Racers jet around the new three-level electric go-kart track inside Kamin Science Center’s “Science of Speed” exhibit at speeds of up to 40 mph. The exhibit opens Saturday. (Josh Ewers | TribLive)
Kamin Science Center’s brand new “Science of Speed” exhibit is off to a blistering start, ahead of its official opening on Saturday.
On Thursday, dozens of early access guests were set loose upon the experience that features an indoor, three-level electric go-kart track with tightly coiled turns and railing lights straight out of “Tron.” Visitors also took in highly immersive racing simulators — including one that places the driver in a highly realistic F1 experience — performance rides and racing bikes galore. For good measure, there’s an “exploded” Audi V10 engine on hand.
Upon entering, it’s easy to see the 21,000-square-foot North Shore exhibit has come a long way since an early unveiling in May — and leaps and bounds from when work began 18 months ago.
Railing lights shift from pulsing red and white to rainbow and green along the entire length of the 800-foot track. Classic rock songs such as America’s “Ventura Highway” and Ram Jam’s take on “Black Betty” tick away the seconds until the next race time.

“I feel like Mario Andretti,” Mayor Corey O’Connor said as he made himself at home in the cockpit of the No. 21 machine, which can reach speeds of up to 40 mph.
Throughout the tightly interlocked course, turns offer new and varied challenges. One wide turn banks upward almost to the ceiling on the third and highest level. Wedged between the lower level twists and under track overpasses are eye-catching cars, such as the silver electric Fisker Karma and an open-wheel racing machine.
With regularity, the screech of mistimed brakes portends a distant crash and groan, followed by the switching of the lights to yellow as racers push it to the limit for victory.
“The kart is faster than you think. You just have to get used to those turns,” O’Connor said. “You can really get that speed up, especially when you come up that hill.”
Beginning Saturday, “Science of Speed” will be open during regular museum hours to guests who purchased general admission. Kart races will cost you an extra $14. The F1 simulator — the only one of its kind in the region, per museum officials — will cost $8 and $4 for the four non-F1 SimGear machines. Each kart race runs six minutes and lasts 10 to 14 laps depending on speed. Adult and junior karts are available, providing different sizes and speeds that take to the track separately.
From Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m., the exhibition will be open to an 18 and over crowd with no general admission to the museum required. At that time, races will run $24, the F1 simulator $15 and the other simulators $4.
“Guests will enjoy the high-energy atmosphere,” said Science of Speed director Ian Sparks of the late-night hours. “The karts will be at a higher speed, and it’s going to be a different vibe.”
“You can go out onto that track and you can put them into the wall if you want, although we don’t advocate that,” joked Kamin director Jason Brown.
At all hours, the in-exhibit bar and restaurant, the Pit Stop, will offer fare such as $15 brisket nachos, an $18 Tuscan pizza, a $16 muffuletta sandwich and a $13 chickpea salad club sandwich. It will also serve cocktails, including the $15 Nitro Boost espresso martini (vodka, espresso liqueur, syrup and cold brew), the $15 Dan-Hattan (bourbon, sweet vermouth, cherry bark vanilla bitters), the $15 Pole Position Punch (Zaya aged rum, Cointreau, passion fruit, pineapple, lime, grapefruit and hibiscus bitters) and an array of white and red wines.
At night as guests imbibe, the track’s railing lights figure to take center stage.
“It was real like real-life Mario Kart, like Rainbow Road in real life,” said Nora Ozimea of South Park after securing a third-place finish. “It was so cool.”
Among the gems of the exhibition is the Wave Italy F1 simulator. It presents a real challenge of skill to drivers and gamers of all levels. The setup includes a real-life F1 body and steering wheel as well as three sweeping screens that allow the driver to shut out the real world as they focus.
“It was awesome. I’m never going to be an F1 driver, so that’s about as close as I’m going to get,” said Jub Delbrugge of Wheeling, W.Va. “With a car you’ve gotta slow down as you’re getting to the turn. Those, you’ve gotta slow down about triple that length, so there was a lot of wall action.
“One thing I found out is, if you end up going in reverse in an F1 car, you’re doing something wrong,” he said with a laugh. “My performance, out of 10, I’d give myself a two.”
Being a museum, however, leadership’s stated primary intent for the Lenovo-sponsored exhibition is to inform on STEM topics that come up inside and outside the driver’s seat as well as in the pits.
“Science of Speed” does so via numerous interactive stations. They include the reaction time showdown that tasks you and a competitor with getting the quickest response to starting lights, a science of helmet design section, a pit stop teamwork exercise and more. Additionally, the exploded-outward engine of a bright orange Audi V10 offers a look inside the mechanics of a complex performance driving machine.
“Racing is very exciting, but many people don’t realize what that industry has done for driving technological and scientific innovation,” said Brown. “Everywhere in racing, there are things like physics, data collection, analytics and human performance (at play.)
“We wanted to do something different here so you’re not just reading about those concepts, but you’re learning about them. Then you’re getting to go out and experience the thrill and put what you’ve read into action.”
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