Workers: +1 star Atmosphere: +1star Customer Service: +1 My 11yo daughter wanted to try out K1 during her summer break. She's never driven go karts, and she's never really driven motorized vehicles, so clearly she was a bit nervous... but excited to try something new. My car isn't currently running, so it's a bit hard for us to get around. Today we finally had time to swing by... so we took a Uber out to K1 from Santa Ana to Irvine. When we arrived, there was no line.... and the worker at the counter was able to to explain everything. We signed up, signed her waiver... and then purchased 2 races. We then headed over to track2. The two workers there were cool dudes, n helped with all my questions. The first race went well. There was about 8-10 other kids riding around the loop as well, and everything went well. The other kids passed her zooming on by, but that's fine... she was going slow to get use to everything. They then complete their race and we head over to the arcade for a bit. About 15min go by and her second race is ready, in which they call her name over to track 2 again. This time there's only 2 other children... plus her. During their 3rd time around the loop, they passed her again (of course), as she starts her second time around the loop... one kid bumps the other kid, causing them to bump into my daughter, which caused my daughter to crash into the side barrier pretty F'n hard. She was too shook-up to continue, so we ended it there. Money wasted. Fun done. I don't blame the establishment or the workers.... I blame the other children's parents. Instead of causing any issues, we just decided to leave and head on home. Her first race went well with 8 other kids, she was the slowest. Second race basically didn't even happen since they caused her to crash on her second time around the loop. Do I feel money was well spent? Clearly not. I understand that kids will be kids, and that accidents happen... but neither one of the other children suffered injuries the way my daughter did... and Neither of them apologized to her for causing her to crash out so hard. I could've easily brought up the issue with their parents, but what does that solve? read more

Front desk employees were very nice however ever the employees working the track were very aggressive and rude. At one point a worker started to race alongside the customers and pushed my friend out of the way which caused her to spin out. He took the race way too serious and even had gloves on, as if this is a professional track. Once the races was completed he gave her the dirtiest look. 2 other employees on the track also had a bad attitude. Wont be returning to this location read more

Not only was I never granted a response by customer service after my last review informed me to email them directly, but this location continues to disappoint more frequently. I have now been back and done a dozen more races only for my experience to be somehow worse. The karts are still awfully maintained, the odds I get a Kart capable of a sub 24 second run are well, 1 in 12 as out of the 12 races I did, 5 sessions the kart would barely manage a 24.5 and on three occasions the kart's BEST time was a 25.8 followed by every lap losing even more time due to a poor charge. It's utterly remarkable how horribly inconsistent these karts are. My best time in this last group of races was a 23.8 and even then that kart fell off tremendously in the last half of the laps allotted. I don't like getting ripped off and frankly that's what paying for goes in the karts here feels like. Even with the buy 2 get 3 deal that's another $200 to be dissatisfied or disappointed 3/4ths of the time. read more

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Great experience lots of fun with the family decent food my sot love the pizza there

Took my grandson here for his first time go-karting, and he had a blast! It was also my first time at a K1. We went early on a weekday, so there was no crowd or having to wait. I also checked ahead of time on the K1 website to make sure there was no private event going on at the date and time we intended to go. From the moment we arrived to check in, all the through to his last race, the staff were really great. The guy at the check in took his time and patiently answered our questions. And the guys running the tracks were so great with my grandson; because he was a junior racer, I could not be on the track at the same time as him. But the staff were so nice and helped him get set up and going. This K1 has two tracks, and the junior drivers can only drive on track #2. My grandson was a little bummed he couldn't go with the bigger drivers on track #1, but I appreciated how seriously K1 takes safety. And hey, the little bugger is only a few inches away from being tall enough to drive the adult track. The facility also has a bar / restaurant; not huge but it looked pretty nice. And I could see a good sized private event room behind the bar area. There is also a modest sized video game area; we played a few games in between races. I won't lie, this place ain't cheap. But if you stack it up against other forms of entertainment, it ends up being pretty comparable. The two of us spent about 3 hours there for 4 races, played some games, and had a great afternoon that my grandson will not soon forget. If you're new to go-karting, I would definitely suggest to give this place a try. read more

