LeMans Karting Fremont officially closes after serving the Bay Area community for 15 years

The last race at the indoor/outdoor karting facility was a 2.4 hour-long enduro

LeMans Karting in Fremont, Calif. announced in a series of posts and events earlier last month they would be closing its bay doors to racing for good. After 15 years serving Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area community, if racing fans, thrill seekers, and families want to battle it out on the track, they must head to the franchise juggernauts at K1 Speed 20 miles away in Santa Clara.

This gradual closing was sort of a shock to fans of this Fremont location considering they just re-opened after a being closed since March to keep in line with state regulations.

Check out some posts from their 2.4 hour enduro below including a handful of videos showcasing why this place was a step above the rest.

According to The Greer Today,

Founded in 2005, LeMans Karting started when owner and racing enthusiast Rick Gaan purchased the company’s Fremont, Calif., location to save it from the previous owner’s neglect. Gaan owns three karting facilities, the latest in Portsmouth, Va.

With brief stints as an indoor/outdoor track between 2003-2014, the Mega track, as it came to be known, took the already twisty turns of their indoor facility and added a handful of turns, extending the track through the rear bay doors.

This addition lengthened the straightaway to the delight of karting fans, as these European-style gas-powered could hit 50 MPH easily, just a tad faster than the electric karts at K1 and Umigo.

This was LeMans Karting’s claim to fame, one of the nation’s few indoor/outdoor combos.

As for the fate of LMK Fremont, according to LMK on Instagram, “the building was sold.”

A quick Google reveals this location has always been zoned as light industrial and manufacturing. Before LeMans Karting took over in 2003, the facility was home to a packing and crating company for the good part of two decades.

This is not the end of the LeMans Karting brand, far from it. Gaan has two other locations; one in Spartansburg, South Carolina and the other, as mentioned, in Portsmouth, Virginia.