EKart Raceway is building the country’s first indoor electric go-kart center that will be opening in a few months.
Located at SM City North Edsa City Mall on the 3rd floor, it is just a short walk from the new MRT/LRT/Line 7 elevated transport hub. The total area of the world class track facility is 2,091 sqm. and has a length of 300 meters. The design and layout is composed of different turning radius, speed, and elevations to give an awesome competitive karting experience.
EKart will use Blue Shock Race (BSR) electric karts from Latvia whose e-karts can go as fast as 90kph. Blue Shock Race karts have three basic types – racing, leisure and for kids. David Hsu, the spokesman for EKart Raceway, said that they will be using the leisure kart made for the rental market for now since the track configuration can never reach 120km. Besides, majority of the customers will not be able to properly drive these rental karts to its full potential. Racing karts are very light weight and not meant for the rental business.
Hsu said they compared and tested BSR against all the best in the world like Sodi, OTL, Praga and many others, and it came in first for many reasons. Mostly, it was built robustly to take a lot of abuse. They will also have dual seat karts from Camus for small kids to enjoy with parents or couples who want to go for a fun ride, or with an instructor to learn the basics.”
The overall layout Customer Lounge
“The company is composed of like-minded racing enthusiasts both foreign and domestic who believe in this proven business concept around the world due to the lack of a fun, exciting venue for the whole family within city limits. We also have a long rainy season and months of extreme heat, so this business became a no brainer for our investors,” said Hsu. “We were blessed to have the support of SM in executing our plan, it is a well-known fact that SM is a family lifestyle service provider. We were grateful that SM decided to include us in their expanding list of that vision to provide their customers a thrilling, safe, serious fun venue for the whole family.”
The facility will have proprietary safety barriers and accident sensors, and a remote POS App platform for registration and reservations. When asked about the total investment their group made so far, Inquirer was not able to get a figure but it is running in the 9-digit figure. “It’s way more than that (a hundred million), we want to be the gold standard of any indoor track, by using the latest technology in safety sensors, equipment, POS app platform for minimum physical contact, a sustainable alternative power source with one of the best electric kart in the world (BSR) from Latvia. No noise, no smell of gas, fumes or exhaust, arrive and drive as you are dressed for shopping. We provide all the gears if needed,” Hsu noted.
The target opening date is this coming December but Hsu says they will give the final date when it is closer to that time. Hsu also shared us a video and photos of the actual area they will occupy in SM City North. He said it was part of SM’s department store that has been sectioned off and repurposed for the track.
Clearing operations are now ongoing on site Part of the area being re-purposed for Ekart Raceway
In motorsports, formula race car drivers mostly begin with competitive kart racing. And Hsu says they are already on the lookout for new sites they can consider. “Yes, our plan is to expand to many other viable locations and give opportunities for the Pinoy youth and future generations to achieve their dreams or just want to be a better driver. Like our recent Olympian gold medalists, why not a future Filipino F1 driver or stand proud as winners in international podiums? We might not be the tallest for basketball, but for racing, it’s a huge advantage. They say luck is when opportunity meets preparedness, Ekart Raceway wants to offer that opportunity for those who are prepared to harness,” said Hsu.
Initially, Ekart does not encourage arrive-and-drive walk-ins so keep tabs on updates about this exciting facility in their Facebook page (link here) https://www.facebook.com/EKartRaceway or email them at ekartraceway@gmail.com