I came for a work event and had a blast racing around my coworkers for the afternoon. It definitely helped that I didn't have to foot the bill ha! Because our group was so large, we had to be split (randomly) into two. For this first race, we were simply focused on completing our laps as quickly as possible. I'm on the shorter end, so they gave me a booster seat. It gave me a little bit of a lift, but neither the booster nor the original seat were all that comfortable to begin with. Although the driving was pretty intuitive, whenever there was a collision, every cart was automatically stalled for safety reasons, and was a little disorienting. Reaccelerating from zero always felt so frustratingly slow. The pressure was on for the second race. Our groups were re-organized by speed, with the faster drivers in one heat, and the slower drivers in the other. This time, we were racing for first place. It was exhilarating to push the go-kart to its limits, but also terrifying to realize you'd miscalculated your turns. There were a few times when I didn't think I would make it around the bend, but somehow miraculously did. Needless to say, I'm not the fastest driver, but it was a fun way to pretend. Afterwards, we headed over to our private room where we snacked on chicken tenders, pizza and cookies and continued our afternoon of living out our inner child's wildest dreams. read more

The regional manager John Norris at the Irvine location, had his team set his car faster in our race that we were trying to enjoy. Instead we got bullied, by him bumping us into the wall!! Half way through our race my friends and I could tell that our car speeds were all of a sudden set faster! Definitely not worth paying to be slower than the potential of the go karts... read more

Do not go to the venue in Irvine. I watched the manager working and then come back 30 minutes later and ended up in my race. They gave him 4 power and us 2 and he wrecked us. i asked for the manager and they told me the kid that barely had a driver license was the manager. i sure hope someone from corporate responds. i have the email with lap times to show what they did. read more

This place clearly has weak management. The staff lack enthusiasm is an understatement. The cars frequently either breakdown or don't have the same consistency across all karts. The check in process is FOREVER long. It's clearly a lack of training and technology that makes this process so very long. We have come to this K1 at least ten times because my son loves it. Each time the registration process takes far to long. My son missed his race because even though we arrived early the check-in took so long we weren't allowed to register. Thanks for disappointing my kid due to poor management Mediocre service Equipment that's tried This place needs a tune up read more

Such a cool atmosphere. My kids had the best time. Will definitely keep on our list to visit again! read more

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On Jan. 4, 2025 around 9pm, one of the workers with a description of a tall man with a black afro was extremely rude to our group but mainly my girlfriend, he even made her cry with the amount of times he yelled at her, and it really was for no reason. She had not broken any rules and he targeted her the whole time. For example he kept pointing at her and at the end of the race, he pulled her aside, and by the time he was done talking to her, she began to cry. Would not recommend, definitely will not be coming again!! read more

They don't answer their calls. Unprofessional. No employees there to help. Their phone system doesn't work. You'll wait forever and they just hang up on you. read more

I have been preaching to my team about the importance of speed and quality so having an event at K1 Speed was perfect. Yes, you have to be quick, but you need to make quality decisions on the track to win the day. The team was fantastic there (in particular Monique) and the package we purchased allowed for great food, refreshments and a different event for sure. Thanks to the entire K1 team, we had a blast!!! read more

