JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers THE DUDE ABIDES—Thousand Oaks resident Jeff Bridges speeds around the track at MB2 Raceway on Monday. The karts, imported from Italy, are battery-powered and extremely quick. Whoever said there's nothing fun to do in the Conejo Valley probably hasn't had a chance to visit the MB2 Raceway in Thousand Oaks.

Truly a one-of-a-kind sporting venue for the area, MB2 Raceway, which sits in a 60,000-square-foot industrial building near Amgen, opened six weeks ago and has quickly gained popularity.

High performance electric karts are the main attraction here.

Freshly imported from Italy, the karts can top out at 50 to 55 miles per hour in optimal conditions, said MB2 Raceway manager Sean Gucci.

The karts also come in a junior size for those 48 inches or taller—riders must be at least 57 inches tall to race the regular karts. Junior karts are half the size and run at half the speed.

"People don't expect the karts to be as fast as they are," Gucci said. "But then they get in and they're really surprised at how fast you can get going in an electric kart. . . .

"Plus they're not using gas; they're not dirty, it's clean. It's all battery-powered."

Inside the building is a 1/4mile zigzagging race track where karts fly by day and night, a slew of flat-screen televisions, a small arcade room, conference/party rooms and a refreshing Dippin' ed ahead

Dots ice cream vending machine. Food should be coming soon.

MB2 Raceway has operated a similar track in Sylmar since December 2006 and, according to marketing director Sean Quinn, has many repeat customers from throughout Ventura County.

When the company sought to expand its popular racing business, the Conejo Valley became a natural fit, Quinn said.

"When we looked at the different towns in Southern California, in demographics, we noticed that we were having a lot of people from the Conejo Valley area commute (to Sylmar)," Quinn said.

"So we went in and looked at the demographics of the valley area, and they had a great household income demographic, a lot of our target-market clientele—18 to 34—and by talking to people and doing our research, we felt like there wasn't an abundance of entertainment activities for the youth culture out in that area."

But it isn't just the younger crowd that's having all the fun.

"I've seen a 72-year-old lady actually get in the kart and race and have a good time," Gucci said. "You can go as slow as you want around the track. All you have to do is push the pedal. That's the cool thing about it."

Although his buddies typically play golf together, Eric Richter, a contractor from Moorpark who'd frequented the Sylmar track before the T.O. location opened, decided to change things up on Monday and take his friends to MB2 Raceway for the first time.

"Being an old racer myself— I've raced motocross, bicycles, everything; I'm an adrenaline junkie—you have to get in the kart to really experience this," Richter said.

"Watching it is a little bit different, but once you get in that kart it's really reminiscent of the old go-kart days. But these are electric, so it's a little more fun and there's a little bit more acceleration on them."

Following his second race of the afternoon on Monday, Richter's buddy, Bill Brooks, a retired police officer from Simi Valley, said he had some trouble getting comfortable in the kart but still had a good time.

"It really wasn't big enough for me," Brooks said. "But the thrill of going around—those things get going really good. They went a lot faster than I thought they would."

During a typical race the kart will run for 10 minutes. Upon completion, the kart is returned to the charging station and is ready to race again with a full battery in seven minutes.

Employees are placed around the track's barrier during each race and have the ability to increase or decrease a kart's power—this typically happens at the beginning or end of a race or if a driver loses control.

Up to 10 people race at a time. Rather than race against others on the track, however, drivers are actually competing against the clock. During each lap, the track records a time. Afterward, drivers are supplied with printouts comparing their lap times and RPMs against others in the same race as well as the best overall track numbers from the current week.

Kart racing isn't necessarily a cheap hobby, either.

A standard adult race is $23 for nonmembers and $18 for members. Memberships can be obtained by purchasing a TrackPass package. There are racing specials on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and during lunchtime (11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays).

MB2 Raceway, at 1475 Lawrence Drive, also specializes in corporate events and parties.