R.I. Indoor Karting an entertainment destination thanks to added amenities
LINCOLN — After Mike Hezemans and his partners in R.I. Indoor Karting got their race track at 100 Higginson Ave. up and running a couple of years ago, they then took on adding amenities to make the business a well-rounded experience for families and race enthusiasts.
The result was the recent grand opening of Fuel, a restaurant and sports bar, on a mezzanine level overlooking R.I. Indoor Karting’s track layout.
“I think it came out very nice,” Hezemans, a native of The Netherlands and regular race car driver on the FIA GT circuit, said.
Hezemans’ friend, Hans Snoeijen, a Dutch designer, came up with just the right look and furnishings for Fuel, and of course there was plenty of space in R.I. Indoor Karting’s section of the former Collyer Insulated Wire building to renovate under the project, 16,800 square feet in all.
Not only does Fuel have a large rectangular bar in the middle of the restaurant topped by large-screen televisions for a wide variety of sports, it also has seating arrangements near windows looking down onto the lower-level racetracks and plenty of sky views.
The brickwork of the former manufacturing space has been updated and complimented by design-scheme wall coverings and flooring. There is a bowling alley in the back room as well as pool tables, and Fuel also offers an enclosed event space between the main restaurant and the game area.
The idea is for customers coming to a corporate race event, where employees compete against each other in two heats and a 10-lap winner’s final on the track, to also have an after-race experience upstairs – an included meal or after-race celebration.
There are also packages for family parties and birthdays and the option for selecting the right level of riding on either the mini track for young drivers, or the adult track for those old enough and big enough to go faster.
The race vehicles are state-of-the-art electric Biz Karts produced in England that run on batteries but can still put in a thrilling 35-mile-an-hour spin around the track or more.
Hezemans didn’t jump into Kart racing here in the U.S. as a novice and in fact has operated a similar business, Hezemans Indoor Karting, in his hometown of Eindhoven in The Netherlands for 22 years.
His race experience in Grand Touring race cars has included endurance racing in which he and his team members have kept their street-worthy race cars running for 24 hours before the checkered flag is waved. He has raced in the Feder- ation International de l’Automobile GT World Championship since its inception in 1997 and is a two-time winner with his team of the GT endurance event, 24 hours of Spa Francorchamps, and threetime member of the winning team in the 24 Hours of Zolder.
In R.I. Indoor Karting and Fuel, Hezemans has partnered with Edmond Leidesdorf and Michael Bromley, partners in 100 Higginson Ave., to give the entertainment and business complex another viable tenant. The complex already hosts the the Rock Spot Climbing gym, the KR Baseball Academy, Battle Ground Z lazer tag, and a storage business, American Self-Storage.
The grand opening event drew a lot of people who were curious to see what could be done with an long-unused Rhode Island manufacturing space as well as supporting officials from Lincoln and nearby Central Falls, including Lincoln Town Administrator T. Joseph Almond and Central Falls Mayor James Diossa. Almond and Diossa and Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce CEO John Gregory joined the business owners in snipping the ribbon for the opening.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” Gregory said of Fuel and the racetrack operation. “From what I hear, the cars run pretty fast.”
Collyer had been closed for many years before its renovation began and Gregory said it was good to see the former manufacturing space being used to support new businesses in the Blackstone Valley.
“We certainly are not against new buildings, but if you are going to preserve an existing building that is a plus,” he said.
Almond also saw the new business as a “great addition” to the complex’s current offerings and noted it was clear the owners had made a big investment in the town.
“This building sat empty for years and now a group of business people have brought it back,” he said. The combination of the various type of activities and entertainment now available at the Collyer building was bound to make it an attractive location for residents to visit, he said. “I think it is great for the town and great for these businessmen and I hope they have plenty of success,” he said.