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Update: Rib 8 is broken. Do not attend this location unless it is a private event as they do not enforce their safety policies during public races. Read on for full details. I am not a risk adverse individual and I love racing DE with actual cars, but the incompetence of this location means your likelihood of breaking ribs or other fractures from a casual race is high. And it's totally unnecessary. Details: I've been to K1 twice and am a regular Track DE driver for the last 10 years (Essentially learn how to race on real tracks with your personal car or track project car). Karting is SO easy to maintain safe conditions but K1 doesn't put any effort into enforcement. Most races you enter will be unsafe due to obnoxiously aggressive drivers (deliberate contact and ramming) not being checked by flag workers, nor by the operator of the remote management system for the karts. This COULD be perfectly safe, but K1 is not interested in accountability and enforcement which is actually what makes racing safe. You WILL be rammed full speed. The dangerous drivers cart will NOT be nerfed and all the signs reading zero tolerance about contact are comical when you watch the lazy flag station workers buried in their phones during the heat. I'm safer in my car going 90-120mph on a track because of the seriousness with which safety and driver skill is considered (meaning, you are held accountable for the safety of everyone in the event and out of love for the sport). I was hit so hard on Friday the 29th that the visor on my helm broke off, my 8th rib is broken and muscle spasms from the point of contact made it difficult to breathe the next several days. And for what? A 7 minute heat with maybe 3 clean laps? My impact was caused by an unchecked driver who repeatedly rammed other drivers ramming a kart ahead of me. They caused that driver to spin out, I slowed to a stop but was then rear ended by a driver that wasn't paying attention to traffic ahead of them. A reminder to K1 that the risk is from the CONDITIONS bad drivers create, not necessarily the driver themselves causing the injury directly. As per your signs K1, this is NOT a game so maybe you should enforce your own regulations to minimize injury instead of encouraging the dangerous conditions that bring harm to your guests. I would love to see what their record would look like if injuries were mandatory public reporting or the karts were required to be fit with accelerometers to detect high speed impacts and lets see how that data measures up to your "policies." Arcade is mostly grifting machines like claw machines. The other machines are so gross they feel oily/sticky to the touch (clearly not cleaned even though signs are posted stating they comply with health regulations, they don't, we were there 20 minutes after they opened). As mentioned above, the "Flag workers" sit on their cell phones lazily swinging the same flag for multiple laps, not even watching the race. This is what allows so many people to get injured here. Safety doesn't mean NOT GOING FAST. It means holding drivers accountable. There are 3 EASY process changes they could make if they gave two shits. 1 - Brief review of critical rules during cart check by employees prior to starting the first cold lap. BRIEF. Not a full readout of the signage. 2 - Reinforce 0 tolerance on aggressive contact. BE CLEAR. 3 - Remotely nerf an offenders cart or remove them from the race early to ensure safe conditions for the rest of the guests. ITS NOT HARD. Save yourself the risk profile of attending races here unless you have a private group you know personally. The management here does not care about your safety and because of their incompetence you can easily suffer broken ribs or other fractures your first time in a race, no matter your skill level. This business will not do the minimum I mentioned above to keep you safe. Protect yourself by not giving them your business. This is coming from a racing enthusiast, not a risk adverse individual. read more

Simple and easy... I came here to hop in a Go Kart with my friend and run a few laps... $50 for 2 races consisting of 12 laps each. These karts will give you the thrill and feel you're looking for. You must pay an additional $7 membership fee, but they include face socks and helmets for your race. read more

K1 Speed Irvine - Provided Face Sock and Helmet - Amusement Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

This K1 Speed was the worst one I have been too in all of California. My parent checked me in and then the works said I couldn't go on the go cart because of my name being my parents and not mine. Then then worked started being mean to me and saying that I wouldn't have done go. Then I ignored him and we only got refunded half the money I pay for my race. read more

While in town located this place close to the hotel we were staying at, sure why not grab a few races with some of our coworkers, two tracks in this facility, one for juniors in the far back and another when you enter thru the front entrance. There are two straightaways on this track but the hairpin turns on the second requires you ease off the gas. I have been to several K1 tracks all over Northern and Southern California, track wise I would come back, staff was friendly and helpful not like some of the other reviews stating it was horrible, first session just 3 people me and 2 of my coworkers, second time around we were placed with 5-7 other people, passing on this track is easy, there is allot of wiggle room between turns, allot of the folks seem to incorporate the apex lines which you can hear on their turns not skidding, easy to follow peoples lines on this track seems to be many regulars hop behind one follow them for one lap then you can see the best line of where to be going into the turns, definitely will be back if in this area The go karts here are newer then some of the other locations, when powering them on they have a revving sound on them, didn't expect that, interesting addition to the karts. track **** karts ***1/2 you can tell by the shaking on some of these karts they have been on the wall several times price $$ service **** helpful staff, friendly ambiance **** large venue, 2 tracks, 2 straightaways on the adult track, lots of room to pass, newer karts with sound option read more

