Rush Hour Karting

Went here for the first time this weekend. Had a blast! It was raining so the indoor track was perfect. Karts go up to 40mph so this is no kid’s play. Check in at the counter and buy a race (8 minutes for $ 20, plus $ 2 for head covering). Typically you’ll have to wait a little while to have your name called. Once that happens you go to the briefing room and watch a short video explaining rules and flags. Then the fun begins! Get your helmet and neck brace and kart and buckle up! The staff is extremely helpful and pretty much does everything for you. They issue you the gear, help buckle you in and adjust your seat and pedals. If you haven’t been here before I suggest taking the first lap slower to learn the turns, then open it up! Don’t think the 8 minutes is too short. It’s a pretty decent amount of time and once you get off you’ll be stoked. You even get to pick up your stats at the front counter to see how your times were and how you ranked in your group (usually 6).
After you come down from your Dale Earnhardt high, stop by the restaurant and get a beer and a slice. It’s a pretty cool place. There are table games everywhere so you can play Jenga or Connect Four while you eat and continue the fun.
This would be a great place to hang out with your friends any time!
*Beware — this can be pretty competitive. I would not suggest bringing young kids unless you reserve a time or bring enough for all 6 slots.
**Also, some of the areas smell like a high school locker room.

Went here last weekend with my boyfriend as a fun date night activity. The staff is so helpful and nice. We both got memberships which are $ 45.00 each and come with a t-​shirt, head sock, 2 races, and 1 race on your birthday, and membership prices on all races. I was a little nervous about racing but HOLY CRAP it was fun. They also serve food, wine, and beer so we sat and had a drink while we watched the Carolina vs. Duke game (Go Heels)! We didn’t eat, but the food smelled good! They also have a pool table which people seemed to be enjoying. Great place overall! We had a good time and it was something different from the usual date night.

I checked their schedule online just before to go. So, places were available. When my son (12 years old) and I arrived, the cashier told me that there were no places before 1h30… She explained to me that the online schedule was a little late. No apologie, no commercial offer, no drink proposed, nothing, she was just waiting what we will decide. We let the place. We’ll try another place and we’ll call before.

Extremely fun for all ages! The karts are way better than any other business like Adventure Landing or Frankie’s. You don’t know go karts until you ride a Sodi. After every race you just keep wanting more (and to beat your lap time). The staff is very helpful and informative of racing rules. Try to get a membership if you plan to return — It will save you lots of money on races!

This is as good as it gets in the ENC! i have traveled 2 hours from the base at cherry point just to race here for an hour or two. I ALWAYS call ahead to see whats going on before finding a sold out or party event there. Staff has always been friendly and been very accommodating. They have so many deals i dont remember the last time i paid full price. Food is standard fare pub/​bowling alley goodness, cool that you dont have to leave to eat or grab a bottle when you are done and catching your breath and trash talking with your buds. Karts are VERY close in performance, if you are seconds off the fastest time of the day/​week, dont blame the karts! Kids races are separated from adults. I only wish they were closer and id be there all the time.
–Gunny T.

The best go karting I have experienced in the United States. An absolutely amazing time and quite a rush. Excellent for adult and teen parties. The bar is good and food definitely works. Call ahead for the best service.

Worst experience ever. I went there with a friend who had purchased a coupon for the place on group-​on and while waiting for our round to start, we ate at the pizzeria in the same complex. While eating our food they started the round without us and when we asked the front desk if there was a solution to this situation, the girl just shrugged, she didn’t even use the English language to tell us no or their policy or anything useful.

I’ve been wanting to visit this place for a long time… I’ve heard such great things. My brother and his friends have been here several times telling me about all of the great experiences they have had here.
Sadly, I did not have that experience.
There was a group of us going on a Saturday night. We checked in and were told there would be a two hour wait, so we hung around at the restaurant to grab a bite to eat. The food was delish! Service was slow though, but the food was good. I’d get those Mac and Cheese Bites again!
We made our way back near the race entrance. We waited for a while and hadn’t heard our names. We asked the girl at the front counter, and she said it’d be at least another 45 minutes before we’d be able to race. Umm… ok. Thanks for letting us know.
We finally got to race, only for my fiancé to get kicked out of his car a few laps into our second race and put in a different car so that the owner could race. After the race was over, the owner starts yelling and cursing at several people in my party. Mind you, this is a family environment where there are signs that state not to yell and curse. He caused a big scene and we ended up leaving. We had races that we had paid for that we hadn’t raced yet… and we just left.
I don’t know that I’ll ever be back. And I will tell people not to go. Not only was there poor customer service, but the owner doesn’t know how to run a business. I would never yell (and definitely never curse — but sometimes I know I wish I could) at a customer. Learn how to run a business, teach your employees good service skills, and maybe I’ll contemplate a return visit.

