Never heard of indoor karting? Well, Pole Position Raceway (P2R), a new entertainment facility opening next month on Caven Point Road in Jersey City near Liberty State Park, will help you get better acquainted.
Indoor karting is kart racing, a sport in which people drive motorized go-karts similar to the ones at amusement parks. The sport is popular in the U.S. as well as countries like Australia and France.
Pole Position Raceway, when construction finishes, will be an 80,000 square foot facility featuring two quarter-mile tracks and electric emission-free indoor karts capable of reaching speeds of 45 m.p.h. The public can choose from adult karts for racers at least 56 inches tall, or junior karts for kids who are at least 48 inches tall.
“I would say you need get into one of these to understand the experience.” – Karen Farage
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A tour
Last week, the owners of the Jersey City franchise, husband and wife Eyal and Karen Farage, gave the Jersey City Reporter a tour of the still-unfinished raceway. Along with the tracks, the facility will include reserved areas for parties, billiard tables, and video games.
Karen Farage, who worked previously as a software designer, said she agreed with the idea because her husband and her son Andrew (now a sophomore at USC) both did kart racing during a cross-country trip last year, and because of her own recent kart experiences.
“I have been in these electric karts several times, and it’s nothing like anything I have done before,” Farage said. “I would say you need get into one of these to understand the experience.”
Mayor Jerramiah Healy is also looking forward to the opening of the raceway. “With the addition of Pole Position Raceway to our list of attractions, we are fast becoming a premier tourist destination,” he said.
Taking the grand (Prix) tour
Pole Position Raceway is still a work-in-progress. But during a showing of the complex recently, the future layout of the facility was easy to imagine.
The race cars were present, over 60 of them. The tracks aren’t built yet, but the areas are already designated. The mezzanines for special events have already been constructed, and so has a lounge for corporate functions. Steel frames have been installed on the walls for the giant TV screen that will broadcast images of visitors while they are racing. And a “Tailgate café” is close to being built.
According to Eyal Farage, work started in August in the spacious, empty warehouse, owned and leased by Secaucus-based Hartz Mountain Industries. He said the raceway is still on track to have a soft opening sometime in mid-December. The Farages declined to give their construction budget and other costs to get the facility underway.
Along with all the physical elements, Karen Farage said some of the sponsors are already in place, including Coca-Cola, Monster Energy Drink, and local vendors who will provide catering. The latter group includes the Maritime Parc restaurant located in Liberty State Park. Farage said residents will be hired from the area, with 40 employees to staff the Jersey City site.
How it works
When the raceway actually opens, visitors will first have to enter their biographical information at a computer to tailor their racing experience. Then they will check in to get their helmet and to see a video to learn more about kart racing and the safety precautions they have to abide by in order to get behind the wheel.
“Safety is our foremost priority in this operation, and we take it very seriously,” Karen Farage said. “That spans from our cars, which are safe and environmentally conscious, to the 4-point system of safety standard for each rider.”
Once the video has been viewed, then the staff will provide helmet and head sock, and set guests up in their race car so they can satisfy their need for speed.
Farage said the race itself takes 10 minutes, which costs $25 ($20 for members). Various racing packages and membership levels will be available at higher prices for the ultra-competitive.
Farange said P2R in Jersey City is an “experience” that will keep bringing back customers for more.
For more information, visit polepositonraceway.com or call (201) 333-RACE.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.