Go-karts could be zooming their way back to Coney Island — and they may reach the finish line near the spot where developer Joe Sitt demolished their last speedway.
Coney developer Central Amusement is considering a new track between Stillwell Avenue and W. 15th Street — a stone’s throw from the last track to call Coney home between Stillwell and W. 12th Street.
The news that a go-kart track could get built was first reported by Amusing the Zillion, a local blog that reported that Central Amusement is also considering a water ride for the site.
Central Amusement spokesman Tom Corsillo said a final decision hasn’t been made.
“We’re considering a range of options and go-karts are one of them,” Corsillo said.
Coney’s faithful said visitors have been clamoring for go-karts ever since developer Joe Sitt bulldozed the neighborhood’s last remaining speedways, Go-Kart City and the racetrack run by Deno’s Wonder Wheel, in 2007.
Central Amusement eventually replaced them with Scream Zone, a collection of amusement rides.
“People still come in looking for go-karts in Coney Island,” said Dennis Vourderis, the owner of Deno’s Wonder Wheel. “I think its a good move [for Central Amusement] to bring them back.”
Coney Island’s go-kart history stretches back to at least the 1950s, when the first modern rides appeared between Surf Avenue and the Boardwalk, according to Charles Denson, the director of the Coney Island History Project.
The old Astroland theme park, which opened in 1962, also operated a racetrack before shutting it down.
“Go-karts are a part of Coney Island,” Denson said. “It’d be great if they returned.”
