Feature: The Leisure Track
February 1, 2008
One of the most ambitious American driving clubs currently in
the build-out phase is the Monticello Motor Club in New York state. Located
about 90 miles from the Big Apple’s clutch of wealthy and passionate car
collectors, the club will offer a new 22-turn, 4.1-mile track as well as a
30,000-square-foot clubhouse complete with a five-star restaurant, spa and
member concierge service. Initiation fees are $100,000 for founding members
($120,000 after the track opens next July), while annual dues are $7,500
(climbing to $8,000 next summer).
Morris’s grand plans include in-construction elements such as the clubhouse
and pool, as well as wish-list items like condominiums and a landing strip
for personal aircraft. Though some of Club Spring Mountain’s 95 members (he’s
targeting 500 total) live in nearby Las Vegas, a number make the drive from Los
Angeles. For those who really want the luxe life, Morris hopes to offer air-limo
rides in a new Cessna he’s purchased, which would make a day at the races all
the more feasible for those hailing from the auto-crazed recesses of Southern
California.
Ask about the appeal of a club membership like this, and the
same answer rises to the fore. Track time.
"When I used to tell my buddies I was off to a track day, they
knew that meant a few half-hour sessions max," says Ken Melgoza, an engineer
from Ladera Ranch in Orange County. "But now I can drive to Spring Mountain on a
Friday and come back on Saturday with five hours of driving under my belt. You
just can’t beat that. Not to mention the fact that I just keep my car in a
garage on site. Oh, and they have real restrooms."
Club Spring Mountain has three different initiation fees, from
$5,000 to $50,000 for a corporate membership, and monthly dues from $95. "Most
people pay more than that each month for their cable bill," says Morris.
But others are happy to pay much more for a piece of a dream. At the hallowed
ground of Lime Rock in Connecticut, track owner and racing school founder Skip
Barber recently engineered the creation of The Club at Lime Rock Park. With
demand for track time growing at a venue that closes for weather five months of
the year, Barber felt many of Lime Rock’s well-heeled fans from the greater New
York area would be willing to pay extra for guaranteed seat time.
Now, for a one-time fee of $110,000 and $6,000 annual dues,
Club Lime Rock members get 20 days guaranteed each year, which is significant
considering how often the track is booked up for big-time racing duty. There are
plans for a clubhouse, improvements to the track and, yes, new restrooms.
"This is a ticket to a candy store for many auto enthusiasts,"
says Barber, who notes that members also get perks such as guided group tours of
the Ferrari factory in Maranello and treks to the concours in Amelia Island,
Florida. "I think most people love the idea of a great camaraderie with people
like themselves. Here it’s all about driving and socializing about driving."
Lime Rock members also benefit from that fuzzy feeling that
comes with knowing you’re saving an American icon. Barber says most of the
initiation funds are going toward track repaving and improvements to the
facility.
"I figured there were only two ways to save this track, and
that was a billionaire buying it or this club. I lost a home track once, the old
Bridgehampton (Long Island) course, and I didn’t want to see that happen again,"
says John Steinmetz, an investor and longtime SCCA racer who considers Lime
Rock’s track his backyard. "Look, I’m not a golfer, never have been. Racing is
it for me. Like a sailor needs the salt air, I need the smell of Castrol."
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