Posts Tagged ‘Challenge GP’
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
K1 Speed Ontario – one of the largest indoor kart tracks in the Inland Empire and all of Southern California – held its first Challenge GP kart league race of 2010 this past weekend, and once again, there was a great turnout of both veteran competitors and new drivers! Pole position at our indoor raceway went to Khalifa Alasiri, who set the fast lap during qualifying with an impressive time of 52.12 seconds around our Super Track. Despite starting the race from P1 on the grid, Khalifa had his work cut out for him, as regular John Tanaka was starting right behind him and was intent on taking the win!
In the A Main race, Khalifa quickly found that winning the race would be no easy feat. With constant pressure being applied from behind, Khalifa found it difficult to run a smooth, clean, consistent race, and John Tanaka was taking advantage of his mistakes. Like a predator with prey in his sights, John was matching Khalifa’s every move and inching away at his lead. After several laps of tapping into the back of Khalifa’s kart, John was finally able to make a pass and make it stick. Though not the cleanest pass we’ve witnessed, sometimes a racer has to be a bit aggressive out on track if they want to take the lead! With just a couple of laps remaining, John quickly put distance between his kart and Khalifa’s, and ended up claiming victory almost 1.5 seconds in front of Alasiri, who claimed 2nd place in the A Main. Garrett Regan finished in 3rd place to claim the final spot on the A Main podium. It was an intense race and we wouldn’t be surprised to see a rematch in the future!
Challenge GP A Main Podium: 1st John Tanaka | 2nd Khalifa Alasiri | 3rd Garrett Regan
The B Main race had its own share of highlights, and we were pleased to see several new faces in the starting lineup. The race was won by Chris Weaver, who was able to run away from the competition and finish in front of 2nd place finisher Matt Shane by nearly 3 seconds. With such a dominant drive, we expect to see Chris compete in our A Main events in the future, and we hope to see him hit the track again in February for Round 2 of our Challenge GP kart league. The final spot on the podium of our B Main race was Holly Stamps, who ended up owning her little piece of racetrack. Several seconds behind Matt Shane and some 4 seconds in front of 4th place, Holly was able to concentrate on the task of driving, enjoy a clean racetrack and set fast and consistent laps!
Challenge GP B Main Podium: 1st Chris Weaver | 2nd Matt Shane | 3rd Holly Stamps
We would like to thank everyone who took part in the 1st round of our 2010 Challenge GP season in Ontario, and we hope to see them again! If you would like to compete head-to-head against some of the best indoor karters not only in California, but in the entire country, please stop by our Inland Empire indoor go kart track on Valentine’s Day, February 14th!
Video: K1 Speed Ontario Challenge GP Race – January 2010
Tags: Challenge GP, electric kart, indoor go kart racing, indoor karting, inland empire, k1 speed, kart league, kart racing, kart racing series, karting, ontario, riverside
Posted in Challenge GP, K1 Speed Ontario | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
Racers tackle the indoor go kart track at K1 Speed Seattle in our Challenge GP kart league!
We had 10 drivers show up to compete in our first race of the 2010 season at
K1 Speed Seattle, and we were pleased to see that several of the competitors were new to the
Challenge GP series. The veteran racers were eager to welcome the new faces and were being very gracious before the race and after the qualifying sessions had come to a close; several of the new drivers found themselves receiving advice on the optimal lines and braking points. Even the experienced competitors found the race to be a challenge though, as the session was run in the opposite direction. With a reverse track layout, everyone was on a level playing field for the most part, leading to an exciting qualifying session!
Runner-up in last season’s Challenge GP series, Javier Cantu-Lucero qualified on pole position at our indoor raceway after setting the fast lap in the two qualifying sessions. Just behind him was Austin Treloar, followed by Erik Bee. The three started at the front of the grid and were eager to defend their positions as the race got underway. As the green flag was dropped for the main event, everyone was able to get off of the line cleanly. We were pleased to see that nobody fell behind (it could also be said that nobody gained a position though!) and there were no incidents as the karts funneled into Turn 1.
