ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 4, 1997 TAG: 9702040073
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
PEOPLE ARE LINING UP to put the pedal to the metal at Roanoke Valley's only indoor go-kart speedway, which opened about two weeks ago in Salem.
In racing, when you catch the fastest path on a speedway, fans say you've found the groove.
Kent Smith may have found his groove in go-karts.
Smith, the owner of Valley Printers Inc. in Salem, had a little extra space in his printing company's building, so he decided to do something a little unusual. About two weeks ago, Smith opened another business - the Thunder Valley Indoor Go-Kart Track.
So what inspired Smith, who's not as big a racing fan as some of his friends, to open the Roanoke Valley's only indoor go-kart speedway?
"A friend of mine and I went to Charlotte to see a couple of Carolina Panthers football games, and he said let's do go-karts at this place down there, and I hadn't been on one since I was a kid," he said. "I found it was great therapy. All the stress went away. I had a ball."
Since its opening, the indoor go-kart track - across from the Salem Valley 8 movie theaters - has taken off like a NASCAR driver at the starting line. Saturday saw crowds of about 400 people, Smith said, and more than 30 people were lined up Sunday after the track had only been open about an hour. A single ride (five minutes long or about 30 to 35 laps) costs $3.50, though there are discounts for multiple-ride tickets. The track is open seven days a week.
Folks jump into the one-seater go-karts, buckle up their chest harnesses, line up on the 100-foot long concrete track, push the green pedal and floor it. The track is well ventilated, with fans and an open but heated garage. The go-karts have been modified with catalytic converters to reduce emissions.
All the go-karts have been custom-painted to resemble famous race cars - from Dale Earnhardt's black-and-red No.3 to Richard Petty's blue No.43. At top speeds the cars reach about 19 mph, which seems fast as the riders rush around the track with their G-force smiles, wind rushing through their hair, jockeying for position.
Each go-kart is protected by a wrap-around bumper, and helmets and goggles are available. Drivers must be at least 8 years old and 4 feet 8 inches tall.
Larry Mills, a foreman at Valley Printers and a big race fan, also works at Thunder Valley, helping the races run safely and smoothly. A Mark Martin fan, he admits that the most popular vehicle at the track is the replica of Dale Earnhardt's car. "It kills me to say that the No.3 is the most preferred," he said, tongue-in-cheek.
What's the secret to finding the groove at Thunder Valley? Mills said it helps to picture the route as a big circle. "The fastest way around it is to run high on the straightaways and low in the corners," he said.
Also, "smaller people go faster than the big people."
"Weight is a big disadvantage," Mills said. "I had a little girl out here the other night racing with me. She blew the doors off me. She made me look bad."
Fans at the track Sunday ranged from teens to married couples like Rodney and Tasha Campbell and Tim and Barbara Janney. The Campbells and the Janneys call themselves "weekend go-kart warriors" and have taken trips to Wytheville and Pigeon Forge, Tenn., for go-karting. They said they're glad to have an indoor track in the Roanoke Valley where they can race all year.
Sunday, each bought an eight-ride ticket for $24. They're all big racing fans. Rodney Campbell, a truck driver for Dominion Graphic Services, races stock cars at the Franklin County and New River Valley speedways. Tim Janney, a technician at J&S Auto Sales & Service, is his crew chief, and they said they're a good team.
Sunday, however, Campbell came in fourth out of five on the track. His wife and the Janneys all beat him. "My kart wasn't up to speed," he said, joking. "It was de-tuned."
His wife, Tasha, a secretary at Roanoke Neurological Associates, came in second. She said her husband's go-kart was fine. "He just couldn't catch us," she said, smiling.
Jesse Long, 14, and his friend Andrew Scharf, 15, both freshmen at Northside High School, tried the track for the first time Sunday.
They both gave it an "awesome" but they're not really race fans, Long said. "We just like to drive anything that goes really fast."
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY STAFF. 1. Ricky Brooks (left) squeezes by Timby CNBJanney to pass him in a curve at Thunder Valley Indoor Go-Kart Track
on Sunday. 2. Kent Smith, owner of the Valley Indoor Go-Kart Track
in Salem, sits in one of his go-karts on Sunday. color.