When you first get into the state-of-the-art go-karts at Pole Position Raceway, it’s a bit … disappointing. You have no control of the speed of your vehicle for the first few seconds, as all racers are led onto the track on automatic pilot. But just as quickly as you’re wondering, “Is this as fast as it gets?” the autopilot is turned off, and … well, let’s just say you’re bound to be saying something to the effect of, “Holy poop!” (This is a family magazine, folks.) Suddenly you’re hitting speeds of up to 45 mph on the track’s straightaway, always wondering if you want to bother hitting the brakes at all. But of course, you always do, because—and this is the very heart of the experience—you want to get the best time and leave everyone in the dust.
For those racers out there who think they’re going to get away with dirty pool, be warned: If you do anything to affect your fellow racers (turn their car around, crash into one of the guard rails set up around the track, etc.), everything comes to a screeching halt, including your go-kart. It’s a gentle reminder that the top scores at Pole Position Raceway are earned, not taken by force.
Odds are you’ll want to spend most of your time here getting the top track time, but you’ll want to set aside some time to experience Pole Position’s latest addition, Omni Arena by Virtuix, a virtual reality experience contained in a built-in staging area. Its 360-degree motion platforms make you feel like you’re actually a pirate in Blackbeard, a zombie hunter in VRZ, or a military badass in Elite Force.
Safety measures require that all participants book a trip, as only 20 people are allowed inside the 60,000-square-foot building every half hour. (Walk-ins are accepted only within the maximum number of racers per every half-hour time slot.) Happy racing!
4175 S. Arville St., 702.227.7223
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