The front of the pack were running consistent lap times and were forming a procession as they lapped the track, but there was plenty of excitement farther back on the grid. On lap 3, Carlos Simental pushed his cold tires a bit too hard and went wide, allowing Theodore Georgas to take advantage and move up one position. Perry Skountrianos made a spectacular move on Michael Raiche on lap 10, throwing the nose of his kart into the inside of Michael’s before he could close the door. The move put Perry in 6th place, but 2 laps later, Michael pressured Perry into making a big mistake around the hairpin turn and Michael was able to regain his original position. Perry’s spin cost him two positions but by the end of the race he had gained back one position which left him where he started in 7th. Though they weren’t fighting for a podium spot, the mid-pack challengers were involved in some of the best racing we’ve seen!
At the front of the pack, Javier was being hounded by Austin Treloar who was putting up a valiant fight! Javier was able to keep his cool though and drove home to victory, despite Austin putting forth his best efforts to knock Javier off of his spot! Austin ended up claiming the second spot on the podium ahead of Erik Bee who finished in 3rd place. It was a great race and a fantastic way to start of the 2010 Challenge GP season in Seattle. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and we were pleased with the turnout.
January 2010 Challenge GP Podium: 1st Javier Cantu-Lucero | 2nd Austin Treloar | 3rd Erik Bee
If you would like to compete in our Challenge GP kart league and race our high performance
electric karts around one of the best indoor go kart tracks in Washington State and the Seattle area, join us on February 9th for Round 2! We hope to see you there!
Tags: Challenge GP, go kart arena, indoor go kart racing, indoor go kart track, indoor karting, indoor karting center, k1 speed, kart league, kart racing series, redmond, seattle, washington
Posted in Challenge GP, K1 Speed Seattle | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 11th, 2010
A racer slides our electric kart through a corner in our Challenge GP kart league at K1 Speed Irvine!
The first race of the new 2010
Challenge GP season took place at
K1 Speed Irvine this past weekend, and the new format seemed to be well-received by the participants! Perhaps the biggest change to our kart league, besides the fact that the race was run in the reverse direction on our Super Track, was the new rolling start. In the past, the racers have lined up on our grid for a Formula One style standing start, but we decided to add one more new element to keep the series interesting and challenging for our regular participants. The rolling start allows the pole sitter to set the pace and potentially jump away from the pack at the drop of the green flag; however, it also gives those in the back of the pack an opportunity to try and build momentum to make a carefully timed pass just as the green flag is waved! Needless to say, we expect to see some dramatic starts as the season goes on.
A competitor heads backwards on the starting grid in our reverse layout!
The A Main race saw regular drivers Toby Rodriguez, David Messimer and David Kelmenson (who competes in our Torrance series on a frequent basis) claim the top spots on the podium. As the flag was waved and the race got underway, Toby put in some amazing laps and ran consistently fast. This performance on track allowed him to build a comfortable lead and take home the 1st place finish in our first race of the new year. Though David Messimer and David Kelmenson did everything that they could to challenge for the lead, on this day Toby was simply unbeatable! We expect to see Toby fighting for the top spot all season long, and we hope to see David Kelmenson put in a full season effort at our Irvine indoor karting track, as we think he has a chance for the championship as well.
Challenge GP A Main Podium: 1st Toby Rodriguez | 2nd David Messimer | 3rd David Kelmenson
In the B Main race, recent
Red Bull contest winner Khalifa Alasiri was able to take home the win. No stranger to our A Main races, Khalifa was able to set a good pace during the final, and his experience allowed him to finish ahead of the field. Finishing in 2nd place was Jason Foreman, who was able to defend his position against a hard-charging Brad Drew, who claimed the final spot on the podium. Overall, it was a great B Main race with some superb drives. With his win though, we expect that Khalifa will be eager to fight amongst our A Main competitors next month!
Challenge GP B Main Podium: 1st Khalifa Alasiri | 2nd Jason Foreman | 3rd Brad Drew
We would like to thank everyone for joining us for the first round of our new 2010 Challenge GP go kart league! We truly appreciate the support of our fans, and we look forward to hosting them once again next month for Round 2! If you would like to compete against the best indoor karters in Southern California or the Pacific Northwest, feel free to join our Challenge GP kart racing series! We hold races at several of our indoor go kart tracks throughout Southern California and Seattle, Washington, and it is a great way to experience the thrill of racing in a safe and affordable environment!
