a 3 race package, requesting and hoping to experience shifter karts. Ended up getting zero shifter races and bad karts for 2 of the 3 races. read more

Hands down the best fun around!! The staff is amazing and really makes the experience. Frankie and his staff are phenomenal!! Word to the wise....it can get busy because it is such a great place, call ahead and check how long the wait is. read more

We came for a party for a group of mid 20-something's that are mostly all motorsport enthusiasts in some way or form. We had fun but we left not feeling entirely fulfilled and we had some really annoying issues with our experience that makes me question the value. We paid for the Grand Prix package which came with a 12 lap practice, 14 lap qualifying and a 14 lap main race. Included in the price is a limited selection of food and drink. The karts were all over the place. Some were fast, some were slow, some drove straight, some drove crooked, some just died in the middle of the session. Some brake pedals were more sensitive than others, which means when going over some bumps the kart would just lose power immediately because of no dead zone in the brake pedal (your foot accidentally bumps the pedal and it stalls the kart). It's really annoying when your kart loses power on the main straight--this only happened in some karts, not others. The main race we had a breakdown, they shut off all the cars and then restarted them at different times. some people lost positions because their car wouldn't move while others would. The race felt short due to the slowdowns and breakdowns. They counted laps where we were stopped on the track due to the karts breaking down, not crashing or spinning out--That's not fair. The trophy ceremony was incorrect. The guy was reading the qualifying results, not the race results. the pizza was a saucy mess. the churros were stale and none of the food was really all that warm when we got to it. Also, for $90 per guest for 12 guests we got maybe a total of 20 minutes in the kart, this is including practice, qualifying and racing. Three sessions, one at 12 laps, and two at 14 laps--Each lap takes anywhere from 30-33 seconds to go around (do the math, it's not a lot of time), so by the end of one session you're not even in the kart for 10 minutes and you're left feeling surprised it's over so quickly. It just feels like a ripoff. Right when you are getting into a rhythm, or about to overtake someone, the session is over or they slow the cars down. We all finished the day wishing we got a little more seat time out of it, which is really disappointing considering how expensive it is, how little we're in the kart, and how often there are breakdowns that are of no fault to us, the customer--but we pay the consequences of getting less racing time, even though it's K1 speeds fault. I probably won't go back--which is a shame because it's a ton of fun when everything is working right. read more

Good service, food was mediocre and a bit pricey but that is the way of the world now. We'll be back because my kids loved it

We were told a 90 min wait, which was too long; but we decided to wait. After 2 hours of waiting we were told (only because I inquired) it would be at least another hour. This is beyond unacceptable. They have a terrible system and no way of telling the customer where they are in queue; you just have to wait and hope you hear your name. Wasted our last day of vacation. Very poorly run! Zero stars. And it's absolutely freezing inside. read more

If you're a nerd looking to get some aggression out, this is your place. If you're a reg dude, its aight, kinda fun but only for like 1 to 2 races. I mean actual races though. The timings are str8 lame. read more

This place is horrible I drove a long way for them to tell us that wait time is over 2 hours and 20 minutes when it didn't even seem busy this is some bs read more

So much fun! I took my boyfriend here during Valentine's weekend - which was also Super bowl Sunday (which had the better deal) we were able to get 2 drives per person (multiple laps - 12 or 14) for under 90$ which includes our membership cost and required headsock. I'm fairly short and they had to give me a booster seat so I could reach the pedals.. very nice customer service reps! Particularly the guys running the track. The girls at the counter weren't as welcoming as I hoped as we were brand new and didn't know the process of when/how we would get set up for our first race. The race track was very nice and clean. Very wide track, so I did a bit of drifting around corners without issue! Between the two races, you do switch karts so you have to get used to another vehicles handling all over again. I loved my first vehicle but the second time threw me off because the tire grippiness changed on me! Overall we had a really good time! They also post times on printed papers at the bar/food area for you to look over after each race. Really cool take away! read more

Great location. The staff are really nice and seem to know what they're doing. The carts are well-maintained and the track is challenging and fun. Nothing but good things to say from here. read more

Such a great place for a date night. Our experience was top-notch because of Sam. He helped us with pointers on how to create a better line on the race track and how to trim off time as best as we can with shifter karts. Definitely going to be returning soon and hoping that Sam is there. read more

Worst service ever. Came here for my father's 60th birthday and they "lost" our original 3pm reservation so after being put on hold for 30 minutes to make another one at 4pm, we show up and they have neither. We had to wait for over an hour just for them to get it wrong AGAIN and claim it was at 6:20. Overall we wasted our entire Saturday and birthday celebration. Definitely NOT WORTH IT. Never coming back or wasting my money here again. read more

