It's almost time to start your engines.
K1 Speed, an electric go-kart business, is putting the finishing touches on its newest track in the old ice rink at the Cambridge Centre mall.
When the prospect came about to bring the activity to the location, it was too good to pass up for Daniel Zychlinski, managing partner for K1 Speed Canada, and his partner on the project, Mark Bingeman.
It was the mall who initially reached out to Bingeman about the possibility. Having been a go-kart track operator previously and knowing about K1 Speed, he then reached out to Zychlinski.
"When we saw it, we thought 'what an unbelievable opportunity,'" Zychlinksi said.
"We rarely have an opportunity to be inside of a mall. It's hard to work with and make sure the site meets our requirements but this one did. The exposure we get from it is very rare to us."
How the company came to be in Canada is its own story. One that combines a bit of luck and a lot of entrepreneurial determination.
It all started when Zychlinski was driving down the highway in Florida during a family vacation when his children noticed a K1 Speed sign. With a few hours to kill, they decided to check it out.
"They had a blast," he said.
"My middle son for an entire year came to me and asked when we were going back to K1. I told him whenever we're back in the US."
The constant questions prompted Zychlinski, an industrial engineer by trade, to look into the company. As it turned out, it wasn't being franchised at the time.
But that didn't stop his kids from continuing to ask about it and when he decided to look into it again, he noticed a location was opening in Mexico.
"I thought that was really strange," Zychlinksi, who resides in Vancouver, said.
"I picked up the phone and called corporate and they said they'd started to go international, so I asked about Canada. They said they were interested in the market and I negotiated the rights to open."
From there, the first K1 Speed was built in Toronto inside Downsview Park.
Tracks are usually sets up within industrial parks as approximately 50,000 square feet is needed to operate them. However, with the industry evolving and levelled tracks becoming an option, it made the mall a possibility.
"That was a challenge, to take 30,000 square feet and 17,000 square feet of an ice rink and convert it," Zychlinski said.
"The beauty now is the industry has changed where we can introduce multiple levels. Having a bridge here is so unique."
The Cambridge location will be more than just a go-karting experience. It's licensed to sell alcohol and an arcade is set up on the mezzanine.
Zychlinski believes it's important to provide residents with a well-rounded entertainment experience, whether for families or corporate events.
Being part of the mall, it can also help other businesses increase foot traffic.
"It'll bring people by other retail stores," he said.
"There isn't a lot of entertainment around and having Guelph and Kitchener nearby makes it a good opportunity for us. We believe people need this kind of entertainment."
A soft opening is being planned within the next two weeks with a grand opening to follow.
"It's eye-popping," Zychlinski said.
"It's an upscale set up and we believe it's a good attraction."
