Culver City Season Opener

Southern California’s first indoor multi-level kart track opens the championship. The elevation change, LED barriers, tight hairpins, and short acceleration zones reward drivers who look beyond the corner in front of them.

October 10, 2026Culver City, California

Surface

High-grip indoor

Layout

Multi-level

Karts

20 hp electric

Character

Hairpins + elevation

How it went

Toudiee converts pole into the opening win as Tuason finishes four hundredths off his best lap.

Ten drivers opened the 2026–2027 season on the multi-level indoor layout at K1 Speed Culver City with a practice session, a qualifier and a 14-lap final. Practice set the tone at the front: Greg Kehoe posted the early benchmark at 32.210, with Hessam Toudiee (32.423), Mike Tuason (32.496), Ian Hedge (32.568) and Jason James (32.693) all within half a second.

Toudiee found the time when it counted in qualifying, dropping to 31.603 to take the fastest-qualifier point from Tuason by 0.213. Jim Hunter jumped to third on the grid at 32.057, ahead of Kehoe and Hedge, and the top seven qualified within 1.2 seconds of each other.

The final was decided on consistency rather than a single lap. Toudiee won with a 31.593 best and a 32.532 average over 14 laps; Tuason ran him close all the way, finishing second with a 31.636 best, just 0.043 slower, and an average of 32.529 that was fractionally quicker than the winner's. Kehoe completed the podium ahead of Michael Cervantes, Hunter and Hedge. James set the third-fastest lap of the race (31.972) but was classified seventh, while Hovik Grozian, Dale Berman and Carlo Abesamis rounded out the field.

Venue briefing

K1 Speed Culver City

Address

3960 Landmark St, Culver City, CA 90232

Championship format

Early-afternoon opener on K1's indoor two-level circuit.

K1 Speed Culver City track and facilities

Track reconnaissance

Track map

Learn the shape first.

Official venue map or aerial. Confirm the race-day direction and configuration at drivers’ briefing.

Official K1 Speed Culver City multi-level track map

Driver line guide

Build one clean lap.

Dry qualifying reference

Corners 1–5

Open the first complex rather than pinching the inside. A patient entry straightens the kart earlier and protects momentum onto the climb.

Corners 6–10

The kart unloads as the grade changes. Keep steering inputs calm, use the full road, and sacrifice the first apex when two corners are linked.

Where the lap is won

Elevation changes grip

Load moves through the chassis on the ramps. Sudden steering at a crest creates scrub; smooth hands preserve speed.

Plan one corner ahead

Several bends arrive as sequences. The fastest-looking entry is often slower if it leaves the kart stranded for the next apex.

LED barriers distort reference points

Choose fixed braking markers—posts, seams, or marshal stations—instead of changing light patterns.