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CONCESSION CORNER
ARCHIVE 10-01-00

Planning A Concession Go-Kart Track
By Paul L. Zellar

There are many decisions to make when planning to build a new concession go-kart track. The first thing to consider is how good of a market there is in the area your facility will draw from. This is usually the number of people living within a 10-mile radius in a residential area. A good feasibility study of your location will estimate the revenue a go-kart track will produce on your site, thus determining how much is practical to spend on building and equipping your track. The following are steps in the process of planning your track, once you have an idea of your budget.

Selecting The Go-Karts
Do not attempt to design your track until you know what kind of karts you will be running, how many will be on the track at peak times, and at what speeds. Knowing your budget and who your target customer is will give you an idea of which type of karts to purchase. Evaluate whether your target guest is from the family, teen or adult group. This will dictate speed and the type of kart you will want to purchase.

Check the references of all manufacturers and drive their products on an operating track before making your final selection. Don't rush into a decision based on how the kart looks in a brochure and be sure that they are easy and fun to drive. Some other things to evaluate are frequency of repairs, ease of getting into and out of the kart, and safety harnesses and padding.

When ready to purchase, make sure you tell the concession kart manufacturer your tracks opening schedule so he/she can reserve production time to accommodate your order. An order will normally require a deposit of 25% to 50% of the total purchase price. More than one facility has been ready to open except that the karts were not delivered in time as not enough lead time was allowed.

Planning The Track
Now that you know what kind of go-karts will be running on your track and at what speed, it’s time to hire a track designer to work with you and the manufacturer on the design and layout of the track. The kart manufacturer will be more than happy to give you a list of track designers they have worked with who know their design criteria. A word to the wise - Do not use an engineer or architect that has no experience in go kart track design as a poorly designed track can be a disaster to your business.

There are many tracks in operation today that must overcome a poorly designed track by adding an extra attendant to a bad section of track, reducing the number of karts on the tracks, or slowing down the go-karts to maintain safety. The combination of go-karts and track are a dynamic amusement ride and must be designed to run smoothly and be a fun experience for guests. A go-kart track is not a roadway or a driveway -think of it more like a miniature roller coaster.

A well-designed track will incorporate an adequate barrier system, track length, turning radii, banking, length of straightaway, up and down slopes, drainage system, drive-by visibility, landscaping, and lighting. The design must efficiently use the land available, while maintaining a safe, fun ride for guests that is not too difficult for the crew to operate.

Avoid getting caught up in the notion that, since you have a lot of land available, you can build a larger track. Most of the manufacturers recommend a track length of 40 linear feet per go-kart, meaning that if you are running 20 karts at once on the track, the ideal length should be about 800 linear feet. When tracks are too long, the go-karts tend to get strung out and separated, which takes away from the fun of driving the track. Customers will stop or slow down to let their friends catch up so they can “race” together. Longer is not always better with concession track design.

Planning The Pit Area
The go-kart track’s pit design is nearly as important as the track design in making your facility financially successful. Strategically locate the pit so that there is a clear view of the entrance from the common area of the park so that once a ticket is purchased, guests can easily find it. Also, try to position your pit so that is accessible to your maintenance building, as periodic maintenance and fueling are often required to be done. The pit area must have adequate capacity for the karts you are ordering and any additional ones you may need in the future.

In most concession go-kart facilities, most of the annual revenue will be generated on weekend evenings between May and September. In order for you to be successful, you must design your pit so that when there are lines of people waiting to drive, you can get them through the ride cycle as quickly and efficiently as possible. Guests that are waiting for long periods of time not only are not spending money, but are also not having fun and may think twice about getting in line again after driving your track.

The most efficient method for guest throughput is called “double pitting”, which means that while one group of karts is running, another group is loading. As soon as you get the track cleared of the first group, the other is released from the pit area. After the second group is released, the first group then is allowed exit their go-karts and a new group is loaded into the just-emptied karts, ready to go when the track is again cleared. Double pitting requires two sets of karts and pit lanes, but is necessary to make the maximum dollar per hour when the opportunity arises.

Islands
There is disagreement among track designers on the issue of raised concrete islands separating lane is the pit area versus an open pit with only paint striping to delineate the pit lanes. Raised concrete islands can be an impact hazard to guests seated in the go-karts that are coming off the track and should be guarded by tire spinners, which deflect go- karts from a direct impact on the end of the island.

On the other hand, your employees need raised islands for protection when go karts come off the track too fast. I have designed pits both ways and prefer raised islands.

Other elements of a well-designed pit area includes a childproof barrier between queue lines and the pit area, adequate overhead lighting, a public address system to brief drivers, track rule signage that is readable from the queue lines and pit gates to keep that karts on the track. There also should be a waterproof covered canopy or structure to keep the karts dry in the event of rain. A control console for the remote shut-off system should be located on the track side of the pit area where employees operating it can view the entire track. If you are building a large pit consider adding a compressed air line, water hose bibs and electrical outlets for your maintenance crews.

Planning The Maintenance Area
The good maintenance area consists of a shop building, an outdoor concrete apron for kart repairs, room for storage and an above-ground fuel tank. All of these should be located “backstage”, away from the main guest viewing area and accessible to delivery trucks. There should also be good access to the pit areas so the karts can be rolled in and out for repairs.

A 1,000 square foot shop building with another 1,000 square feet of outdoor service area is adequate for servicing a single track. Make sure the shop building has enough storage capacity for essential spare parts to get disabled karts up and running again as quickly as possible when parts supply houses are not open. Remember that your peak revenue-producing time is weekend evenings and the karts that is down for repairs is the most expensive one you have since it is not making money for you.

Conclusion
Use common sense when it come to planning your concession kart track and avoid the mistakes others have made. Above all, make sure that driving your track is a safe, fun experience so that guests will tell their friends and return again and again.

About the author: Paul Zellar is a consultant specializing in design, development and risk management for Family Entertainment Centers. For more information, contact him at Zellar Consulting LLC, 1801 Sumac Drive, Flower Mound, Texas 75028 USA. Phone: 972-355-1967 or by e-mail: pzellar@worldnet.att.net .

END

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