Tackling our Super Track in the opposite direction requires participants to learn a whole new layout!
Tags: Challenge GP, go kart league, indoor go kart racing, indoor go kart track, indoor kart racing, indoor kart racing center, indoor karting, indoor karting center, irvine, k1 speed, kart league, kart series, orange county, southern california
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Monday, December 28th, 2009
The last round of our 2009 Challenge GP season took place at K1 Speed Torrance this past weekend. Not only did the December 27th race mark the final Challenge GP race of 2009, but it also marked the conclusion of our inaugural Challenge GP season at our newest location, K1 Speed Torrance in South Bay Los Angeles, California! It was a great race and the spectators witnessed some fantastic performances on the track. Now that the season is over though, everyone is anxious for the start of the 2010 season, which will see participants tackle our Torrance indoor go kart track in the opposite direction! The new reverse track layout should make next season interesting and put all of our competitors on a level playing field!
Challenge GP B-Main Winners: 1st Michael Arnold | 2nd Richard Langsdale | 3rd Gary Culbertson
In the B Main race, Michael Arnold led the way and was able to take home the victory. Behind him, Richard Langsdale finished in 2nd place ahead of Gary Culbertson, who took the final podium position for 3rd place. Though Michael may have wished for slightly better results, his strong finish in the B Main solidified his standings in the overall point standing, allowing him to earn a 3rd place finish in the very first K1 Speed Torrance Challenge GP season!
Challenge GP A-Main Winners: 1st David Kelmenson | 2nd Paul Ciralli | 3rd David Messimer
The A Main race was exciting and a great way to close out the 2009 season! Paul Ciralli started the race in 4th place but was able to move up to 2nd after an on-track incident in the first hairpin corner on lap 2. From that moment on, David Kelmenson led Paul and David Messimer around the track in a 1-2-3 procession. Despite Paul’s best efforts, he could not make a clean pass on David and opted instead to defend his position and take home the 2nd place trophy. Everyone is definitely going to be watching David Kelmenson next season though; he has shown time and time again that he is capable of running at the front of the pack, and we expect he’ll be battling for overall honors next year.
2009 K1 Speed Torrance Challenge GP Winners: 1st John Tanaka | 2nd Paul Ciralli | 3rd Michael Arnold
Former Challenge GP champion John Tanaka ended up winning the K1 Speed Torrance Challenge GP kart league championship, ahead of Paul Ciralli and Michael Arnold. Once again, John has proven to be a formidable opponent out on track and with this latest championship, he has shown that he has the skills to win anywhere! We can’t wait for the 2010 season to begin! If you would like to race against some of the very best indoor karters in Southern California, join us at our Torrance indoor kart racing center in January!
Tags: Challenge GP, go kart racing, indoor go kart racing, indoor go kart track, indoor kart racing, indoor karting, indoor karting center, k1 speed, kart league, kart racing series, karting, los angeles, torrance
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Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
The final race of the Challenge GP season at K1 Speed Carlsbad took place this past weekend and when the last competitor crossed the finish line, a new champion was crowned! The event was fantastic; the racing was close, everyone was in good spirits and there were some surprises on the podium. Long-time racer Kirk Meese pulled out the win over young up-and-coming racer Jordan Robertson, who finished in 2nd place and David Messimer who fought off Paul Ciralli for the final spot on the podium. Regulars John Simms and Jordan’s father Stephan also put up good fights but were unable to earn a trophy this time around.
December Challenge GP Podium -- 1st Kirk Meese | 2nd Jordan Robertson | 3rd David Messimer
Despite Paul’s 4th place finish, he was still able to claim the season championship! After finishing 2nd to John Tanaka last season in our Carlsbad Challenge GP kart racing series, Paul was consistent and competitive all season long, and his efforts paid off with a championship finish. The Top 3 finishers for the season were Paul Ciralli in 1st place, Jordan Robertson in 2nd (who impressed everyone this season with his continuous improvement and competitiveness) and Kirk Meese finishing in 3rd place overall. Our winners received gift bags and prizes from Meguiar’s Car Care and K&N Filters, whom we would like to thank for their support. It was a pleasure hosting our Jul-Dec 2009 Challenge GP season and we greatly look forward to the 2010 series!
