The attendance for the penultimate round of our July-December 2009 K1 Speed Irvine Challenge GP season was fantastic, with 26 competitors from throughout Orange County and Southern California showing up to compete at our indoor karting center. Considering that many of us have had to be a bit more careful with expenses this year, we have been continually blown away by the enthusiasm and support that people have shown for our Challenge GP kart racing series. At our Irvine location alone, we have had nearly a hundred different individuals come out to participate in our racing series; we cannot thank our customers enough for their dedication! The round this weekend was another great event that produced close racing and good conversation, and it should go without saying that we are very much looking forward to seeing how the season will come to a close in the final round next month!

Race fans from throughout Orange County and Southern California compete in our Challenge GP kart racing series at K1 Speed Irvine.

Race fans from throughout Orange County and Southern California compete in our Challenge GP kart racing series at K1 Speed Irvine.

Overall point leaders Toby Rodriguez and John Tanaka were both very fast in qualifying and started in the A-Main race at the front of the pack. As both are fighting for the championship, we weren’t surprised to see each give it his all on track and both men ran near flawless races. Despite his best efforts though, John was unable to best Toby Rodriguez, who took his fourth win of the season. With only one round remaining in the series, Toby has a good chance of taking the Challenge GP championship away from John. Khalifa Alasiri, who has been performing well all season long, fell in behind John to take the final spot on the podium.

Challenge GP A-Main Winners: 1st Toby Rodriguez | 2nd John Tanaka | 3rd Khalifa Alasiri

Challenge GP A-Main Winners: 1st Toby Rodriguez | 2nd John Tanaka | 3rd Khalifa Alasiri

In the B-Main race, Alfredo Anguiano held off a hard-charging Bill Kreig to take the win, though there were several moments where it looked as if Bill was going to make the pass. As the spectators can attest, Alfredo earned his win this Sunday, because Bill did not make it easy on him! Though Alfredo and Bill didn’t get to compete in the A-Main this weekend, they can comfort themselves knowing that they delivered a fantastic performance for the crowd! Following closely behind the back-and-forth battle between Bill and Alfredo was regular Jonathan Wright, who ended up finishing the race in 3rd place.

Challenge GP B-Main Winners: 1st Alfredo Anguiano | 2nd Bill Kreig | 3rd Jonathan Wright

Challenge GP B-Main Winners: 1st Alfredo Anguiano | 2nd Bill Kreig | 3rd Jonathan Wright

If there was one race that perhaps didn’t go as smoothly as it could have, it was the C-Main! As the karts got funneled into the first series of turns, Rob Drew unfortunately was spun out and lost several positions. Despite falling victim to the mayhem of the first several laps and ending up in last place, Rob was determined out on track and was able to make his way back up to 6th position by the end of the race. Though Rob was unable to earn a podium finish, he definitely earned the respect of his competitors! The race winner was Joe Erwin, who finished ahead of 2nd place finisher Steve Wetterau. The final spot on the podium was taken by Formula Drift driver Justin Pawlak, who campaigns the Mazda RX-8 drift car for the Bergenholtz Racing team. Justin was able to quickly adapt his drifting skills to our karts, as he performed very well against some veteran K1 racers.

Challenge GP C-Main Winners: 1st Joe Erwin | 2nd Steve Wetterau | 3rd Justin Pawlak

Challenge GP C-Main Winners: 1st Joe Erwin | 2nd Steve Wetterau | 3rd Justin Pawlak

Join us at K1 Speed Irvine on December 6th for the final round of our Challenge GP indoor karting series. The championship will be on the line, and the racing is sure to be exciting!

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Mario Kart Makes a Halloween Appearance at K1 Speed

by K1 Speed on November 2, 2009

We had a great turnout on Halloween this year and saw some fantastic costumes, but our favorite outfits had to be those of Mario, Luigi and the Princess from the popular video game series Mario Kart! We thought the outfits were very clever (and only appropriate considering we operate indoor karting centers) and the spectators seemed to approve as well! Everyone is a fan of the Super Mario Bros. so when Mario, his brother Luigi and Princess Peach hit the circuit in our high-performance electric karts to run their own Mario Kart 125 GP, all eyes were on track! The three had a hard-fought battle for the top position and were undoubtedly wishing that they had a couple of green shells and bananas to throw at the competition, but in the end, Luigi crossed over the finish line first! It was a great race and everyone on the sidelines seemed to thoroughly enjoy watching their favorite video game unfold in real life!

Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach visit our K1 Speed Irvine indoor karting center on Halloween! It was Luigi who took the victory though!

Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach visit our K1 Speed Irvine indoor karting center on Halloween!

We would like to thank everyone who paid a visit to K1 Speed on Halloween this year! The costumes were great and made for a unique and exciting atmosphere all night long. Of course with Halloween now over, it means that we’re heading into the holiday season. If you know someone who loves the excitement of indoor go kart racing, our K1 Speed gift cards make great holiday gifts and are a great value as well. Whether you want to purchase gift cards for a loved one or want to get in a few more races before the year is over, we hope to see you soon!

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Jason Britton and Tony Carbajal Attend Bike Expo at K1 Speed Irvine!

October 28, 2009
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Professional stunt riders Jason Britton and Tony Carbajal paid a visit to our K1 Speed Irvine indoor karting center this weekend for our first annual Bike Expo! Sponsored by Kawasaki, the event was a huge success, drawing hundreds of spectators and a wide range of vendors. Attendees not only got to see the latest hardware [...]

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K1 Speed Torrance Challenge GP Kart Racing Results – October 2009

October 26, 2009
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There was a great turnout for our Challenge GP race at K1 Speed Torrance this weekend but the story of the day was John Tanaka’s brilliant drive from 3rd place on the grid to win the race. As a former Challenge GP champion, John has a reputation for being fast, consistent and aggressive, and he [...]

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Celebrate Halloween Indoor Kart Racing at K1 Speed!

October 23, 2009
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This Halloween, come in to K1 Speed wearing your scariest and most outrageous costumes and enjoy the excitement of indoor go kart racing! All 6 of our indoor kart racing centers – Carlsbad, Irvine, Anaheim, Torrance, Ontario and Seattle – will be open until 11PM on Saturday, October 31st and will be offering our Buy [...]

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Top Formula Drift Drivers go Indoor Karting at K1 Speed Anaheim!

October 21, 2009
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n Wednesday, October 14th, several of the top drivers from the Formula Drift race series – including 2009 Formula D champion Chris Forsberg and Irwindale pole sitter Justin Pawlak – paid a visit to our K1 Speed Anaheim indoor karting center in Orange County, California to celebrate the final round of the season at nearby [...]

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Pro Skateboarder Rune Glifberg Visits K1 Speed Carlsbad

October 19, 2009
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We were pleased to have pro skateboarder and X-Games gold medalist Rune Glifberg visit our K1 Speed Carlsbad indoor karting center in San Diego this weekend! The Copenhagen-born skateboarder makes his home in nearby Encinitas and decided to celebrate the weekend by bringing his daughter in for some karting lessons. With his daughter following closely [...]

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No Fear Has Teamed Up with K1 Speed!

October 14, 2009
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No Fear is one of the biggest names in action sports, energy drinks and apparel, and we are pleased to announce that the company has joined forces with K1 Speed to form a unique partnership! Well known for producing sportswear and apparel for the surfing, Moto-X and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) industries, No Fear has [...]

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K1 Speed Ontario Challenge GP Kart Racing Results – October 2009

October 14, 2009
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There was tremendous turnout at K1 Speed Ontario this weekend, as race fans from throughout the Inland Empire came to our indoor karting center to meet some of their favorite Sprint Cup drivers and to enjoy the fun of wheel-to-wheel racing. After the Pepsi 500 NASCAR race came to a close at the Auto Club [...]

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Supercross Legend Jeremy McGrath Visits K1 Speed Carlsbad

October 13, 2009
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Accomplished off-road racer and 7-time Supercross National Champion Jeremy McGrath, along with a small army of people from the “Race Dezert” crew, paid a visit to our K1 Speed Carlsbad indoor karting center in San Diego, California this week for some indoor go kart racing! The crew opted to compete head-to-head in a Grand Prix [...]

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