Mushroom Rally
DETAILS:
Location: (2019 Los Angeles Location) K1 Speed; 19038 S Vermont Ave, Gardena, CA 90248
Hours of Operation: Various dates and locations around the country. Please see website (below in “resources”) to see if they’ll be in a city near you.
Parking: For the K1 Speed location; free parking lot.
Cost: $55. Includes 1 race (14 laps) and choice of costume during race, which is NOT yours to keep.
Time Commitment: 1 to 2 hours
For those of us of a certain age, many an hour was devoted to playing Mario Kart after school. Hell, I’m sure there’s plenty of us who still play it today. Nothing provided more joy than firing off a heat seeking red shell at that opponent in front of you in order to eke out a win in Bowser’s Castle. That, my friends, is living. But if you’re in need of a little more satisfaction, you can make your way to a Mushroom Rally to get your Mario Kart fix on this side of the TV screen. And while it may never compare to the real life Mario Kart action happening on the streets of Tokyo, because… well Japan, it finishes solidly in second place which is still good enough to get you onto the winners’ podium.
I suppose now is a good time to interject some transparency. In the end, we’re only talking about a souped up go-karting experience here. You don’t get to collect any magic weapons to use against your fellow competitors, and you’re not racing along some rainbow colored road twisting off into the night sky (can you imagine how long that waiver would be?). Instead you’ll be utilizing your Mario Kart skills in a standard go-kart on a standard go-karting course. But there’s something about zipping around a track decorated with those famous giant mushrooms while dressed in a Mario costume, complete with mustache, that will definitely have you yelling “WAHOOO!” as you maneuver each turn with a gigantic smile on your face. And also, it’s go-karting! If you can’t find any fun in that, I don’t even want to know you.
The 2019 edition kicked off in Los Angeles this year (the first of 16 cities), taking place at K1 Speed in Torrance throughout the month of March. As if coming in first (by recording the fastest lap time over the course of 14 laps) in your own race and taking your rightful place on the podium wasn't prestigious enough, greater stakes are actually at play here. The 16 city circuit culminates with the Mushroom Rally finals in Las Vegas with each city’s top finishers (along with 4 other racers selected throughout the country as detailed on their website) competing for the overall title! Alas, I finished a distant 7th place in my own race so that championship will have to wait for another year. Until then, I’ll be practicing on my Wii.