Jul-Dec 2009 Challenge GP Final Results -- 1st Paul Ciralli | 2nd Jordan Robertson | 3rd Kirk Meese
Tags: carlsbad, Challenge GP, go kart league, indoor go kart racing, indoor go kart track, indoor kart racing, indoor karting, indoor karting center, k1 speed, kart league, kart racing series, kart series, san diego
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Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
Racing enthusiasts take part in the Challenge GP go kart league at K1 Speed!
With the 2009 season of our
Challenge GP kart league coming to a close, we are already preparing for 2010, and we are pleased to announce that we are implementing some exciting changes! One of the most dramatic changes (and one which the participants seem to appreciate) is that our tracks will be run in the opposite direction! After six months of running “forwards” at
K1 Speed Carlsbad,
K1 Speed Irvine,
K1 Speed Ontario,
K1 Speed Torrance and
K1 Speed Seattle, we will even the playing field for new competitors by running our indoor go kart tracks “backwards” this Challenge GP season between January and June, 2010.
Our indoor go kart tracks take on different rhythms and personalities when run in the opposite direction, and for all intents and purposes become brand new tracks! For novice competitors, operating our tracks in reverse allows them to compete on a level keel with veteran racers; for individuals who have raced at their local K1 Speed indoor karting center a dozen times or more, changing the track direction gives them the opportunity to experience their favorite location in a whole new light! Needless to say, it’s great fun and we always love to watch as racers dissect a new layout and unlock the track’s secrets! We also feel that this is a great reason to take part in our Challenge GP kart racing series, as our reverse layouts are not available for our regular Arrive and Drive racing options (except in Anaheim).
In addition to the track direction, we are also making some slight changes to the point system. Each racer will now receive 2 points for his or her position in a race (for example, if someone finishes 1st in a race with 10 competitors, he or she will receive 20 points) and we are excited to announce that we will be rewarding the individual who sets the fast lap and earns the pole position at our indoor raceway an additional 2 points that will be added to his or her total! We suspect that this new change may lead to some heartbreak out on track, but it should result in some fantastic drives as well!
The dates for the 2010 season of our Challenge GP go kart league will be announced soon and we hope to see you competing on track next season!
Tags: Challenge GP, go kart league, go kart series, k1 speed, kart league, kart racing series, karting league, karting series
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Monday, December 14th, 2009
With only 1 point separating 1st and 2nd place in our K1 Speed Ontario Challenge GP kart league, the last round of the season would be the race that determined the championship! Regular competitor John Tanaka led Garrett Regan by the slimmest of margins but went into the event looking to win the title and defend his championship from last season. However, Khalifa Alasiri (looking to be the proverbial wrench in John’s gears) followed up two consecutive victories by setting the fast lap during qualifying to claim the pole position at our indoor raceway! Not having the benefit of a clean line at the green flag, John faced an uphill battle.
At the start of the race, Khalifa started building a gap between himself and Garrett, who qualified on the front row in 2nd place ahead of John. With both Garrett and Khalifa in front of him, the only chance John had of taking the victory was an unlikely accident, but John didn’t need to win the race to take the title, as he went into the race with the points lead. Rather than risk a move that could result in him losing several positions, John ran a clean race back in 3rd place. Not surprisingly, Khalifa and Garrett both ran smooth, event-free races as well and the three finished in the order that they started.
Jul-Dec 2009 Ontario Challenge GP Winners: 1st Place - Garrett Regan and John Tanaka | 2nd Khalifa Alasiri | 3rd John Carroll
With Garrett finishing one spot in front of John, the two racers ended up tying for 1st position overall and will share the Jul-Dec 2009 Challenge GP championship at K1 Speed Ontario! Though Khalifa couldn’t take away the championship, his three consecutive victories were impressive and we expect that he’ll be in contention next season. His string of successes later in the season allowed Khalifa to finish in 2nd place overall ahead of 3rd place finisher John Carroll. The winners received prizes from Meguiar’s and our proud sponsor K&N Air Filters.