Beware of this location- karts were sometimes faulty, sometimes good. We had three races, out of which 2 races for me and my friends we had bad karts. One of us had one that wouldn't turn right, one had braking issue etc. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, they don't look out for you. Asshole participants were on the track and let off fine. They hit you intentionally few times even at the end of the race when pulling up to park, a participant intentionally hit me few times even when I told him to stop, he reversed and hit gas on me again. This is suppose to be a activity/ fun place for all ages, all genders. If they won't care- then as consumers we don't have to support them. read more

First Time here We came here for a kid's birthday party. I can only imagine how expensive it was but the guests sure did have fun! There was a small group of kids that came on Saturday at 10:30/11 am. There is a minimum height requirement for the kids: 48" and for an 8 year old birthday party, there were a few kids that barely made it. You check in and complete your paperwork, then you go to your course where patient and friendly race track employees go over the rules and tips. The kids had a blast and afterward enjoyed the private room where they had pizza and cake. read more

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SO MUCH FUN!!! Sometimes you just need to drive around fast and this is the place to do it. Fun for all ages. My friends took my here for my birthday and I loved it! They offer a GoPro recording for an extra cost, the first time it's worth it. Great for big groups. read more

The guy at the front desk rob told us that it would only be about 15-20 minutes in between races. We waited an hour and 15 minutes and still did not get our SECOND race. The bathrooms were dirty and honestly feel like this place was a waste of time. The employees were distracted and talking to each other showing videos on their phones, not helping out people. We ended up leaving and getting a partial refund which took a long time. He told us for some reason we were taking out of the race even though we stayed there the entire time. Again such a waste of time sitting there waiting for a race that would never come. read more

K1, where time goes to take a leisurely stroll! When I bought three races for my son, I didn't realize I was signing up for a world record attempt in longest time between races. It's like they invented a new kind of sport--'Turtle pit Karting'! I swear K1 has a secret agenda to keep us entertained between races. They probably have a master plan to transform us into arcade addicts, devourers of their 'mystery menu,' or even connoisseurs of their finest go-karting cocktails. They're probably thinking, 'Why just race when you can also win a prize for the longest wait time?' Their go-kart entrance gate is a mystical place. No queues to be found, just clusters of people magically appearing in designated time-killing spots. It's like a game of hide-and-seek where the seekers are forever lost, wandering around in confusion. Maybe they should install a 'K1 Maze' next time, complete with hidden treasure chests filled with snacks to survive the long wait. Honestly, spending four hours there felt like I was stuck in a bovine-themed amusement park. Forget dressing to impress, next time I'll make sure to rock a cow costume and moo my way through the experience. I can already picture it: 'K1, where the cows come to graze at the side of the Track!' read more

There's one good reason why you sign a waiver before to get a ride that lasts less then 30 minutes. I ended it with two pinched nerves and a head injury. No one is going to tell you that a ass...e will bump your car behind. This is not a joke if you decide to play definitely is by your own risk.! And no one will pay you for your recovery or medication that if you could go through.!! BE AWARE!!! This is not a safe game. read more

Horrible experience! Started from the inquiry!!! Poor communication! Check in was horrible, there was no direction, cars didn't work properly, staff on cell phones, food came out late! This place was not prepared for back to back events!!! Please do not book any events at this location, not worth a dime!!! I wanted a refund and only willing to give $80!!!!!!!! read more

