Kart Indoor Monaco has been forced to close its doors after 10 years to make way for electric charging stations for the Principality’s fleet of municipal buses.
Kart Indoor Monaco, the popular winter attraction that had taken up a whole level of the Pêcheurs carpark for nearly a decade, is no more.
Over the years, this beloved driving course has enticed F1 stars including Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Mika Häkkinen, Nico Rosberg and David Coulthard, not to mention slews of motoring enthusiasts young and old just looking for a fun day out behind the wheel.
E-CHARING STATIONS REPLACING TRACK
The news was announced on 27th November by manager Clivio Piccione via social media, who said, “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the definitive closure of Kart Indoor Monaco. After more than 10 years of activity, we are obliged to leave this place… The parking service, having a need for additional space as the Principality makes its energy transition, has decided to equip the carpark with charging stations for its new electric buses. We must therefore leave room for this work and for what follows.”
Whilst the closure here is definitive, the Kart Indoor Monaco team has hinted that they might have something else up their sleeves, optimistically declaring, “The story doesn’t end there, obviously we have other plans. A page turns, but another chapter will open.”
According to the Monaco Matin, Piccione had put off making the announcement that the track would be closing for several months in the hopes that a solution could be found or, barring that, that Kart Indoor Monaco would have been allowed one last season to bid a proper goodbye to their loyal clientele.
Furthermore, the French language newspaper has reported that the closure has put the karting business in a bit of a pickle financially as “substantial investment” had been made for a renewed fleet, batteries and fast charging stations only recently, and four employees have had to be let go.
GOVERNMENT’S TAKE
A statement from the Department of Equipment, Environment and Urban Planning that was published recently by the Monaco Matin indicates that the decision to close the track was based on the government’s overall commitments towards reducing CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030 and to be carbon neutral by 2050.
“This new technology requires buses to be recharged at night at depots located in strategic areas of the Principality, namely in Fontvieille, in the future Salines carpark and at the Pêcheurs carpark, which makes it possible to optimise journeys to and from terminals,” reads the statement.
The Department also highlighted how it was necessary “to keep the ground floor of the Pêcheurs carpark free for tourist coaches, of which we have noted a strong increase [in numbers] compared to 2022.”
The government has reportedly said that it isn’t insensitive to the plight of Karting Indoor Monaco, nor does it want to lose this activity so adored by locals, and has said that there are hopes the track and facility can continue at another location in the future.
“We are well aware that this activity was popular with young people and families, and searches for alternative sites will continue for this purpose,” concluded the published statement.
For now, though, there will not be any karting this winter in the Principality. For a place known worldwide for its Grand Prix and Formula 1 legacy, that is a sad thing indeed.
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Photo source: Kart Indoor Monaco, Facebook