Feature: The Leisure Track
February 1, 2008
That attitude is music to the ears of guys like Mike Keck, one
of the four founders of Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Ill. With 350 members
(paying $35,000 to join and $3,000 a year), three-year-old Autobahn is geared
toward "people whose time is more valuable than money." Keck adds that members
are free to hit the track as much as they want during its April through October
season. He’s also betting there will be interest in the 40 condos that he’ll
soon break ground on trackside.
"I think there’s always been a desire for this sort of thing,"
says Keck.
Jack Farr was convinced of that—nine years ago. Only then, "I
was a crazy minority of one. No one thought this was a good idea, from bankers
to my family," says the Texan with a laugh.
Farr had come back from a driving school in Arizona convinced
that racers would eat up the chance to trade that one big event with the hefty
entry fee and only a few minutes of driving for permanent access to a track.
"I’d worked at a golf club as a kid, so I figured great, we’ll do that, just
delete the golf course," says Farr, who when he’s not handling the affairs of
MotorSport Ranch in Cresson, just south of Fort Worth, runs a business doing
specialized printing. "Racing’s a real equalizer. We see everything on our track
from dirt bikes to (Ferrari) Enzos."
That might be because becoming a member of MotorSport Ranch
doesn’t require much cash, just $3,400 up front and $90 monthly dues. "People
get to watch quite a lot of racing on TV these days, with cable and all, so they
have the desire to get out there but usually not the chance," says Farr. "When
folks do get on the track, I think they find out real fast how hard it actually
is."
Many, though, love that process of discovery. Suzanne Sears of
Las Vegas is a stay-at-home mom whose other hobby is reading. Or at least that
was how she introduced herself before she got behind the wheel of the
family’s nimble new Lotus Elise.
"We really wanted a convertible, but it was clear from the
start that you couldn’t have this car on the road and not get into trouble,"
says Sears, whose husband is an emergency room physician. When the two went
looking for a place to run their new toy ragged, Spring Mountain sprung to mind.
"It seemed like such a great way to have a hobby we could do together," says
Sears.
Down the road, when Club Spring Mountain has their pool up and
running, Sears envisions making it a destination for the entire family, which
includes a 11-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter. "It would be great if the
car thing rubs off on them," she says with a grin.
For the moment, there’s not a kid in sight. It’s all business
as Morris makes the rounds on a used Segway, checking in with mechanics and
instructors (the track runs classes with a fleet of Corvettes, Lotus Elises, and
Radicals) before slapping on a helmet and popping into a snorting Radical (he’s
the West Coast dealer for the exceedingly fast open-wheelers).
"You ready," he says, not really asking.
Within seconds, his passenger is flinging about like a rag doll
despite a four-point harness. Morris dispatches with a lap in nothing flat—he
knows the joint like the back of his hand. Back at the garage, he kills the
Honda engine and smiles.
It’s his wordless way of saying: Sign up, and this, too, can be
all yours.
Autobahn Country Club, www.autobahncountryclub.net
Club Spring Mountain, www.clubspringmountain.com
Monticello Motor Club, www.monticellomotorclub.com
MotorSport Ranch, www.motorsportranch.com
The Club at Lime Rock, www.limerockclub.com
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