As Canadian shopping centres continue to evolve, new entertainment concepts are opening up in malls throughout the country.
One example of that is K1 Speed, a state-of-the-art indoor karting facility which has opened at Cambridge Centre Mall and is a collaboration between K1 Speed Canada and Bingemans Hospitality.
“From public racing to group events, K1 Speed Cambridge promises unmatched excitement. Our diverse Arrive and Drive, corporate packages, team building sessions, and customized events position us as a top-tier destination for adrenaline seekers in the region,” said Daniel Zychlinski, Managing Partner of K1 Speed Canada.
Established in 2003, K1 Speed has rapidly grown as North America’s premier indoor karting experience with over 75 locations worldwide, now including three in Ontario.
“Eventually we will start to expand to the other provinces as well,” said Zychlinski.
“K1 Speed is the world’s largest go-kart company and we have tracks primarily in North America. It started in California in 2003 and then it started to expand throughout the U.S. first and then eventually K1 Speed started to go international. Their first franchise location opened in Mexico in 2015 and eventually we obtained the rights to bring it to Canada. There are now tracks in Korea, Europe and South America as well.
“The K1 concept is kind of an upscale version of what go karting used to be. And because we’re electric we have very clean facilities.”
The other tracks in Canada are in Downsview Park in Toronto and in Mississauga on Eglinton Avenue.
The Cambridge location was in a previous ice rink location.
“Normally K1 Speeds are not located inside a mall just because of the footprint that we require. Normally most of our locations are around 50,000 square feet,” said Zychlinski. “So for that amount of space usually we would take over an industrial warehouse and then we would build our track there. That’s where the Toronto location and the Mississauga location are at. They’re actually in industrial warehouses.
“This particular opportunity in the Cambridge Centre is a unique one because we don’t have that amount of availability in commercial spaces that are required for K1 Speed. But this one we’re able to actually convert the ice rink and because it is an open space we actually installed a multi-level track which means we have an overpass. That allows us to extend the track and build a track on a smaller footprint.”
K1 Speed, renowned as North America’s premier indoor karting venue, offers an electrifying experience with Canada’s swiftest electric go-karts that can touch impressive speeds of up to 45 km/h for adults and 30km/h for juniors. Along with the standard “arrive and drive” sessions, K1 Speed Cambridge offers special event nights, racing leagues, and instructional classes, ensuring racers of all skill levels have a platform to compete, learn, and grow.
“The Cambridge Centre offers an incredible dynamic space and superb viewing area. It’s a thrill to watch races unfold from a unique vantage point, with the added delight of food, beverages, and arcade gaming,” said Mark Bingeman, in a statement.
“Our corporate entertaining packages, which include sponsorship opportunities, lunch and learn racing, and tailored events for clients, promise a unique blend of thrill and camaraderie. We are ecstatic to bring elite kart racing back to the Waterloo Region, making K1 Speed Cambridge a landmark attraction.”
K1 Speed Cambridge has an exclusive second-floor viewing platform, offering panoramic views of the racing action. This strategic location, adjacent to Kingpin Cambridge, further amplifies the experience by combining exhilarating races with extensive arcade gaming, bowling, and diverse food options, said the company.
“Now that we have established ourselves in Ontario, we’re looking at other provinces. We normally expand into cities of one million or more people in demographics. Obviously the largest cities in Canada are of interest to us,” said Zychlinski. “Having said that, in Alberta we have Edmonton and Calgary. In British Columbia, we have Vancouver.
“Again we’re looking into different markets to see which is our next move. It is about acquiring the real estate or making sure that we have the right space available and that’s what guides our expansion.”
He said the concept’s core demographic is males between 20 and 35 years old. There’s also a large corporate following with meetings and events.
Bingemans is a leader in the Waterloo Region’s hospitality and tourism and tourism industry. Bingemans is the entertainment destination, multi-use amusement park, camping resort, full-service caterer, and conference centre located in Kitchener, Ontario.
