From racing to gaming and more, Pole Position Raceway is an all-in-one stop for seekers of entertainment. As long as you’re at least 48 inches tall, get ready for an afternoon of excitement, all made as safe as possible at every turn.
Whether you’re an experienced racer or a newcomer, you’ll find plenty to enjoy with Pole Position’s 18-horsepower electric motor go-karts, which can reach speeds of 45 miles per hour. Once you get your helmet on, you’re led to your kart and strapped in. When the race first starts, everyone begins at a preset speed thanks to supervisors with radio controls—and you might for a second think this is as fast as it gets. But fear not; within seconds, the presets are removed and you suddenly feel a blast of g’s. We dare you not to scream “woo-hoo!” when this happens (or some variation of that).
But then you begin actually racing your competitors, and adrenaline takes over. You focus your laser beams on the car in front of you—you’ll do anything to pass them. But be careful; if you cause anyone to spin or turn their car into an obstacle, the entire race team gets slowed down until the kart is back on track. The key here is a careful balance of speed and accuracy. With enough practice, you’ll be overtaking racers in no time.
Their fat, F1-inspired performance radials keep you almost glued to the floor as you take hairpin turns as fast as possible to keep ahead of your fellow racers. Hydraulic brakes, maintained to the highest standards, make slowing down a breeze.
A few laps and you’ll feel like a pro, always itching for one more race so you can try to beat the course record. And fun as it is to race against others, it’s also a blast to view the action from the sidelines, where you can play arcade games and a game of four-way air hockey.
But there’s now something else at Pole Position that’s guaranteed to divert your attention from the race course: Omni Arena by Virtuix, a virtual reality experience like none other. The built-in staging area set up with unique 360-degree motion platforms will make players feel like they’re entering whole new worlds without ever leaving the platform. Games include Blackbeard (you’re a pirate, of course), Elite Force, in which you fight in a combat arena, or VRZ, where you take on hordes of hungry zombies.
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.)
And don’t worry about your safety at Pole Position: Every kart and every helmet is sanitized between each race, hand sanitizing stations are plentiful, all riders receive individual head socks upon check-in, and food service is suspended until further notice.
But the fun factor here is not dampened by the heightened sense of security. After all, it’s just you and your kart—and with a helmet and sock on your head, social distancing is a breeze.
4175 S. Arville St., Races start at $25, 4175 S. Arville St., pre-booking strongly encouraged. Specials include two-hour all-you-can-drive for locals and 40 percent off individual racing. 702.227.7223
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