By Marissa Willman
When childhood friends Kevin Andrews, Clinton White and Troy Strange returned to the Coachella Valley in the early 2000s, they knew it was time to turn their dream of owning a business together into a reality.
“We asked ourselves, ‘How can we create something that’s for everybody?’” Andrews, XIK Racing’s CEO, said.
The lifelong friends decided to look into indoor kart racing, a popular activity in Europe that is beginning to catch steam in other parts of the U.S.
“It’s one of the hottest new trends in racing,” Andrews said.
And after getting the green light from the Cathedral City Planning Commission earlier this month, XIK Racing is pushing the pedal to the metal to bring indoor kart racing to the desert this fall.
Andrews and his partners are currently renovating a former Sam’s Club warehouse in Cathedral City to turn the 50,000-square foot facility into a state of the art facility equipped with over a dozen karts, 35,000 square feet of racing space and 1250 square feet of conference space.
“It’s going to be something the desert’s never seen,” Andrews said.
XIK Racing will be a 100% green company, emphasizing eco-friendly touches such as emission-free electric karts and plug-in stations for electric vehicles. But just because the karts are electric doesn’t mean they don’t pack a punch—karts can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour, offering a safe and competitive thrill.
The family-friendly facility will offer open racing, packages and specials such as “Ladies Night.” In addition, XIK Racing will be able to host corporate parties and retreats, offering an exciting new option for businesses to host private parties, client meetings and workshops. The public will also be welcome to host birthday parties, bachelor and bachelorette parties and other special events at the Cathedral City facility.
And because the race track’s barriers can be removed as needed to create an open event space, XIK Racing’s building can host large events such as festivals, social gatherings and expos.
“We can do proms, concerts…we can do anything here,” said White, XIK Racing’s chief operating officer.
“People now have a place they can completely buy out [for an event],” Andrews added.
The team at XIK Racing is also excited to incorporate extracurricular activities for local youth that will empower youth to pursue educational and professional opportunities through kart racing.
“Our goal is basically to get it going so we can involve the whole community,” White said.
With its grand opening just months away, Andrews said XIK Racing’s sponsorship opportunities are a great opportunity for local businesses to gain exposure with a targeted audience.
“The demographic that will frequent the track are these business’ ideal buyers,” Andrews said. “We’ll have anywhere from 150 to 250 people coming in everyday.”
Sponsorship packages are offered on four different levels, ranging from a basic “Bronze Package” that includes one corporate party, one corporate business meeting and 20 race passes to the premier “Platinum Package” that includes eight track banners, four corporate parties and 80 race passes.
“The exposure and the overall value of the packages? You can’t beat it,” Andrews said.
For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Ivonne Moreno, sales and events coordinator, at (760) 989-0514. For more information on XIK Racing, visit their website at XIKRacing.com.
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