Autobahn Country Club is an auto racing road course located in Joliet, Illinois, operated as a country club, while also hosting many outside events. Autobahn was the first purpose-built motorsports country club in the United States, and has inspired several others. The club has a sanctioning body called Autobahn Member Racing, which hosts series for Spec Miatas, GT cars, karts, Radical Sportscars, a discipline called Chase Racing similar to bracket racing, open wheel cars, as well as competitions for rallycross and autocross. As of the 2023 race season, the club requires a $45,000 membership initiation fee. Annual dues is $6100. Membership includes unlimited access to the tracks six days a week in season (April - October), use of the Member Clubhouse, which contains a bar and 40,000 sq. ft. event space. Members can purchase land to build garages and personal condos. A Social/Karting Membership is $5900 and includes all Member Social Events and unlimited access to the go-kart track at Kart Circuit Autobahn, during member hours. Notable members include legendary racers Bobby Rahal, Graham Rahal, David Heinemeier Hansson, Cooper MacNeil, Jay Howard, Peter Dempsey, and Tom Bagley. Many members use the club to drive their exotic and classic cars.
| Location | 3795 CenterPoint Way, Joliet, Illinois 60436[1] 815-722-2223 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC-6 (UTC-5 DST) |
| Coordinates | 41°27′17″N 088°07′38″W / 41.45472°N 88.12722°W |
| Opened | October 2004 |
| Architect | Alan Wilson |
| Major events | Former: Atlantic Championship (2009, 2021) Trans-Am Series (2010) Star Mazda Championship (2009–2010) U.S. F2000 National Championship (2010) Global MX-5 Cup (2009–2010) Speed World Challenge (2009) IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge (2009) |
| Full Circuit (2004–present) | |
| Surface | asphalt |
| Length | 5.729 km (3.560 miles) |
| Turns | 19 |
| Race lap record | 2:05.542 ( John Edwards, Swift 016.a, 2009, Formula Atlantic) |
| North Circuit (2004–present) | |
| Surface | asphalt |
| Length | 2.350 km (1.460 miles) |
| Turns | 9 |
| South Circuit (2004–present) | |
| Surface | asphalt |
| Length | 3.380 km (2.100 miles) |
| Turns | 15 |
| Race lap record | 1:13.408 ( Keith Grant, Swift 016.a, 2021, Formula Atlantic) |
The facility is available for rent by private groups. It hosts events for various organizations including the SCCA, NASA, Gridlife, Midwestern Council, PCA, One Lap of America, and various marque and track day clubs.[2] Many manufacturers also rent the facility for marketing events.
The tracks and facilities edit
The Autobahn full track is 3.560 mi (5.729 km) in distance. The facility includes a configurable main track with a 1.460 mi (2.350 km) north track, a 2.100 mi (3.380 km) south track, a full track of 3.560 mi (5.729 km), skid pad, and a 0.52 mi (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 fleet of performance cars for members to drive on track at reduced speeds.
Businesses in paddock edit
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 Motorsport, Turn 3 Motorsport, and many other businesses available for onsite service.
Lap records edit
As of September 2021, the fastest official race lap records at Autobahn Country Club for different classes are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Circuit: 5.729 km (2004–present)[3][4] | ||||
| Formula Atlantic | 2:05.542[5] | John Edwards | Swift 016.a | 2009 Joliet Atlantic Championship round |
| Star Mazda | 2:13.299[6] | Conor Daly | Star Formula Mazda 'Pro' | 2010 Joliet Star Mazda Championship round |
| US F2000 | 2:17.051[7] | Patrick McKenna | Élan DP08 | 2010 Joliet US F2000 round |
| Trans-Am | 2:21.137[8] | R. J. López | Chevrolet Corvette Trans-Am | 2010 Joliet Trans-Am round |
| South Circuit: 3.380 km (2004–present)[3][9] | ||||
| Formula Atlantic | 1:13.408[10] | Keith Grant | Swift 016.a | 2021 Joliet Atlantic Championship round |
References edit
- ^ "The Autobahn tracks". Archived from the original on 2007-11-01.
- ^ "NA-Motorsports".
- ^ a b "Autobahn Country Club - Guido de Carli". Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "Autobahn Country Club - Full Circuit" (PDF). Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "Autobahn Country Club, July 26 Juillet 2009 - 2009 Autobahn Grand Prix Presented by Mazda - IMSA Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda - Round 7/Epreuve 7". 26 July 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "2010 Star Mazda Championship Autobahn Raceway - Results of Formula Mazda - Star Mazda Championship Race #2". Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ "Harrah's Autobahn Grand Prix presented by Mazda USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda - Round 8" (PDF). 1 August 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "Autobahn Country Club Harrah's Autobahn Grand Prix, August 1 Août 2010 - SCCA Trans-Am Series - Round #7/Epreuve #7". 1 August 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Autobahn Country Club - South Circuit" (PDF). Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "FRP at Autobahn CC 2021 - Atlantic Championship Provisional Race 2 Results" (PDF). 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
External links edit
- Official Website
- Superbike School
- Trackpedia's circuit information and track guide on Autobahn CC
- Kart Circuit Autobahn
- Autobahn Members
- 1tail Resource Database: Autobahn Country Club[permanent dead link]
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