I went came in hopes of having a nice racing experience. The cars felt old and after our first race I realized that my speed was being controlled. I lost a bet with my friends and was shocked to see my slow auntie beat me in the race. She was just passing through casually while I was pressing on the accelerator. I didn't bump and cars nor hit the sides of the track but still my car was slowed down most of the time. It didnt feel fun and we went with a large party paying full price and this wasn't cheap. Won't be going here again it shouldn't be called k1 speed bc theres no speeding! read more

No soap in bathrooms and even the employee s don't wash their hands after using the bathroom, I asked several times for soap and they did nothing. The employee used the bathroom and I asked if he was going to wash his hands he said no and walked out. Place is dirty and we will not come back here. The ticket games are broken and don't work either. Place is a dump read more

We have been here several times, both with large groups for birthday parties and as a family just for some fun. It has always been a good experience. The staff have been friendly and do their best. There are two tracks, one smaller and slower track and one longer, faster track. Both are fun. The smaller track can accommodate tweens through adult, where the larger track is more for older teens and adults. If you don't have enough people in your group for a full race, they will add other folks, so you never know who aggressive or competitive people will be. Expect some bumps and spin outs, but the track staff will help with getting everyone moving again. It is a bit expensive, so look for coupons or a Groupon because it is a fun experience. read more

Had a birthday party here for a group of 10. Let me begin by saying that the experience was pretty poor. First we tried to email and make the reservation , after 3 days of no replies, I decided to physically walk -in and pay for the reservation. Once I paid , I wanted to see the catering menu, at which she told me it would be emailed to me. 3 days later and no emails. I called multiple times to try to get a menu emailed to me so that we can order the food ahead of time. I did receive and email. My Wife completed the necessary form and emailed back and was waiting for the confirmation - nothing. (We decided then- we would not order anything and just go with the pizzas and drinks for the Kids- only). The racing part was okay. We paid a little over 1k for 2races / the room / the pizzas / water,soda and Games. Overall , this is not a good experience and I would not recommend parties here, maybe just the racing next time, if we ever come back. I encourage the upper management to look into and possibly training the team , In order for future patrons to have a better experience than we did. Thanks for reading my post. read more

Our first visit ever to K1 was in Nov 2023. We had a challenging experience checking in. We informed the lady at the check in counter that it's our first time so help us with the process. Even after telling her that, she didn't pass "complete" instructions the first time. had to go and do check on computer and then come back only you ho and do check in again. It was very annoying. Other than that this was fun. read more

Nice tracks, but the organization is just terrible. We had to wait in ticket line for a whole 45 minutes just because one cashier was dealing with new customers, while the old ones had just to register for the race. And after we finally registered, we had no clue which track we were on or what our race order was. Seriously guys, it would be so much easier if you could just put up a screen with all the upcoming race info - the names, line numbers, and track numbers. It would make the customers' lives a lot simpler. My kids were completely demoralized because there was no information about the line. The track guys kept saying, "You're next," and then suddenly it was, "You're in the next 2 races," and we ended up waiting for a total of 2 hours. PS. They divide my kids on race, but all the time they knew that they're waited together. We had to talk with the management to race together. Insane! read more

Overpriced and not worth it. These guys force you to provide your name, birthday, address, and phone number. The manager is a hard ass who spoiled an evening with my son simply because I didn't bring ID with me. This place used to be fun. Now, it turns away paying customers. I was respectful amd politely refused to provide my address and that wasn't good enough. I will no longer visit here because the staff and management feel.they can bully people around into giving up personal information. Some people just don't like you having their personal information that you'll lose later. read more

Initially I gave k1 speed a 1 star after a terrible management experience happened with a broken car, but then I switched it to a five because a supervisor called and went out of his way to make sure customers are happy. K1 is super fun if the right people are in charge;) read more

