K1 Speed - Indoor Go Karts, Corporate Event Venue, Team Building Activities — Attraction in Laurel

Over the past couple of years, we’ve given the karting facility in Jessup more chances than it deserved, hoping things might improve. Unfortunately, the experience has remained consistently underwhelming. From frequent mechanical issues with the karts to a noticeable absence of effective oversight during races, the problems have been ongoing and systemic.

The recent Junior League event highlighted just how dysfunctional things have become. In every session—practice, qualifying, and the final—at least one kart failed mid-run. Each breakdown halted the session entirely, requiring a swap and restart. These interruptions not only derail the momentum but completely undermine the competitive spirit and enjoyment for everyone involved—especially the young racers and their families. And sadly, this isn’t an isolated occurrence; it’s become the norm.

What stood out even more was the sheer lack of awareness and action from the staff. During the final race, our daughter held the lead for most of the session, only to be hindered twice by much slower traffic. Not once was any blue flag given to alert those drivers, and without any intervention, she lost her lead on the last lap—stuck behind a pack of backmarkers. When asked why no blue flags were used, management claimed that blue flags aren’t employed during final races.

That explanation doesn’t hold up. The company’s own regulations clearly state that when a driver is being lapped, they must maintain their line and let faster racers pass—highlighted by the use of a blue flag with a stripe. Nowhere does it say this doesn’t apply during final sessions. Either the staff hasn’t been properly trained, or they’re deliberately ignoring their own guidelines. In either case, this is a major concern—not just for fairness, but for safety. Disregarding such basic motorsport standards could have serious consequences, legally and otherwise.

At this point, the lack of structure, the poorly maintained equipment, and the dismissive attitude toward both safety and sportsmanship are impossible to ignore. The entire operation feels like it’s coasting without leadership or accountability.

If you’re seeking a karting environment that actually values well-maintained gear, consistent rule enforcement, and knowledgeable staff, we’d strongly recommend looking elsewhere. United Karting has delivered on those fronts, and our experiences there have been night-and-day compared to what’s happening in Jessup.

We’re done giving chances to a facility that refuses to learn from...

We've been coming to K1 Speed Jessup for a couple of years now, and it’s been a consistent stream of disappointment—ranging from poorly maintained karts to an alarming lack of race management and rule enforcement.

Tonight was a breaking point during their Junior League race. In every single Jr. session—including practice, qualifying, and the final race—there was at least one kart that broke down mid-session, requiring a complete stop and swap. These constant interruptions not only ruin the competitive nature of the races, they also frustrate the kids, parents, and disrupt the entire event. This isn’t a one-off issue. It's a pattern we’ve seen time and time again.

More troubling is the incompetence of the staff and management. Our daughter was leading most of the final Jr. race tonight. Twice she encountered significantly slower traffic, and no blue flags were ever shown—not once during the entire race. This directly cost her the win on the final lap, when she was blocked by multiple slower karts with zero intervention from track marshals. When I approached the manager, I was told blue flags are not used during final races, per K1 rules.

That’s false. K1’s own published rulebook clearly states:

11.6 Blue with Stripe – Used when a driver is being lapped by the leaders. Drivers must hold their line, stay predictable, and allow faster drivers to pass without blocking or defending.

There is no clause that exempts final races. This is either a complete lack of training, or intentional misinformation from management. Either case is unacceptable—and dangerous. Blue flags are a fundamental safety and fairness tool in nearly every form of motorsport. Ignoring them is negligent. If injury were to result due to this negligence, a law suit could easily be filed.

There is zero consistency in how this facility is run. The karts are unreliable, the races are chaotic, and the staff appears untrained or indifferent to both safety and fairness. Frankly, it feels like the location is running on autopilot with no quality control.

If you’re looking for a serious, safe, and well-managed karting experience, skip K1 Speed Jessup entirely. We highly recommend United Karting instead, where equipment is better maintained, rules are properly enforced, and the staff actually understands the fundamentals of racing.

We won’t be returning to K1 Jessup....

Unfortunately, K1 was an extremely unsafe experience and the staff did not follow their own protocols resulting in the injury of my child. We went with two other families for a fun day for a friend's birthday. During our first race there were two other young boys placed with our party of 7 children. These two boys were knocking our children into the walls, yelling at them, and waving at them as they passed them in a manner of "haha you are losing." The protocol is after someone bumps someone else they are supposed to wave a black flag at them as a warning and then pull them out of it happens a second time. They never once raised the black flag.

The youngest child in our party was afraid to do her second race because of these two boys. I went to the front desk to speak to the worker about the situation and share about the behavior of these two boys and that my child is now too scared to ride and asked for a refund. He said no. I then encouraged my daughter to do her second race (it's a fortune!) and to ignore the boys. Unfortunately, this was a poor decision because during the second race the boys were placed with us again and they became even more aggressive. One of the boys rammed into my daughter from behind so hard that his cart ended up on top of my daughter’s and she was injured. Nothing by the workers was done at all.

To top it all off the man that was supervising the two agressive boys verbally assaulted another adult female in our group and got into her face screaming at her. K1 should have called the police when this occurred and they did nothing to help us or my child. The workers were literally standing there speechless.

In addition, you have to wait for the cars to be charged in between races, so if it is crowded you are going to be waiting a very long time to ride.

This was our first go cart experience and now our children are scared to ever try it again. K1 needs to better train their employees to follow their own protocols.

I did call and speak to a manager named Christina and she was very receptive to my call. I hope that K1 can learn from the incident so no one...