Malibu Grand Prix (MGP) was an entertainment company founded by Ron Cameron that was popular during the 1970s and 1980s. The company served as a franchised miniature Indy car racing track. The typical complex included a 3000-4000 sq ft. arcade with a concession stand and a race track outside, covering around 10,000 to altogether. It was acquired by Warner Communications in 1976 which in turn sold it in late 1983 to a group of Canadian developers and a local entrepreneur whose background included Chuck E. Cheese’s. There were a total of 40 locations at the time of acquisition including 32 tracks and 8 family entertainment centers featuring miniature golf, batting cages, bumper boats and more. As part of the acquisition, Malibu acquired seven parks from Castle Entertainment which was in bankruptcy. These locations were located in North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, and Redondo Beach, California; El Paso, Texas; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, Florida. A location in Tulsa, Oklahoma was acquired in late 1984 that included a small waterpark and a Malibu-like racing facility. The California partner sold out in 1986, and the Canadians sold the chain to Mountasia in 1995. In early 2025, the park was sold to Herschend.
Sites Norcross, Georgia 5400 Brook Hollow Pkwy, Norcross, GA 30071 This location is now closed with the last day of operations being September 28 2025.
Albuquerque, New Mexico Located just south of I-25 and Jefferson, along the west side of the Pan American Freeway.
North Hollywood, California One of the Castle Entertainment locations that was on the corner of Vanowen and Whitsett. This location had arcades, mini golf, batting cages, go kart racing. Prior to the go karts this was also home to massive water slides, and before that an outdoor trampoline park. This location was shut down after a massive fire in 1998 and now the site is occupied by senior living apartments.
Sherman Oaks, California Sepulveda Blvd just north of the 101 freeway. Was acquired by Malibu Grand Prix in 1984 with its merger with Castle Entertainment that was in bankruptcy. The property was leased from the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks District, which assumed operations around 1987. Malibu had changed the name from Castle Park to Malibu Castle; the City returned the name to the original.
Louisville, Kentucky Near the intersection of Interstate 264 and Poplar Level Road.
Pasadena, California The Pasadena, California, site was located on the southwest corner of Foothill Blvd and Madre, just north of the 210 Freeway. While impossible to verify, locals who frequented this location recall top lap times in the 50.0 to 51.5 range.
Tempe, Arizona The Tempe, Arizona, site on Hayden Road, south of McKellips Road closed in the mid-1990s. The land is now occupied by a FedEx distribution facility. This site was acquired by MGP from a private operator, Grand Prix of Phoenix in 1979. Therefore, it was the fastest Malibu track in the country with only 13 turns in a 1/2 mile. Track record was in the 47-second bracket. It was a favorite stop by many touring artists including Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Aerosmith, Scorpions, Foreigner, and many more. Also professional drivers like Michael Andretti, Dan Gurney, Al Unser Jr.
Tucson, Arizona The Tucson venue was located on 22nd Street, just east of Alvernon Way. It closed during the mid-1990s, replaced by a number of fast-food restaurants.
Fountain Valley, California Near Warner and Magnolia the site was adjacent to a Boomer's featuring miniature golf, batting cages and other entertainment. The site was closed in the 90's, and Boomer's was shut down in 2019.
City of Industry, California Originally located on Castleton Street, right next to the Pomona freeway, it featured a large arcade with the latest coin-operated games, 2–3 full-sized pay-per-play pool tables, along with the infamous go cart track. Both -scale Indy-Style race cars and smaller go-carts were raced on the track. MGP also owned/operated the fun center next door simply known as "Showboat". Showboat had its own arcade section, two 18-hole miniature golf courses, and a water park. Both places no longer exist; they later became a SpeedZone (originally Malibu SpeedZone) and featured the scaled race cars, go karts, and scaled dragsters. The park has since then been rebranded again to Boomers Los Angeles.
Tampa, Florida One of a few of the remaining facilities, the Malibu Grand Prix location in Tampa, Florida, became independent from the other locations, and the name was changed to Grand Prix Tampa. It includes two 18-hole miniature golf courses surrounded by ponds and obstacles, a game room, a snack bar, a 1/2-mile (800 m) race track with 3/4-scale Indy-style Formula race cars, a go-kart track for younger kids, and a recently added paintball field.
Orlando, Florida Started as a Malibu Track and arcade, later a Castle Golf and Games was added next door. It was located directly off I-4 right behind the "Hi Q" hotel off International Dr on American Way. A Homewood suites hotel now sits on the property.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida Malibu built a Malibu Grand Prix next to I 95 between Stirling Road and Griffin Road in 1979. The location was hard to get to and only lasted a few years. It was sold to Grand Pix Race o Rama which had a location nearby, but was displaced when I 595 was built in 1989. It was sold again and operated as Boomers with a huge wooden roller coaster. Boomers closed in 2017 when the land was bought and the park was leveled. Shopping is being built on the site as of this date. Some will read this and be confused as there was a water park called Atlantis The Water Kingdom at the Stirling road exit, and a Castle Park just north of Malibu, which was knocked down also so that I 595 could be built.
Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas, once had three Malibu Grand Prix locations. The Southwest Freeway location was shuttered in the early 1990s. This location was the site of the (locally) infamous Malibu Grand Prix murders. The murders were committed on July 1, 1983, during the course of a robbery. Four employees who had just closed up and were in the process of conducting post-closing housekeeping duties were killed. A recently terminated employee gained entry to the building under the pretext of picking up his last paycheck, and brought two accomplices with him. All were convicted (two received the death penalty, and one was sentenced to life imprisonment). The site was razed in the early 1990s and is now a location of a health clinic serving the Gulfton area.
The other location was off the Katy Freeway and the northwest corner of the West Loop 610 at Old Katy Road (the Old Katy location was the remaining Houston-area Malibu Grand Prix location until it was boarded up in early 2005). After closing, the site sat empty until it was used as storage for a materials company, storing slabs of stone and rock on the golf course. As of December 2012 the property, along with all buildings to either side, has been completely demolished and is now part of the West Loop/US290 managed lanes expansion (the service road runs through the former Malibu Grand Prix compound).
The third location (I-45 North) at Shephard.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Malibu Grand Prix in Oklahoma City was constructed in 1979 and offered: An arcade game room, concessions and the Virage 3/4 scale race car on a timed 1/2-mile grand prix course. In the early 80's the youth kart was added to the offerings it was called the Road Runner under Waner Brother's ownership and later changed to the Mini-Virage. In the mid 80's another option was added, the Grand Virage was a 2-seater option with a lemans style body. The site next door (formerly Family Fun Park) was leased to Malibu Grand Prix in 1985. This property had four water slides, a game room, bumper boats, slick track go-karts and outdoor carnival games. It was operated as Malibu Fun Park for only one year. With the rise of home console gaming, Malibu Grand Prix OKC shifted from their arcade to an indoor slot track in an effort to capitalize on a new market in 1989. Malibu Grand Prix closed in 1993. The site was then reopened in 1995 as America's Grand Prix. The America's Grand Prix had an arcade and a new NASCAR themed go-kart "high banked" track. America's Grand Prix closed in the late 1990s, and Frontier State Bank was built on the south half of the Grand Prix site in 2000. It was located on the east side of I-35 north at 5016 North Prospect (which is now I-35 Service Road).
Columbus, Ohio Columbus, Ohio had a Malibu Grand Prix located on the north side of the city on Schrock Road, visible from Interstate 71. The Columbus location was primarily the Grand Prix track, and had a relatively small arcade in comparison to other locations. However, under the leadership of Glen "PDB" Brown in the late 90s, it was one of the most profitable locations. Tomas de la Ovejas ran the track operations while Garen "G-Dog" C maintained the garage. Operations ceased in late 2001, and the building is now a school. Some portions of the track can be seen in the school's playground.
Cincinnati (Sharonville), Ohio Cincinnati, Ohio, Malibu Grand Prix was located on Interstate 75 in Sharonville on Dowlin Drive and adjacent to Burbank's Real Bar-B-Q. The location was open until the late 1990s, when it was left vacant and eventually demolished to make way for a Hilton Garden Inn. The track record is said to have been 48.600, set in 1991.
Fresno, California Fresno, California was home to one of the first Malibu Grand Prix locations, near the intersection of Blackstone Ave and Herndon Ave. The facility stood from 1977 until 1997, at which time its 20-year lease on the property was up. The location was briefly renamed "Fresno Grand Prix" after being acquired by an independent investor, though the property owner eventually sold the parcel of land, which included one of the last drive-in movie theaters in California. The building and track were demolished to make way for an expansion of the River Park Shopping Center. The land once occupied by the track is now a Costco parking lot.
Oakland, California There was also a Malibu Grand Prix in Oakland immediately south of the Coliseum from the 1970s through the mid-1990s. The facility was closed and demolished and the site is now an overflow parking lot for the Coliseum.
Redwood City, California This location opened in 1979, and closed August 2013. Located at Highway 101 and Woodside Rd. Featured mini golf, batting cages, bumper boats, the "Castle," and the Virage/Roadrunner karts. The main site is now an office building complex, but remnants of the golf course and race track remain covered under weeds and grass. It was considered one of the most popular of all MGPs. Saturday nights were known for particularly long lines.
Pacheco, California This one did not last as long as most. Located on Pacheco Blvd in Pacheco just north of Pleasant Hill and Concord, it was built around 1976 or '77 and lasted until only the mid-1980's It was sandwiched between the 680 southbound freeway, the river, and Pacheco Blvd, on a triangle-shaped property, and was very visible from the freeway, especially at night when the Grand Prix lights were on. Besides a large game room building where tickets were also purchased for the actual Grand Prix rides there were no other attractions. Since it didn't last as long as the rest, it never fell into a state of disrepair; rather, it just suddenly disappeared and was gone. No business moved in right away but around 10 years later the property finally has tenants and now consists of a public storage business and an equipment rental business.
Dayton, Ohio