Today I took my sons and their friends to celebrate their birthdays. This was my first time at K1. Upon check in I was asked to have every rider check in and sign the waivers. I then reviewed the pricing from the above monitors and agreed on the 3 race package for each child. There was no mentioned that I would be billed for a "annual membership fee" with each driver and also an additional credit card fee. I was only aware of this because I asked for a receipt. I went back up to the customer service counter and asked for a refund and was told after my boys raced I would be offered a refund for the annual membership. Once my boys completed their race, I went back up to get my refund and a short balding "supposedly general manager" quickly got aggressive with me and said no refunds are offered and pointed at some signs that were on the counter stating that a membership is required for each driver. He was very rude and aggressive. He offered no resolution. Deceptive marketing and advertising practices. Finally, on my boys last race, there was another group of "regular K1 racers" that were very aggressive and purposely tried running my sons and friends off the track. In fact, due to their aggressive driving, my son's friend crashed so hard that the track was shut down for several minutes and workers came running to assist him out of fear of him being hurt. The track had to be repaired. It was a violent crash. See the below photo. My boys stated that the workers knew these other drivers and talked to them before entering the track. Unfortunately they were allowed to race and put my boys in harms way and were not shut down. Luckily our son's friend is ok- just bad whiplash. The track workers do not care about your safety. read more

K1 Speed Irvine - Deceptive pricing and hidden fees tacked on to your bill. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

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If I could give a negative star I would. Jane from customer service reached out publicly on yelp, but did not actually do anything. I emailed them as she requested, and never heard back. I guess this is a ploy to make it appear as if they care to serve their customers, when in fact they do not. read more

Front desk, great. Track guys, not at all. Will put their friends on the track with young drivers to shorten the race. No one is fooled. Avoid this place. read more

This place is super easy to find! On a Friday around 3:30/4, it's pretty close to empty. Check in for 3 people took about 15 minutes and we had to wait 15 minutes until it was our turn to race. Being able to watch other racers while waiting for our turn added anticipation and made everyone so excited. The actual race lasted a little over 5 minutes but we're able to get at least 10 laps in. At the end of your race, head to the cafe to get a print out of your times! Always a good time racing against friends read more

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

This place was awesome! For the second year in a row, we had an amazing time at our annual company party. We got a package that included food, races, and a meeting room. The staff, especially Danny, went above and beyond to make our experience exceptional. I could write for a while how wonderful it was. I'm saddened to see all the negative reviews. I must say our experience was as good as you could expect. I've had my company meeting here for two years and will continue to do so each year. My team loves it and my family came later in the evening and were treated like special guests. My 9 year old son wishes to contribute the following... Great place! It's now the third time I have been and and I love it every time! I don't think it makes sense that people 18 and over can't drive on the junior track, but I love the racing, and all the other stuff at K1. I hope to come here many more times in my life. THANK YOU K1 SPEED!!! read more

K1 Speed Irvine - A good day on the track - 2nd overall. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

If you don't want to have a disappointed junior driver then don't go to any K1 speed races.

The absolute worst organization. There is no reason why you can't reserve a time and pay for it online. Instead you get there and there's a 40 minute wait just to stand in line to complete payment process. And then another 40 min wait for juniors, 1.5 hr wait for adults to actually race They don't even text you when it's your time to race, you have to stay in the area and I guess spend money in there mini arcade or food lounge and listen for your name to be called out. Only one group of 8 before us for 1 race, yet told 40 minute wait as they have to charge cars. First group had to wait a while to complete registration and payment process Not worth the wait unless going as a group that you can actually reserve ahead of time (if they answer your text or call, could not get through all day) read more

K1 Speed Irvine - What a 40 min wait looks like - Amusement Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

Richard pretty much told us to deal with the issue. You're paying a lot of money to partake in an accurate lap time and stats. My group isn't one to complain but when one of our racers aren't included in the stats and our stats are wrong it not a comfortable feeling. What caused my frustration was the way Richard handled the situation. Very unprofessional. read more

K1 Speed Irvine - .009 .092 Lap times look accurate for sure - Amusement Parks Near Me - Irvine, California