Autobahn Country Club
Autobahn Country Club is an auto racing road course located in Joliet, Illinois, operated as a country club, while also hosting many outside events. The club has a sanctioning body called Autobahn Member Racing, which hosts series for Spec Miatas, GT cars, Radical Sportscars, a discipline called Chase Racing similar to bracket racing, open wheel cars, as well as series for rallycross and autocross. The club requires a $35,000 membership fee to have unlimited access to the tracks six days a week in season, and the club 'club house', which contains a bar and banquet hall. Many members purchase land to build garages and personal condos. Notable members include legendary racers Bobby Rahal, Graham Rahal, David Heinemeier Hansson, Cooper MacNeil, and Tom Bagley. The club is home to many exotic cars, including a Ferrari Dino, a Ford Mustang Boss 302, a Nash Healey, a Ferrari Challenge Stradale, an Allard K2, a Radical SR8, an Alfa Romeo Zagato, and a Williams Formula One car.
Location | 3795 CenterPoint Way, Joliet, Illinois 60436[1] 815-722-2223 |
---|---|
Opened | October 2004 |
Architect | Alan Wilson |
Major events | Harrah's Autobahn Grand Prix presented by Mazda |
Full Circuit | |
Surface | asphalt |
Length | 5.73 km (3.56 mi) |
North Circuit | |
Surface | asphalt |
Length | 2.41 km (1.50 mi) |
South Circuit | |
Surface | asphalt |
Length | 3.32 km (2.06 mi) |
The facility is available for rent by private groups. It hosts events for various organizations including the SCCA, NASA, Gridlife, and various marque and track day clubs.[2]
The tracks and facilities
The Autobahn full track is 3.56 miles in distance. The facility includes a configurable main track with a 1.50-mile (2.41 km) north track, a 2.06-mile (3.32 km) south track, a full track of 3.56 miles (5.73 km), skid pad, and a 0.52-mile (0.84 km) kart track. The full track can be split into two smaller tracks. Autobahn Country Club also offers a skidpad for the teen driving academy and drifting. The kart track is also open to the public on weekdays. The club has a free test fleet of performance and exotic cars for members to drive on track at reduced speeds. The club has a racing school with instructors including Super Vee champion and 1978 Indycar Rookie of the Year Tom Bagley and 1990 SCCA Formula Ford champion Tony Kester. There is also a public defensive driving school, that uses specially prepared BMW cars to teach safe driving skills.
Businesses in paddock
Along with private garages and condos, various performance shops and race headquarters are located on the Autobahn campus. Some of these include Eurosport Racing, Team Stradale, Havoc Racing, and many other businesses available for onsite service.
References
- "The Autobahn tracks". Archived from the original on 2007-11-01.
- "NA-Motorsports".
External links
- Official Website
- Superbike School
- Trackpedia's circuit information and track guide on Autobahn CC
- 1tail Resource Database: Autobahn Country Club