Remember when the biggest advantage to win a go-kart race depended on if you were lucky enough to get “the fast kart” in the pit? And if you didn’t get that kart it was basically “game over?” For gas karts, that problem would still apply today. The drive linkage and mechanical nature of gas engines make them sensitive to temperature changes. But what if every go-kart race offered every driver equal opportunity to win the race no matter which kart they are driving? Electric karts do that today by measuring the RPM of the electric motors and giving them more (or less) voltage to keep them the same.

Electric karts are so evenly matched that they created a different problem. Operating far below their maximum speed and torque range, the traditional advantage of lighter racers is mostly eliminated by the electronic controls. Yes, some manufacturers give the racers a “turbo boost” once or twice during a race to make passing easier, but for the rest of the race it is more difficult to pass with even basic racing skills.

Power Up Karting from Amusement Products re-invents go kart racing by bringing a video game-like experience to go-kart tracks. Like a Mario Karting™ video game, racers drive over spots in the track to gain or lose speed. Some spots give the racer Power-Ups that win boosts to increase the speed of their kart or to slow down their competitors’ karts. At any given time, a 20-kart race can have 20 different speeds. Each racer is using a combination of driving skill and strategy to “WIN MORE SPEED!”

But which racer won the race? From green flag to checkered flag, Power Up Karting has real-time scoring. There is a large screen scoreboard in the pit that displays each racer’s current score and what position they are in. As they “win speed” and Power-Ups they earn points. If they get slowed down by their competitor, they lose points. The scoreboard also shows the current Power-Up each racer has. With racers running over spots approximately every two seconds, the scoreboard is constantly re-adjusting the positions of each racer. The racer who maintains the most speed and accumulates the most points wins the race! As the drivers enter the pit, the audio system on each kart tells them their position and to check the scoreboard to see their results. Now racers can prove to their buddies that they really beat them!

Long known for innovative technology, Amusement Products utilizes the features of their award-winning operating systems to make Power Up Karting a popular addition to their immersive product lineup. Features such as the built-in audio on each kart that tells each racer what Power-Up they have won and how to use it. If a power is activated that affects other racers, each kart that is affected will play a message that lets the racer know they have been attacked and slowed down. By using the audio system in each kart, the racers stay constantly informed of the status of their kart and the game.

In addition to Power Ups that win speed and slow down opponents, there are areas of the track that should be avoided that slow down all racers. Painted “Mud Bogs” and “Speed Bumps” are strategically placed around the track to make racers drive better by forcing them to choose a better racing line. This has dramatically improved the safety of a track by reducing the number of spinouts and wrecks. For instance, if a racer drives through a mud bog painted in a tight turn of the track, the kart is programmed to automatically slow down to half speed for 4 seconds because they won’t make the turn at full speed from that position on the track. Once drivers learn this, they will swing wide to avoid the mud bog and successfully keep from spinning out!

In Power Up Karting, the combination of strategy and driving skills will win the race. Multiple scenarios are in play around the track throughout the race – maneuvering for position on approach to the key Power Up spots, activating the right power at the right time, avoiding Power Washes and Mud Bogs – it all adds up to the most fun and interactive go-kart track! The “gamification” of the go-kart experience is resulting in more repeat rides and the ability of track owners to charge more per race, making Power Up Karting a win-win proposition!

To learn more about Power Up Karting, go to https://amusementproducts.com/products/power-up/