The winners of our Jul-Dec 2009 Challenge GP kart racing series stand atop the podium at K1 Speed Ontario!
It was a great season and we would like to thank everyone who participated! We look forward to 2010 and are excited to announce that our Challenge GP events will be run on our Reverse Super Track!
Tags: Challenge GP, go kart league, go kart racing, indoor go kart racing, indoor go kart track, indoor kart racing, indoor karting, indoor karting center, inland empire, k1 speed, kart league, kart racing, kart racing series, karting, ontario, riverside
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Monday, December 7th, 2009
Competitors in our Challenge GP indoor karting league navigate our Super Track at K1 Speed Irvine
The final round of the Jul-Dec 2009
K1 Speed Irvine Challenge GP karting league took place this weekend and a new champion was crowned! There was a full grid for the race, and we were pleased to see that some new faces showed up to compete as well, including
K1 Speed-sponsored driver Gustavo Menezes who recently earned two podium finishes at the SKUSA SuperNationals XIII event in Las Vegas, Nevada. With the caliber of drivers out on track, we expected an exciting race and the competitors did not disappoint!
Two racers in our Challenge GP indoor kart league fight for position at K1 Speed Irvine
After qualifying, Toby Rodriguez, Taylor Hays and Khalifa Alasiri led the front of the pack in the A Main race, with regular racer and defending champion John Tanaka starting back in seventh place. Gustavo Menezes was able to qualify in sixth in his first ever Challenge GP race and was able to compete head-to-head with some of our veteran racers! Clearly, Gustavo’s skills in TaG 125cc karting helped him adapt to our high performance electric karts and our indoor go kart tracks quite quickly, as he was a rocket out on track!
Challenge GP A Main Podium - 1st Toby Rodriguez | 2nd Taylor Hays | 3rd Khalifa Alasiri
At the drop of the green flag, Toby, Taylor and Khalifa quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the field after running consistently fast lap times. Back in the middle of the pack, Gustavo Menezes was on a mission to make up positions and he went to work quickly to gain ground. Gustavo’s first pass was on Ahmed Alasiri; going into a hairpin corner, Gustavo slightly tapped the back of Ahmed’s kart with a late braking maneuver which allowed both John Tanaka and him to take the inside line and make the pass. The next person in Gustavo’s sights was Bill Kreig, who is a very fast and very consistent driver. Heading into a slow speed corner, Gustavo once again late braked and this time was able to pull off a clean pass free of contact. Unfortunately for John, he was not able to follow this time and would tail Bill for the remainder of the race. Toby Rodriguez ended up winning the last round of the season, ahead of Taylor Hays who finished in second place and Khalifa Alasiri who finished third. Defending champion John Tanaka could do no better than sixth and Gustavo Menezes was able to make his way up to fourth in his first ever event!
Challenge GP B Main Podium - 1st Michael Arnold | 2nd Justin Davenport | 3rd Michael Tekstra (not present)
In the B Main race, Michael Arnold was able to climb to the top step of the podium ahead of second place Justin Davenport and third place Michael Tekstra. The B Main event was another exciting race, with veteran Michael Arnold once again proving his worth out on track. This sixth and final round of the season also produced some series champions though! The overall champion for our K1 Speed Irvine Jul-Dec 2009 Challenge GP season is Toby Rodriguez, who accumulated a total of 172 points over six races! Second place overall went to defending champion John Tanaka with 162 points and Bill Kreig claimed third place with 141 points. An honorable mention must also be given to Alton Arnold III who finished tenth in the A Main race but fourth place overall in the season with 138 points, just 2 points shy of Bill Kreig!
Jul-Dec 2009 Challenge GP Series Champions - 1st Toby Rodriguez | 2nd John Tanaka | 3rd Bill Kreig
We would like to congratulate all of our winners – both our series champions and our individual race winnrers! Though we should probably be used to it by now, we are constantly impressed with how exciting our Challenge GP events are! We would like to thank all of our fans, supporters and competitors for a great race and a fantastic season, and we hope to see you again next year! Be on the lookout for our 2010 Challenge GP kart league schedule soon – our tracks will be run in the opposite direction next season so veterans and new racers alike will be on a level playing field!
