Now that we have the first track experience in the books for my 4 year old (big thanks for the help @akmanraa!) we are looking to join a club for 2025. I think my 4 year old, 6 year old, and I will do enough practice days to justify a membership next year, but I can’t figure out which to join.
What should we be considering when deciding on a club? Distance-wise, we’re kind of up a creek regardless (Laguna Seca, darn you for not having a kart track!) and for Kinsmen/Blue Max we’d be paying a $17 toll every time we go. Am I correct that Sonoma doesn’t have a club?
I didn’t mind the drive and time in the car with the kiddo, but the 35 gallons of gas was a bit eye-watering! haha. I forgot how much that trailer catches the wind.
Those tracks you listed are my local tracks and all of them are honestly great for completely different reasons. Little 99, Kinsmen, and Blue Max (not sure about Santa Maria) all have the advantage of being given key/code access to the track, typically 6-7 days a week, so you can show up at almost anytime that is convenient, and even have the chance of having the whole place to yourself or just one or two other (particularly on the week days). Also, their club fees are about as low as you can hope for (around $350-400 a year for a family membership).
Prairie City is unique compared to the previous three tracks as it’s a privately owned track which is leased on government property, and holds the biggest club races in the northern region besides Sonoma and is quite a bit busier on average. There is a kart shop on site, which is staffed by very knowledgeable people. You can also rent trailer/container space to keep your stuff there and not have to transport it back and forth. It’s more spend-y than the three tracks listed above, but it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison so it just depends on what you’re looking for.
One thing worth mentioning about all four tracks above is that they are some of the tightest kart tracks you’ll find anywhere. Mixing in Santa Maria and Sonoma, which are both higher speed tracks (and more typical of ‘most kart tracks’ in the US), is a good idea for driver development purposes.
I’ve been to Kinsmen to watch a race with my kids a few months back and to be honest, I was a bit turned off by the experience. The folks working there were in a bit of a tizzy and were pretty rude. All we did was go up to the booth to pay so we could watch the race (which ended up having a whopping 4 karts) but they were acting like we were disrupting them. Seeing some of their interactions on their Facebook page lead me to believe that might not have been a one-off.
With that said, I’m leaning towards Blue Max based on the price and some of the anecdotal feedback I’ve heard about them. Little 99 would be cheapest (no bridge toll) and easiest (closest) but after spending my youth visiting family in Stockton…I’m not so sure about the surrounding area? The last time I was there my friend parked next to me had his catalytic converter stolen. haha
So, one of the things to understand about Kinsmen, Little 99, and Bluemax is that they’re not for-profit organizations. They’re all volunteer based (actually I think Stockton is technically ‘owned’ by an entity, but they’re not run in a commercial way at all - it looks and feel like a club track). While this type of structure leads to some advantages sometimes over the more ‘commercial tracks’, it does come with the idiosyncrasies that all ‘grassroot kart clubs’ come with so for anyone looking for turnkey anything or ‘customer service’, I recommend sticking to commercial tracks.
If you’re leaning toward Bluemax, I won’t discourage you. I have been a member off and on for several years and have a lot good to say about the track and the people. (the reverse direction configuration that cuts out the hairpin is probably my favorite track configuration I’ve ever driven)
Stockton, yeah, I was pretty much praying not to break down anywhere between the freeway and the track. Once at the track parking lot, it feels more than fine, but the surrounding area is a little sketchy for sure.
I guess another thing to know about Little 99 and Dixon is that karters and MiniMoto split track time. Usually it’s not a big deal, but is worth knowing.