Start your engines: PowerPlay indoor go-karting track opens in Welshpool
Adrenaline-fuelled racing is roaring into Welshpool with the opening of electric indoor go-kart venue PowerPlay on Thursday, with the designer promising drivers the most ambitious circuit yet.
Called The Proving Ground, this course is PowerPlay’s first clockwise course and also features over 200m, nine corners, including a banked corner that adds an extra dimension of challenge, and two signature levels from the brand.
PowerPlay founder and track designer Glenn Macneall, a professional racing co-driver of 25 years and three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion who has personally tested each track, said it was inspired by the fast and unforgiving rally stages in the UK.
“When designing a circuit, the important thing is to try to emulate some of the corners I have experienced in my rallying life,” Macneall said.
“The British rally stages are very fast and so this circuit is fast and flowing, a little bit technical, a little bit challenging. That’s why we called it the Proving Ground because it’s a little harder and a little more technical than the other tracks in Perth.”
He said the clock mechanism was determined by the shape and location of the building, which presented another point of difference.
“There are a lot more corners on the right than on the left,” he laughed.
“When we design a track the first thing we (think about) is safety and then how can we make it as fun as possible. So there’s more tracks at level two than any other track in Perth, there’s three corners at level two compared to two in Malaga and we have a banked corner that slopes upwards and gives a completely different feel.”
Macneall said the goal is to deliver a different driving experience on each PowerPlay track.
He believed the location on Welshpool Road, where tens of thousands of cars pass each day, was ideal.
“Go-kart venues have traditionally been tucked away in the back of an industrial area, and we want to make it easier for people to come, from 10-year-olds to the parents who bring them, to adults,” he said.
“We really wanted to get in here; the tracks and karts have been here since Christmas.
“What I enjoy most is seeing people get out of the go-karts, take off their helmets and everyone acts like little kids. Our team tested the track the other day and they came out laughing, so I’m pretty sure this race will live up to expectations and people will love it.”
Macneall launched PowerPlay in Joondalup in 2020, followed by centers in Bibra Lake in 2022 and Malaga in 2024; Welshpool became the fourth venue in Western Australia and the seventh venue nationwide.
It uses modern electric go-karts that provide instant power and acceleration without exhaust fumes, and the karts can drift and turn. and although they don’t go that fast on the tracks, they can reach speeds of up to 70 km per hour.
In addition to two levels of track, PowerPlay also features electronic amusement games and a mezzanine party area.
It employs more than 150 people across the country, more than 100 of whom are in WA, with Welshpool creating a further 25 new jobs.
More than 682,000 people have competed at PowerPlay’s three existing venues in Perth over the last five years.
Bookings are now open for the venue on the corner of Welshpool Road and Pilbara Street: powerplay.com.au.
Fast forward to plans for PowerPlay indoor go-karts in Welshpool