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

I just spent 85 minutes driving to your Carlsbad track and only found out after I got there, that you were closed for a corporate event. I checked your website before I left and even called twice, I had to leave a voicemail and never got a response. Pathetic. I even checked your website, I could not find anywhere you can find out if there are corporate events. Could you bury the closures any further in the website? Maybe have your staff actually pick up the phone, answer voicemails or use your voicemail to list closures for next one or two days. read more

The karts are fast enough and fun, but please ask for no go and stop pedals the throttle got stuck on go and crashed

After the initial impression of the girl at the front desk, Devin, her attitude got better. I like that this is located in 2 cities. I love Carlsbad so much and this area is kinda in a business park, but secluded. The facility has a snack bar which reminds be of the bowling alley. However, we brought in Costco pizza, sodas, and cake because the employee allowed it. So thank you so much for jetting this slide since my bf doesn't do his due diligence. The go karts or whatever you call them, are super cool. I believe there are 2 different kind, but I can't tell you which kind. Lol. Just know our first race was in the go karts on the most right and for our last race, we used go karts that you could operate manually. We used a Groupon for here which cost $48 4 races and a license for one individual or 2 races for 2 individuals each with 2 licenses. I believe the licenses are yearly. I really like this place and it seems like young teens like it as well. It's very spacious and the track has a lot of turns. The guys who give you the rules and help you out on your helmet are wonderful. They're friendly and helpful. I'd come back here to get better because I'm slow lol. But everyone should try this place at least once! read more

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

I love K1, I chose to take my GF here, as well as 2 other family members for her birthday! I prepaid for 2 races online and was thoroughly excited to race! The miss up front, Camille was very helpful and made sure to be accommodating, doing all she could to provide a good time! Everything was great, the race directors were thorough with the directions. Unfortunately one of them joined the race with us, which wouldn't have been a big deal had we of been a part of a larger race, however with only our party of 4 on the track, it was a little odd to have an employee doing his best to break the track record...I get it though, all for fun... However I was particularly upset when on our second race we were joined by TWO employees this time, who 3 laps in, completely spun my GF's cart out on a corner, they proceeded to ask if she's was okay, but that didn't justify why at 8:30 PM on a Tues night, 2 employees that had just instructed us on what NOT to do proceed to do their best Fast N Furious re-enactment...I paid 200 to race with my family and any others that paid, not employees that could have waited considering we were the only ones in there... read more

Everything was great until it came to paying. Evidently if you use card or Apple Pay they charge you 3% but no one tells you that. The excuse "oh it is on this tiny sticker and it does not show on my end until you charge it. Really killed the excitement of having this location open. read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - This tiny sticker tells you there is 3% charge of you pay with card or Apple Pay. But no one mentions this until you actually pay for it. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Fantastic experience from start to finish! Chase was awesome! He greeted us at the track warmly, gave us a solid safety brief, and kept it fun! It was only outmatched by the racing experience! My friends and I had a blast, and we'll be sure to hold a team event here in the near future! read more

Jason was awesome and very accommodating for my 7 year old daughter because she was scared. He is a key staff member at K1 and made our experience better. Thank you. read more

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

I booked my daughters birthday party there she was going there with a few friends to race paid for 12 laps each child did between 6 to 9 laps they were racing with an employee who started early and when he was done after going very fast everyone was called to the side including all the children that were racing so they only got to do 6 to 9 laps. I would like a partial refund because we were not able to finish our race there is no way to contact anyone unless you go in there so there's no way to resolve this problem it's just going to keep repeating itself please be aware and check the scoreboard when you walk out and make sure you got all of your laps in. read more

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

I should've read reviews before trying to do Arrive-and-Drive twice (a 40-min drive from where I live) for my kids. Even calling a day ahead to make sure they have open spots didn't help. It's more like Arrive-wait-for-one-or-two-hours-to-drive-for-5-mins. Both times were on a weekday, btw. *** This place doesn't cater to drop-ins *** They only care for group events. They don't offer dedicated open public racing or even a reliable way to check on scheduled event (like any other normal business does, like ice skating rinks). The best satisfaction you'll get is an insincere apology here on Yelp. read more

Do NOT go here!! We drove down for some fun and was told it was a 2 hour wait. there were only a few people in the whole builiding. They said they were jam packed with parties. I didnt see any parties. I asked them again why the wait was so long. They said its always that long. Who wants to wait 2 hours for a 5 minute race? They then said its because they have to charge the Karts. Ridiculous. I will never go back read more

I hosted an end of the year celebration at K1 in Carlsbad for my son's 6th grade class and they all had THE BEST TIME!! Frankie went above and beyond to provide them with an unforgettable experience. The entire staff was helpful and kept the event organized and entertaining. Frankie put on the best podium celebration, you would have thought the 6th graders were Formula 1 racers. I highly recommend K1 Carlsbad! read more

