Joliet’s Autobahn motorsports club marks 20th year

The Autobahn Country Club, a novel concept when created 20 years ago, has since been imitated but never quite like what was built in Joliet, its owners say.

“We were the first purpose-built motorsports club in the United States,” said founder and owner Mark Basso.

Basso and partner Tim O’Donnell discussed what brought them to Joliet and how the club has developed since opening in 2004.

A number of motor sports clubs have since developed around the country. But while other clubs are built at destination locations, Autobahn remains true to its character as a “racing community,” a term the owners repeat as they talk about what they have in Joliet.

“This is a true motorsports experience in a community setting,” O’Donnell said.

O’Donnell and Basso point to the club’s 20th anniversary celebration in October that was celebrated not only by its 540 members but 700 friends and family on a day that featured four races and an assortment of activities.

Autobahn was built for racing and automobiles not luxury, although it does have its share of creature comforts. The club as it developed made room for garage mahals, garages expanded with living rooms, kitchens and other residential features that give members and their families a place to stay while in Joliet for a weekend of racing.

A 10,000-square-foot clubhouse provides a place for weddings, corporate events, and other gatherings.

Former Gov. Bruce Rauner chose the clubhouse as the location to announce the Houbolt Road bridge project in 2016.

Autobahn still has room for expansion within the 320-acre confines of the property.

Buildings on site include garage mahals, condominiums, a duplex and five racing shops.

But the main attraction at the Autobahn is its two tracks – one roughly 1.5 miles long and the other about 2.2 miles.

“The big thing is they link together to form the full track,” Basso said. “Our full track is 3.56 miles, which is one of the longest in the Untied States.” The full track is a “huge course” with 19 turns providing a unique racing experience for club members.

The other big thing about the two tracks is that while they are linked, they also can be separated. That makes it possible to keep one track available to members on days when auto manufacturers, film crews and other users rent the facility.

“It’s great to have a buzz going on,” O’Donnell said. “There’s always activity here. That’s what makes it interesting.”

On Oct. 23, former Indy racer and motorsports commentator Scott Goodyear and other professional racers were part of a Fantasy Driver Camp hosted by Racing for Mental Health, an organization devoted to eliminating the stigma of mental health treatment.

Having big names in racing at the club is not unusual.

“You get true professional racers here,” Basso said. “Most of the time, you don’t even know they’re here.”

Two members include Indy car racers David Malukas and Graham Rahal, whose father, retired Indy driver Bobby Rahal, was one of the club’s original members and is still a member.

The initial membership fee at Autobahn is $50,000. Members pay annual dues of $6,300. Largely a private club, Autobahn in 2019 developed a go-kart track that is open to public use.

“The go-kart track has really helped grow the club because it’s a family attraction,” Basso said. The go-kart attraction also has increased exposure for a club that is rarely seen by most people in Joliet.

Located at 3795 CenterPoint Way, Autobahn is inside the environs of the CenterPoint Intermodal Center, an area largely inhabited by the Union Pacific intermodal yard and surrounding warehouses.

It’s a location that has proved to be a blessing, Basso said.

Autobahn was started at a time that the section of Joliet was largely mapped out for residential development. Basso said. Autobahn management worried that if new subdivisions continued to be built, the sound of racing engines at the club would conflict with residential neighbors surrounding the club.

As it turned out, industrial development, and even the trucks that have come with it, have helped more than hinder the club’s success, Basso said.

“We don’t care about their trucks, and they don’t care about our race cars,” Basso said. “It’s all good.”

The Autobahn Country Club is not a luxury destination site. Most members are from the Chicago region. Basso and O’Donnell said they looked for a site that would be within 60 miles of Chicago, so members could come out for a few hours of racing and go home if they chose.

Basso lived in West Chicago when Autobahn was started and now lives in Shorewood. O’Donnell lives in Winfield.

Increasingly, membership includes out of state residents, although Basso said most of those are people originally from the Chicago area who have moved away. Membership still is primarily from Chicago with a large segment coming from the Joliet area and southern suburbs.

“These are 540 people who all have the same interest,” Basso said. “They’re all friends. We try to make it fun for them.”