Reno gets its first multilevel karting track with new Need 2 Speed facility
Jason Hidalgo
- Need 2 Speed, Reno’s only multilevel indoor electric go-kart track, is opening at Northtowne Marketplace.
- The new location features a restaurant and bar, duckpin bowling, mini golf, and an arcade.
- Although smaller than the previous location, the new space offers more amenities and caters to a wider audience, including corporate events and date nights.
Two rows of electric go-karts filled the starting line at Reno’s newest indoor track April 23, plugged into nearby charging stations and ready for launch.
By April 28, the karts will be zipping around the multilevel course — the only one of its kind in Reno — as Need 2 Speed officially opens its new location at Northtowne Marketplace.
For owner Chris Utgaard, it’s a journey that’s been “580 days” in the making, which includes getting through permitting.
“We spent a long time working to try and find the right place,” Utgaard said. “It isn’t an easy process.”
The process included shutting down the existing Need 2 Speed facility at Sierra Town Center in south Reno while timing the end of construction at the new location to minimize downtime.
Utgaard managed to keep the downtime to just two weeks.
Need 2 Speed adds more amenities in new space
Although the space is smaller than Need 2 Speed’s original location, it actually has more amenities, according to Utgaard.
In addition to the race track, the new site also has 12 duckpin bowling lanes that can be used for private and semiprivate events. It also has a 9-hole, game-themed mini golf course, featuring designs inspired by chess, beer pong, air hockey and the game of chance Plinko.
For video game lovers, Need 2 Speed has an arcade zone with more than 40 gaming titles such as Mario Kart, Fast and Furious, and Jurassic Park. The arcade also has Skee Ball and NBA Hoops for guests who prefer more traditional games.
One big change is the addition of on-site food and drink service. This includes an indoor restaurant and bar called Refuel plus a seasonal outdoor beer garden that will be open anytime the weather is nice, according to Utgaard.
New Reno karting karting features food service, event space
Guests got a taste of it during a preopening test April 23, with people sitting down to sample burgers, fries and other menu items. At its old location, Need 2 Speed only served prepackaged fare such as sodas, Red Bull and snacks.
The addition of food service was something Utgaard wanted to do for a long time. When combined with the other new activities now available at the site, it means Need 2 Speed customers now have more things to do, especially when it gets busy and you’re looking at long waits at the race track.
“If I have a hundred people show up in an afternoon and I have a three-hour wait time, there’s nothing for people to do,” Utgaard said.
“I can't sell them food. I don't have other attractions to take up that much time. And so it was a difficult scenario.”
The new site also has space for hosting birthday parties and corporate events. When holding such events, there will be attendees who might not like to race so having other activities such as duckpin bowling and golf plus food and drink gives such guests other things to take part in, according to Utgaard.
New location helps Need 2 Speed compete with big chains
Having a restaurant and bar also helps Need 2 Speed compete with the Reno area’s growing number of game-themed, entertainment restaurants.
National chain Dave & Buster’s, for example, is constructing its first Reno location at the Shayden Summit mall in south Reno. The company confirmed with the Reno Gazette Journal that it plans to open this summer. Other options in Reno-Sparks that offer entertainment with dining include Playfield ’76, Press Start, Round 1, South 40 and Coconut Bowl at Wild Island, which also has indoor racing.
If you do decide to imbibe in some alcohol at Need 2 Speed, however, you will need to do it after you’re done karting.
“No alcohol before you drive,” Utgaard said. “We do enforce that tightly.”
Speeds for the adult karts used by Need 2 Speed, for example, can reach up to 50 mph, which is twice the speed of the facility’s slower youth karts. This makes drinking before driving a safety issue.
Need 2 Speed also does not have two-seater karts, which means really young children won’t be able to race. The minimum height requirement is 48 inches or 4 feet.
The first multilevel karting track in Reno
What Need 2 Speed does have is the first multilevel track in Reno, according to Utgaard. In addition to allowing more exciting uphill and downhill sections, using a multilevel track means paths can cross freely at different elevations. This allows for a longer track in a smaller space. The space benefits from using a multilevel track are crucial given that the overall square footage for Need 2 Speed has been reduced from 50,000 square feet at the previous location to 45,000 square feet at the new location.
“Because we’ve utilized our space much more wisely, it actually feels bigger,” Utgaard said.
At the same time, Need 2 Speed isn’t just about karting anymore.
Utgaard hopes that the new amenities will help his business compete in Reno-Sparks’ growing entertainment restaurant scene by attracting a larger audience.
“We’re a little more upscale, a little more adult friendly,” Utgaard said. “So we’re not purely just for kids, but a place where people can come for corporate events and date nights.”
“Obviously we’ll still do kids’ birthday parties but a lot of it is oriented towards more of a young adult crowd or corporate event crowd,” Utgaard added.