RPM Celebrates 9 Years of Racing

A lot of businesses have followed in the footsteps of the indoor kart racing attraction on Bradshaw Road.

"When I opened this, there were eight indoor kart tracks in the United States," said Brent Webb, the owner of . "Now there's well over 100 in the United States."

When Webb was doing research before opening the Rosemont business, he had to look elsewhere for inspiration: He visited indoor racetracks in Holland, Belgium, England, France and Germany.

The racetrack is celebrating its ninth anniversary Friday, with discounted races and bands playing at 7 and 8 p.m. The festivities go until 11 p.m.

Webb, a former Outlaw Kart racer, said he has "quite a few" customers who have been coming to the business for all of those nine years.

"They're adrenaline junkies," he said.

Webb said he's also kept RPM up-to-date by improving the business and upgrading the karts, which are now powered by 9-horsepower Honda engines.

He said although business has slowed during the recession, he's considering opening a second or even a third location. Webb, who lives in Granite Bay, said he's eying the Roseville area for a second RPM.

Motorsports have been a lifelong passion for Webb, although his parents didn't think racing was safe.

Webb, on the other hand, started his son racing at the age of 5. He said kids as young as 8 can race at RPM, and anyone younger than 16 is required to take a two-hour driving class before getting on the track.

He said some kids who got early tastes of racing at RPM have gone on to show great promise–NASCAR hopeful Kyle Larson and Alexander Rossi, who is competing in international open-wheel racing.

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RPM Indoor Kart Racing is located at 3130 Bradshaw Rd.