The very first thing that strikes you isn’t the monitor’s size or how a lot of it’s seen from the membership’s exterior terrace. As a substitute, your eyes fixate on simply what number of elevation adjustments the non-public monitor on the Ten Tenths Motor Membership incorporates into simply 1.7 miles.
I’m in Harmony, North Carolina, for its grand opening. Over the next days, this new members-only membership will host classic racing, a Concours, and over $500 million of collectible vehicles as a part of its Heritage Invitational.
Situated just a few hundred toes from the historic Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Ten Tenths Motor Membership outcomes from a three way partnership between Speedway Motorsports, homeowners of race tracks throughout the US, and NASCAR workforce proprietor and auto business tycoon Rick Hendrick.
To grasp the imaginative and prescient for this place, I sat for an interview with Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus G. Smith, who defined how shortly the imaginative and prescient got here collectively to construct this membership. In keeping with Smith, building started in October final 12 months and resulted in early April, simply earlier than its grand opening.
This consists of creating an over 20,000-square-foot hospitality constructing the place members can entry racing simulators, a bourbon bar, a cigar lounge, and loads of lounging areas. On condition that the Ten Tenths Motor Membership is as a lot a monitor as an occasion house, the workforce behind it opted to put in lights on the circuit, making it potential to host driving classes at night time.
Nevertheless, as Smith factors out, the Ten Tenths Motor Membership is constructed to be greater than only a place the place members can deliver their vehicles for a monitor day. It consists of non-public climate-controlled garages to retailer whole automotive collections and white-glove service ought to mechanical repairs be wanted.
The membership hosted the Heritage Invitational all through its opening weekend, which kicked issues off with historic Trans-Am vehicles on the monitor competing in two 25-minute races. Later that night, attendees witnessed some Professional-Am racing accomplished at night time with the circuits lighting system illluminating the course.
Nevertheless, the weekend’s spotlight was the Heritage Invitational Concours hosted the next morning. It’s estimated that round $500 million of collectible vehicles had been in attendance, starting from a Lamborghini Miura to classic Porsche race vehicles in unrestored situation and even a pair of latest AMG ONEs.
The monitor spans 1.7 miles in its full configuration and incorporates 112 toes of elevation change by 19 turns. It’s the work of 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Alexander Wurz, and the course gives a 1.1-mi Brief configuration and a fair smaller 0.6-mi Interior Loop structure. The latter incorporates a water irrigation system to permit members to apply their drifting expertise whereas additionally serving as a driver coaching space.
One of many largest advantages of this being a brand new facility is simply how a lot runoff space it gives, about 42 ft on common. For those who’ve ever skilled older circuits, you’ll usually discover that there isn’t a lot room for errors.
Member-only race tracks have change into fairly fashionable over the past 15 years. Whether or not discussing The Thermal Membership in Palm Springs or The Concours Membership in Miami, every facility has strengths and weaknesses. Nevertheless, whereas Ten Tenths Motor Membership could be the newest addition to the world of personal circuits, its street course, full with huge elevation adjustments and lots of turns packed into a comparatively quick course, ought to make it an thrilling competitor to this section’s established gamers.
Whereas the Membership has simply opened, these curious about becoming a member of can achieve this by way of the Ten Tenths Motor Membership web site.
