Our Story
The Beginning
It started with a dream more than 20 years ago. David and Susan Danglard, two passionate motorsport enthusiasts, shared a bold vision. They believed racing should belong to everyone, not only to professional drivers or those fortunate enough to grow up around racetracks.
Their dream was simple: create a place where anyone could experience the emotion, adrenaline, and joy of motorsport. That dream became reality with the opening of the very first K1 Speed location in Carlsbad, California, in 2003.
It wasn’t just another karting center. It was the beginning of a revolution.
In an industry dominated by gas-powered go-karts, K1 Speed challenged standards by introducing high-performance electric racing, combining cutting-edge technology with premium customer experiences. Clean, fast, exciting and accessible, it would transform the way millions of people discovered motorsport.
From that first facility in Southern California, K1 Speed has grown into a global network of more than 100 destinations, welcoming millions of racers every year across North America, Europe, and Asia.
However, K1 has never been about how many centers we could open. The ambition was always much greater.
The Present
Today, K1 is much more than the world’s largest indoor karting company; it is a global platform where passion meets opportunity.
Over the years, K1 Group, including brands such as K1 Speed, K1 Circuit, Kart 1, and K1 RaceGear, has built one of the world’s most complete motorsport ecosystems, bringing together a total of more than twenty-one companies dedicated to every aspect of the racing journey, from entertainment and technology to indoor and outdoor circuit design, championship organization, safety devices, software, racing gear, and coaching.
With K1 Motorsport, the group expands to cover professional racing through Champions of the Future, sim racing, personal and mental fitness, and media preparation via K1 Driver Development Center, and career coaching, personal branding, marketing strategy, sponsor recruitment, and professional guidance by way of K1 Agency.
The Future
Every day, families create lifelong memories, friends discover the excitement of competition, businesses strengthen their teams, and young drivers take their very first steps toward becoming tomorrow’s champions. Because we believe motorsport changes lives. It teaches confidence, discipline, respect, resilience, and determination.
These are the values that have driven K1 since the very beginning, and the values that continue to guide every new circuit, every new championship, and every young driver who climbs into a kart for the very first time.
Our story started with one center in Southern California. Tomorrow’s story will be written by the next generation of racers.
Welcome to K1.