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Most go-karts are loud and gas-powered, including those raced at Purdue University's Grand Prix each spring for the last 48 years. Now, Lafayette has something new and open to everybody. Silent Thunder is the longest indoor track for electric go-karts in the United States.

"I like the turns," says Alex Royer, 15, of Brookston, who buckled up last week. Racing can be addictive, so at $10 for six minutes, "I had to stop myself," he says.
"We don't have anything like this at home," says James Kanu, 17, as he waits to race. He's an exchange student from Sierra Leone in Africa, attending Twin Lakes High School in Monticello.
"I don't have a license, so this is the only alternative to driving a car," says Michael Burns, 14, another Twin Lakes student. "I can see how well I can keep up with the varsity."

The year-round, family-oriented operation opened in October in the old Biggs Pump & Supply building, 181 Sagamore Parkway S. Business has been good. The electric karts are powerful, nimble and quiet. No one has to yell to be heard, even when sitting beside the track. The air stays clean and fresh because there's no exhaust. The 1,104-foot-long adult and youth course presents a thrilling series of twists and curves. There's a 400-foot "kiddie" oval, too.

Owners Dan and Kris Taylor had planned an outdoor track next to Precision Putt Plus, their miniature golf course on Meijer Drive. The need was obvious, Dan Taylor says: the nearest go-kart track is near Monticello, and it's outdoors. Getting the Biggs building changed everything. The Taylors spent $800,000 to remodel the 55-year-old structure and equip it with automatic charging racks and 36 red, yellow, green and blue go-karts built in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Each has four gel batteries, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, an emergency reverse button and a padded, adjustable seat with a high back. A shoulder harness and lap belt are worn, but no helmet. For safety, the track is rimmed with old NASCAR tires. The karts can do 45 mph, but limits are programmed electronically before each race. Drivers with valid driver's licenses race together, and can travel at up to 25 mph; other races feature karts driven by licensed and unlicensed drivers, traveling at up to 18 mph.

The course has so many tight turns that 20 mph feels like 150 mph. Drivers sit inches above the concrete. Lap times are posted electronically. After a checkered flag is waved, each driver parks his kart and gets a printout with his lap speeds and average.

"People ask me about our target market," says Silent Thunder marketing director Susi Graham. "Mine is age 5 to 85 ... Everybody has a little bit of a child in them. You can come here and be a kid again." When the doors open at 11 a.m., customers often are waiting outside, eager to go for a spin.

A food bar serves sandwiches and snacks, and some factory workers come in to eat lunch and race. League racing starts this week. No smoking, drinking, drugs, profanity or intentional bumping is allowed. There's a game arcade, string-pin bowling and rooms for parties and meetings.

Travis Richardson, 41, of Lafayette brought his wife, son and two daughters. "We like doing this kind of stuff together," he says. "This is the first time I've gone on an indoor go-kart track. It's comparable to gas, but gas might be more expensive."
His daughter, Brooke, 12, enjoyed being behind the wheel, and figures the experience will help her learn to drive a real car. "It really feels like you're going fast," she says with a smile.
"It's fast and fun," says Dalton Douglas, 14, of Brookston. "I've raced gas-powered go-karts before, but it's fun to be indoors. It's really fun to get the family together and just race."

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