Autobahn Country Club Full Circuit
The Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois, 30 miles southwest of Chicago, is the first-ever racing club of its kind founded in the United States. As the name suggests, this motorsports complex operates as a country club for motorsports fans on a membership basis. Members can race their cars on the track, attend third-party racing events in the club and even build their garages and condos in the complex. The road course opened its doors in October 2004, following a design by the South African track architect Alan Wilson. Autobahn Country Club is available year-round, hosting local competitions among its members and events for SCCA, PCA, NASA, etc.
There are two independent tracks, the 1.45-mile North Circuit and the 2.09-mile South Circuit, which combine to form the 3.56-mile Full Circuit. The average speed is very similar for the three possible configurations, floating around 75-80 mph. The club also offers a skidpad and a half-mile kart track. The road course consists of several straight segments and a majority of sharp turns, with plenty of overtaking spots, heavy braking zones, and fast acceleration segments, which contribute to an exciting layout for high-profile racing.
Autobahn Country Club's Full Circuit configuration combines independent North (2.35-kilometer) and South (3.36-kilometer) circuits into 5.729 kilometers through 19 turns creating Chicago area's most complete road racing challenge, located in Joliet, Illinois, 48 kilometers southwest of downtown. This combined layout emphasizes corner density with 19 turns bundled into tricky complexes characteristic of designer Alan Wilson's philosophy, while the 1,850-foot main straight rewards power and aerodynamic efficiency across the 12-meter-width surface. The Full Circuit's ability to split into independent North and South tracks provides unprecedented versatility—both circuits operate simultaneously enabling large multi-group events, or combine for the complete 3.56-mile layout offering 77 mph average speeds and 2:45 lap times across Illinois's premier club racing infrastructure serving Chicago's 9.6 million metropolitan population.
The Full Circuit's character derives from modular design enabling three distinct configurations: North Circuit (73 mph average, tighter technical), South Circuit (79 mph average, faster flowing), or combined Full Circuit (77 mph average, complete challenge). The 19-turn layout's corner bundling creates rapid direction-change sequences testing chassis agility, while relatively flat terrain means geometric relationships dominate over elevation-change challenges found at hillside circuits. The hillcrest between Turns 12-13 provides brief airtime opportunity before the flight-inducing compression, adding dramatic moment to otherwise flat layout. Illinois continental climate creates dramatic seasonal variation from summer heat to winter cold, though Autobahn's membership-focused model emphasizes prime spring-fall season. The facility's country club infrastructure with member garages, dining, and social spaces creates upscale motorsport community contrasting traditional track-day-only venues. The dual independent circuit capability makes Autobahn unique among Midwest facilities, enabling simultaneous North-South events impossible at single-layout competitors. SCCA, NASA, club racing, and extensive track day programs utilize Full Circuit as Chicago area's premier complete racing venue. The configuration particularly demonstrates modern multi-layout design philosophy where modular circuits serve varied needs—beginner groups on North, advanced on South, expert groups on Full—all operating simultaneously across Autobahn's comprehensive infrastructure serving America's third-largest metropolitan area.