Tags: Challenge GP, go kart league, go kart series, indoor go kart racing, indoor karting, indoor karting center, irvine, k1 speed, karting league, orange county, racing series
Posted in Challenge GP, K1 Speed Irvine | 2 Comments »
Monday, December 7th, 2009
With the Top 3 positions and the championship already determined in the 2009 K1 Speed Seattle Challenge GP season, the final round this past weekend was for pride and bragging rights! Series champion and track record holder Randy Olivarez set the fast lap and earned the pole position at our indoor raceway, but runner up Javier Cantu-Lucero earned the second spot on the grid and was looking for the win. Newcomer Austin Treloar impressed everyone with his qualifying time, which was just a tenth of a second off of Javier’s qualifying time, and managed to start from the third spot on the grid in his first ever Challenge GP race! Considering that there was a full grid with 11 drivers, we were pleased to see him so far up the grid and expect to see more out of Austin next season!
Jul-Dec 2009 K1 Speed Seattle Challenge GP Champions - 1st Randy Olivarez | 2nd Javier Cantu-Lucero | 3rd Sean Naslund (not present)
Once the green flag dropped, Javier tucked right in behind Randy and was ready to make a move as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Going into the first hairpin corner, there was some contact in the front of the field which forced Randy wide, allowing Javier to take the inside line alongside. Though it wasn’t the cleanest pass, Javier was able to make it stick and took the lead away from Randy. On lap 14, Javier made a mistake but Randy was unable to capitalize; trailing Javier as close as he was, Randy ended up simply bumping into the back of his kart and lost the momentum he needed to make the pass. The race winner ended up being Javier, followed closely by series champion Randy Olivarez. The battle for third place was close, but in the end newcomer Austin Treloar ended up claiming the final spot on the podium ahead of his fellow novice Challenge GP competitor Brad Herley. It was a great race worthy of the final round of the decade!
December Challenge GP Podium - 1st: Javier Cantu-Lucero | 2nd Randy Olivarez | 3rd Austin Treloar
It was a great year at K1 Speed Seattle for our Challenge GP kart racing league and this was perhaps our most exciting season yet; the defending champion Sean Naslund put up a great fight at the beginning of the season but Javier Cantu-Lucero and Randy Olivarez both stepped up and were extremely competitive all season long. We really look forward to next year and expect to see great things from our regular competitors as well as newcomers like Austin and Brad! Stay tuned for an updated calendar of events in 2010 soon!
Tags: Challenge GP, go kart league, go kart racing, go kart series, indoor go kart racing, indoor karting, indoor karting center, k1 speed, kart racing, karting, karting league, karting series, redmond, seattle
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Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Overall points leader Randy Olivarez went into the penultimate round of the Jul-Dec 2009 Challenge GP season at K1 Speed Seattle with a chance to clinch the title, and it was evident that he wanted the win! Defending champion Sean Naslund unfortunately could not make the race, and thus gave up any hope he had of scoring a second consecutive championship, but Javier Cantu-Lucero could force a runoff at the final round of the season if he took the win in Round 5. The qualifying round would determine the starting order, and very likely the results of the race, so everyone was eager to see who would take the pole position at our indoor karting center!
Javier Cantu-Lucero had a very good performance in qualifying and was consistently fast, but in the end, he was edged out by Randy Olivarez. Clearly looking for the win and the overall championship, the lap record holder on our current track configuration went about dissecting the course corner-by-corner and ended up claiming the pole position for the final race. At the drop of the green flag, Javier did everything that he could to apply pressure on Randy, but his technique wasn’t quite good enough to get him past the race leader. Randy passed the finish line after a dominating drive and claimed the championship for the Jul-Dec 2009 Challenge GP season! Javier came in just behind Randy and earned valuable points for his standings, but in the end his championship hopes were over.
With 2nd place still up for grabs between Javier and Sean Naslund, the final round of the year should be exciting! Stay tuned for more news!
Tags: Challenge GP, go kart racing, indoor go kart racing, indoor go kart track, indoor kart racing, indoor kart racing center, indoor karting, indoor karting center, k1 speed, karting, redmond, seattle, washington
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