Best West Coast Karting Tracks in the USA

The United States of America is home to plenty of go-kart race tracks. However, the common assumption is that the majority of these tracks are on the east coast. AMR-Homestead in Florida, GoPro Motorplex in North Carolina, and Atlanta Motorsports Park in Georgia are some of the many tracks the east coast has to offer. But make no mistake, the West Coast has a lot of quality race tracks. With that, here are six of the best west coast karting tracks to start your motor racing journey.

1. Phoenix Kart Racing Association (Glendale, AZ)

PKRA is without a doubt one of the most technical circuits on this list. With 12 turns, slow corners, and a long straight, it is important to be on point and make as few mistakes as possible.

Starting with turns 1-3, it is crucial to position the kart not only for the corner you will tackle, but also the corner after it. A short straight then leads into turn 4, a quick left hand bend. The circuit then flows to the left before making it to the fast esses. We now enter the hardest braking zone and an overtaking opportunity opens up.

Now comes the fastest part of the track which provides an overtaking opportunity at the Daytona corner (Turn 10). It is possible however that at the kink, drivers may go for a move. To end, drivers have two more chances to make a switchback overtake at 11 and 12 before dashing to the finish.

In regards to overtaking opportunities at this track, they are most certainly few and far between. So be sure to keep close to the pack such that when the opportunity to overtake opens up, you can send one up the inside.

PKRA races in both directions which challenges the drivers to different layouts each time they race there.

2. Musselman Honda Circuit (Tucson, AZ)

Aside from being the track that is adjacent to the iconic Tucson speedway, the Musselman Honda Circuit is a 12-turn high-speed track. Despite this, overtaking opportunities are possible and slipstreaming is key.

Coming from the main straight, the first two corners of the circuit provide chances for overtaking. After making it through Musselman corner (the corner name of the second turn in this track), a long straight will follow before turn three which is a light kink. Make sure you are ready to brake as turn four, known as the Vyborny complex, will come up quickly. This circuit’s technical section comes up next as Lowell’s S will then follow (Turns 5-7) before a short straight leading into the G-Kurve (Turn 8). Now comes the best part. Turns 9-12 provide multiple overtaking opportunities due to the long straights which end with a low to medium speed corner.

Lastly, be sure to get a good exit off the final corner in order to avoid any overtakes in the main straight.

With the amount of high-speed sections in this track, the driver must always be on their toes for any possible overtakes. Because as long as you can keep up in the esses section, overtakes are bound to happen.

3. Utah Motorsports Campus (Grantsville,UT)

Utah’s premier go-kart track is one full of technical corners and is one of the most scenic in North American karting with drivers being greeted to snow top mountains as a backdrop. And with a distance longer than a mile, it serves as a true test for any driver. There are over 24 different layouts of UMC, however we will only put emphasis on the main layout.

Coming from the main straight, where shifter karts are nearing 100mph, turn 1 is a relatively hard braking zone. Momentum is key through the following corners with this flowing layout. Overtakes are possible as long as the driver is positioned correctly. After the fourth corner which is a medium-speed flowing corner, this spits the driver out onto one of the track's fast sections, after which follows a chicane and onto a hairpin.

After this comes another hairpin, which is often the last opportunity to overtake over the course of one lap. This is because what follows is a short but swift esses section leading into another double apex corner onto the main straight.

UMC is certainly not short of any technical corners. With so many different corners in this circuit, this track serves as one of the most difficult in this list. Drivers are greeted to multiple layout changes at club and regional racing, with the full layout being used predominantly for national events.

4. Brand New K1 Circuit (Winchester, CA)

K1 is known to have many tracks all across North America. Ranging from indoor to outdoor circuits, K1’s list of go-kart tracks is truly diverse. This track in particular however, is a cut above the rest. Being the newest addition on this list, this 13-turn kart track is one of K1’s biggest tracks to date.

With it still in the completion phase, drivers will be on track shortly to experience one of North America’s premier karting facilities. Rental karts will be on hand to welcome newcomers as well as families, to get a taste of what karting is about. This circuit will help drivers in the California region having recently lost their local track at LAKC.

5. Adams Motorsport Park (Riverside, CA)

The Adams Motorsport Park is a kart track created all the way in 1962 by Troy Adams, making the track a family-owned one. This track consists of 13 corners, and just like the other tracks on this list, is yet another high-speed track. With multiple sweeping corners and long straights, a lot can certainly happen. At the same time, this track also has its slow and technical corners, providing a challenge for all drivers.

Beginning a lap in this track is different compared to the other tracks on this list as the first corner comes up quickly. Turns two and three are crucial to get right as they throw the driver off the ideal line heading into turn 4. After the long back straight is a long flowing, double-apex corner. What follows is a straight that isn’t really a straight as there are slight kinks and high speed corners spread throughout it. Similar to turns 2-4, it is important to get turn 9 right as turn 10 is a hairpin that comes up quickly. After this is the best opportunity to overtake as turns 11-13 are slow corners that provide overtaking opportunities and switchbacks. Because of this, it leads to very close margins heading onto the main straight.

Adams Motorsport Park certainly does not disappoint. With a unique sequence of corners, high speeds, and close wheel-to-wheel action, it is certainly a jack of all trades.

6. Sonoma Raceway Kart Track (Sonoma, CA)

Known as California’s longest kart track, and the neighbor to Sonoma Raceway, this 13-turn Kart Track is a true test for any go-kart driver. The most unique part of this track is the sheer length of the main straight. That is more than an indicator that in this track, you are in for a high-speed affair.

The first corner presents a massive overtaking opportunity. It is important to be cautious however because coming from the long main straight, slowing down may be a struggle which can cause lockups and make you run off the circuit. After this comes what is called the tic-tac-toe sequence (turns 2-4), which is a series of slow 90-degree corners. The track presents three overtaking opportunities. One at Laguna (turn 6), one at Kramer (turn 9), and one at Monaco (turn 11). A quick right-hand kink follows before the final corner known as the maker.

Fitting to the track’s location, Sonoma Raceway’s Kart Track is certainly the wild west of kart tracks. With so many overtaking opportunities, anything can happen in the span of one lap.

And that concludes six of the best karting tracks the West Coast in the USA has to offer. All of them are certainly a challenge in their own right, all requiring different approaches in order to master them. It may look intimidating, but fear not because Kart Class has got you covered!

Kart Class offers track guides for some of the tracks mentioned in this blog and more. With ideal racing lines, braking zones and acceleration points, we offer drivers the exact marker to be fast.