I went last week and I like that me and my boy friend were greeted by a girl who couldn’t want more then nothing to do with me, and all to do with my boyfriend. This trashy, unprofessional girl will make sure we never return.
It was a fun time, but I was under the impression this wasn’t hooters, it was go kart racing.

Great experience for the 14 year olds. They had a blast with these fast cars. The track is in a warehouse and they could improve ventilation, however, too much exhaust smell in the racing area.
They need to open more doors and keep all the fans on regardless of the outside temps. they were complaining of feeling car sick after the races.

Great fun, though I think they are expensive. They seem to always have a Groupon which is half price or better. Otherwise it is great fun, with really fast go karts, and a friendly staff. I recommend taping your cell phone to your helmet and recording your fun time.

Had a blast! Karts are gas powered and very quick. A very well laid out track good for beginners and experienced drivers. Great food and lots of other entertainment for non drivers. The owner Adam is very inviting and suggest anyone come check this place out.

We had limited time and they were sparsely populated on a Saturday afternoon. We were rookies to the track and they walk you through proper procedure and safety. Stuff like no bumping and ramming other drivers. Common sense stuff.
Someone else mentioned the racy décor in the bathrooms, but it was not porn and just sort of campy. The staff was okay, nice, mostly kids so you get what their wages pay for. No bad experience really.
So the cool thing is the cars are fast. Some dude was telling us you might hurt your back, but I never felt in any discomfort. The cars were really cool and they give you a solid helmet and neck brace so you’re protected. You do a hell of alot of skidding/​drifting with these cars and you have to anticipate the corners.
Not sure if I’d always pay $ 22 a ride, but the membership is designed to get you in there more for less costly rides. Worth it a first time and if I lived close would probably spend the membership money.
Yes, there are lots of video/​arcade games there, which we ignored. Racing was the reason for going.

I take my kids to this place and turn into a kid racing around this track. Complete blast. They’ve done well matching the track technically with the cars they put on it. Complete rush and fun to race against the daily, weekly, monthly best times. We keep coming back for more!

RUDE:
We went for our first visit on a Saturday evening. Unfortunately, I misread their website that they were closed for a private party.
I accept responsibility for not correctly reading their calendar.
When I stepped in to chat with the folks at the counter, they were just sitting around doing nothing, and were surprisingly rude and dismissive.
I think first impressions are very important for any business, and they lost their opportunity to make a good one with me.
We ended up driving 35 minutes to Frankies and had a great time.
They might benefit from modifying their website to have a default view for their online calendar to show a «What’s happening today» type view or something… also so it clearly states «OPEN TO PUBLIC/​CLOSED to PUBLIC» hours.

Worst place customer service Ever! Called first and was told to come in. We arrived with 4 – 6 and was told an hour wait for one quick race, then wait another hour and they might get us in?

FUN! My playmate-​for-​life had a company outing for a Grand Prix circuit. I am completely exhausted but I loved it!
I was a little hungry when we arrived so I had a chicken quesadilla. It was nothing special, but it certainly wasn’t awful, and it was the only thing on the menu that wasn’t deep fried. They seem to have a nice selection of beer, but you’re not allowed to drive a cart if you’ve been drinking, so we just shared a soft drink. They offer free refills which is a real nice touch because driving the carts will dry you entirely out.
We had an assigned starting slot so we didn’t have a lot of time to kill. There are quite a few arcade activities and even a couple of massaging chairs available though, if you need to wait for your race to start.
The racing itself is no joke. You’re taken to a briefing room to get a quick run down on the flags, the signs, and the Grand Prix procedures. Then you get your sexy headsock, helmet, and neck guard. Next, you’re told what number your cart is and you hop into a vehicle with a 200cc engine (juniors drive 160s). An attendant comes by, makes sure your seat belt is on properly, and starts your cart.
Then the light turns green and you’re half hanging on for dear life, half trying to sling a suddenly much smaller than it seemed vehicle around hairpin turns at speeds approaching 40mph, and half examining the life choices that brought you to this point. It’s hot, the industrial fans can’t quite cut the exhaust, and there’s tiny chunks of rubber flying everywhere. And while all this is going on, you’re watching the guys who manage the track with one eye to make sure no flags or signs are waving at you.
Like I said, FUN!
When your race is over, you get print outs of all your laps so you can collect on all the bets you made when you were trash talking with your friends before the race.
The desk staff and the bar staff were very friendly and efficient, but the «pit crew» who manage the track itself are the real rockstars. They keep it moving safely and make sure everyone is having a good time.
Honestly, I doubt I’ll be doing this again anytime soon because I feel like I’ve been repeatedly walloped by a pillow case full of tennis balls, but don’t let my wimpiness stop you from enjoying a go cart outing.