The older I get the more I really appreciate good customer service. That motivated me to write this review. All the workers at K1 were great, courteous, and helpful since it was our first time there. I want to give a big special shoutout to the manager that helped us out with an issue that came up, you can tell that they prioritize customer service! Makes me want to go again and recommend this place to others. read more

This place is an absolute blast for kids and adults! The staff here really strives to provide great customer service, from Scott the manager down to the pit crews. We love it here, 10/10! read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - 7 y/o Junior race - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Shoutout to Frankie for providing the best experience ever! My company planned a team building event here and had so much fun that we're now talking about making it a standing yearly event! Frankie went above and beyond to make sure we had an amazing time and it went well above our expectations. Definitely recommend coming here - both personally or for an event! Fun for all ages as long as you have a competitive side ;) read more

We just drive an hour to go carting and we show up and the place is rented out for a private event for 4 hours. Horrible management to say the least. Events like this should be before or after hours or perhaps they rent only one of their tracks for private events. Either way completely disappointed and irritated. Will probably not return. read more

This place needs to do better .. a LOT better . If you aren't careful, you are going to get shut down. This location is NOT doing ANYTHING that is required of them As a business to help prevent the spread of Covid. And 2 employees readily admitted it. When you walk in , there is a big ol sign (I've posted it here ) indicating that they are wiping the carts and helmets down after EVERY race . This is outrageous because they aren't doing it at ALL, let alone after each race !!! This is so unbelievably reckless and you should NOT be open if you are not going to actually implement the guidelines you claim to be putting in place. I was extremely uncomfortable and I chose NOT to purchase additional races as soon as I realized this. In the 2.5 hours I was there , not ONCE did I see the carts OR the helmets wiped down . Social distance between customers was not enforced , I saw people (customers) without masks who were never asked to put one on. I never saw the supposed "gloves" their sign says they were making available , etc. I approached an employee named Brian and I said ," are you NOT wiping down the carts or helmets ?? because I have not see one person do so! Both he and another employee gave me a a dear in headlights look and they stumbled over their words when saying "well... we try but we get busy and there's not very many of us (this was after I saw a race with only ONE racer AND while there were 3 employees (a blonde girl with a red mask, a blonde guy with a black mask , and one other guy standing behind the sales counter doing nothing but talking (at the time I was asking about this, not the whole time I was there ). I literally could not believe that was his reply ! I just said , wow. Are you kidding me? and I walked away . And guess what , I was still there for another 20 min after I asked my question, and even AFTER they STILL didn't do it!! This is such bad business not to mention unsafe I can't even believe and they are outright lying about the things they are doing to help prevent spread . The icing on a very disgusting cake was when I saw the employee in his break as I was walking to my car .. he was in his phone and I saw him briefly pick his nose! Gross and unsafe!! Normally I wouldn't even mention this (despite it being gross in any situation) but right now with how cautious we need to be, it's appalling and disgusting to see that!! read more

K1 Speed Carlsbad - The supposed "guidelines" that were just a huge outrageous lie!! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Carlsbad, California

For those who are not familiar with the area. This K1 location can be very difficult to find and get to. It was my first time here at this location and first time trying out k1 racing. My fiancee' had gone a few times in her hometown and has mentioned this course is bigger. Atmosphere: A large open area indoor go karting. Snack bar in the back. Games. lounge areas to eat. Seamed like a clean area a couple time trial sheets left on tables from previous racers but that's alright. Food: didn't order any food. just a bottled water and some doritos to snack on. the hot dogs looked like they have been there since yesterday ..same with the pizza. they do offer various candy bars and nachos w/ a cheese dispenser and other snacks. Races: it was my first time here and we came here on a whim. after signing up and paying for our races (via groupon deal) our wait was about 30-40mins for the first race. luckily the cashier was able to fit us in for back to back races and were able to accmodate my fiancee and i. we were able to race 2, 14 lap races. these are not your gas powered boomers gokarts. these are electrical and a lot faster. the course has a lot of hair-pin turns and one straight away. safety is highly promoted as well as the rules are heavely enforced. if you're not abiding and causing ruckus you're kart will be remotely slowed. i thought that was cool to keep the safety of others around. if it's your first time you can expect high speeds and very aggressive competitive moderate racers. i took my first race as a learning feel of the kart and course. 2nd race much comfortable. Overall: good first time. well structured business and service. a little annoyed by aggressive drivers who don't follow rules and bump your kart, but a fan of the k1 scene. next time i come will be sure to bring friends and book our own races. read more

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

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Poor management, not a clue how to run a business. Waited an hour and a half after they said it would be 15-20 mins. I was then apologized to and and told my son and I would be on the next race...we weren't. Asked for refund and the manager did not care one bit. read more