There’s a new entertainment option in Wichita and it’s called Xtreme Racing & Entertainment.

It’s best described as Go-Karts on steroids. Imagine being in a Go-Kart and racing against others going up to 45 mph. That’s the kind of thrill you will find at Xtreme Racing.

They just opened recently at 2120 N Woodlawn St in the former Hobby Lobby space in Brittany Center. If you remember the Hobby Lobby there, the place was huge and Xtreme Racing filled the 55,000 square feet building with a asphalt track and other amenities to give Wichitans another entertainment option in town.

My friends and I gave it a try over the weekend and here’s how it all works.

For starters, they have a wide range of hours. They are open Sunday – Thursday 11am – 11 pm and then on Friday and Saturday from 11am – Midnight.

When you arrive, the first thing you do is register. You can do it on their paper forms or fill it out online which we found to be quicker. There are rules on whether you are allowed to race. You must be 8 years old to drive the junior karts and at least 48 inches tall. To drive the adult karts, you must be 12 years old and at least 58 inches tall.

You then head over to the checkout counter to pay and sign up for a race. There are different sets of pricing for members and non-members. If you plan on going at least two times, a membership is $5 and will pay itself off after two races. The memberships last forever, it’s not a monthly or annual type of deal.

My friends all purchased a membership and paid for one adult race which consist of 14 laps.

You then sit and wait for your name to be called to race.

Once your name is called, you walk around to the back to check in. Once there, they go over the rules with you. A list of their rules are found here. The basic gist of the rules is NO BUMPING. This is all for safety of course. There are track marshalls on hand to make sure everything stays safe and everyone has fun.

They also go over the Karts and then instruct every one to grab a head sock and helmet. You are then assigned a Kart.

We all put on our head socks and helmets and then proceeded to our karts. In the first portion of the track, you’re given a chance to just get accustomed to the kart and then not too long after, you’re off to the races.

One thing to note is you’re not driving leisurely. Everything is a race. You’re competing with others for the fastest lap times possible.

In our race, we had nine people. Four friends and I along with four random people we didn’t know. Two of the guys in our race group had been there multiple times and even had their own helmets. We knew they’d smoke us.

With many people, it did make it difficult sometimes to get a really fast lap in if you’re really competitive. Sometimes it was tough to pass you even though they do have rules for allowing others to pass you if they are coming up on you.

It took a couple of us to really get the racing down regarding the turns. Admittedly I crashed into the wall pretty hard at one point. Pretty sure I was lapped a few times by some of the better racers. According to Xtreme Racing, it takes an average of 28 seconds to get around the track. Those are times for the average driver which I certainly was not; neither were some of my friends.

As you can guessed, the laps go by pretty quick.

Once you are finished, you go park you Kart and then you are handed an information sheet with your lap times along with others and how you placed. It’s really neat if you’re a numbers nerd like myself. Below is a sample one that wasn’t from our group.

If you’re fast enough, you make even make their Online Leaderboard

Overall it was a really fun experience. One that many of my friends couldn’t stop talking about and excited about the opportunity to go again. The five dollar membership is really worth it and a must if you plan on going a second time.

The facility is very nice. I’m sure it’ll look better once they get more arcades and other amenities put into place. Xtreme Racing did a fantastic job with the track, the Karts aren’t loud at all and there’s no burnt rubber smell because of their track. They have pop music playing in the background the whole time and some TV’s around to keep you occupied while you wait or watch other race.

The only setback some of you may find hard to swallow it the $17-20 race price for adults which goes by quick but if you follow them on Facebook , they may have some specials and giveaways coming up.

It’s something different to do in town which is always welcomed. Try this out at least once for yourself.

Happy Racing!

Eddy

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