Very fun experience, but I would never pay $ 20 for a 8 minute race. My boyfriend and I came here because we bought a groupon deal, so it was definitely cheaper ($ 15 for 2 8-​minute races).
The experience itself was pretty fun and exhilarating. At the end of the experience, you get a print-​out of your timings — which was really great because we got to see how much we improved from the first race to the second race.
The atmosphere is okay, until you get to the bathrooms. I’m not sure why, but the men’s bathroom is littered with pictures of undressed/​half-​dressed women — even in the stalls. The women’s bathroom is also littered with pictures of women, which doesn’t make too much sense. If they were going for a sexy vibe, then they should know to put pictures of hot men in the women’s bathrooms! This was a huge turn off for me, because we came to go karting, not to sit in creepy bathroom stalls whenever we needed to pee. Serious suggestion to the owner: take down the pictures of women in the men’s bathroom. I’m sure business will still be good — even without the random softcore porn pics (which all have nothing to do with go-​karting). Plus, it’s just downright offensive to women and makes the entire business feel overly exclusive to men. Not cool.
The food is cheap, but yummy eats. $ 8 for 10 wings. Granted, I didn’t actually eat the food — but it was definitely cheaper than other places around here. Nothing healthy, but what can you expect?
The service is just bad. The owner was a bit rude, and the woman who helped us was also pretty rude. I’m really big on spending my money where I feel my business is appreciated, and I did not feel that way about this place at all. We weren’t going to get to ride for an hour, and the woman was really pushy about getting us to stay in the venue for the entire waiting period «just in case» we get called early. Looks like it’s a business strategy, because the lobby area has a lot of games (most 50 cents per game). Quick/​easy way for them to make $$ while we’re waiting.
Also: my boyfriend and I (both people of color) had to wait about 1.5 hours, and were later grouped with an all-​black/​latino group of people. This was sad because some white customers got to ride before us — even though they came after us. I called it before it happened, and unsurprisingly, they actually grouped us with other black/​latino people. Pretty sad.
Until they take down the offensive pictures and revamp customer service, i wont be returning.

Go-​karting at Rush Hour is a combination of excitement, exhilaration, a dash of anxiety, and exhaustion all rolled into one. Okay, so maybe the teenagers don’t exactly feel those last two, but for us (much) older folks, that’s about right.
This place is not at all like the fun-​filled, light-​hearted go-​karting you might find at other theme parks… Rush Hour is serious. Laps are timed. Those times are posted on-​screen as the drivers fly by. Leaders are posted, best times are highlighted. You ‘ll actually get a printout of your times for each lap, the average of all of your laps, and your best timed lap.
Juniors are separated from the adults and there is a reason. While the theme park karts go about 12 mph, Rush Hour carts can get up to 40 mph and the adults are seriously intense. Those carts whoosh by without looking back. It’s crazy! Like a true race track! So, yeah, the kids need to be separated or else they’ll just get run over! (ok, I’m sure they’d never let that happen.)
Unlike theme park karts, if someone wants to pass, you need to let them pass. The staff will stand by the track holding signs like «Move Over» and «No Bumping.» On my first run, I did indeed get flashed the «Move Over» sign… but proudly held my own during my second heat! No signs for me!
And, holding your kart steady in some of those break-​neck turns while going pedal to the metal for up to 12 laps is tough! My husband and I were both super winded after our run. But it is really fun… we can’t wait to go back! My daughter is addicted!
They have a restaurant and bar… but no drinking until you’re finished driving and that is fully enforced. They have some great beers on tap and we had a basket of really tasty fries. You are able to enjoy your food and drink in an observation area beside the track.
On weekends, you may have to wait a few hours before you can drive — it gets super busy. However, there are plenty of video games to pass the time. They also have air hockey and a pool table.
Since this is an indoor track, the scent of burning rubber and exhaust can get strong. But it’s nominal trade-​off considering the fun of the activity!
Rush Hour Karting is a truly unique experience… beware of go-​karting addiction!

— I did not eat at the restaurant — This is a kart racing review only —
I recently became an avid rental kart racer, so when I was making a weekend trip to Raleigh I found out about Rush Hour.
Searching the company website I learned about the membership pricing opportunities. I definitely took advantage of it as I live three hours away, so it made the most financial (cents) sense. Two races, a membership, Free birthday month race, head sock, t-​shirt and weekly member pricing all for a fantastic price — which is not a deal that can be found at the Charlotte area tracks.
This trip took place in September, so I was able to use my birthday month free race on top the two that came with the membership. It made for a fun Saturday afternoon!
I brought my own helmet, but included in the price is a head sock and the use of their helmets and neck braces. The track workers explain the track rules in the meeting room and then assist you in finding the right safety gear. They were helpful and friendly — quite a surprise. I was familiar with the Sodi karts as they are the most commonly used arrive-​and-​drive machinery.
The track is a challenging and fun design. I just wish they would open up the speed limiters on the karts — it would make for even more fun racing!
They have arcade games available to continue pegging the fun-​meter. They also have a restaurant connected to the track, but did not partake in stuffing my face.
Definitely would stop by again if I am in the area.