Getting a guy like John Morris to brag is difficult. He’s got the material—a successful series of entrepreneurial exploits, a home with a stunning ocean view just south of Los Angeles, and a garage full of exotic cars—but not the disposition. Soft-spoken and ready with a smile, Morris would much rather show than tell.

Which is precisely what he’s doing now at the helm of his Robinson R-44 Raven helicopter as it hovers a few thousand feet over a 193-acre parcel of desert in Pahrump, Nevada, some 60 miles west of Las Vegas.

"Over there, that’s where we’re putting the clubhouse and the pool, and over here,"—he jabs his finger a bit north—"I’d love to build a shooting range and maybe some houses, each with their own hangar."

He saves the best for last. Whispering into his headset as the rotors chop the fall air, Morris lets loose a smile and a comment that represents the closest he’ll get to braggadocio: "And right there below us, that’s what it’s all about."

Coming into closer view as the helicopter makes its slow descent is a 4-mile road-racing course broken by orange cones into an ever-changing network of apexes and straightaways. The track is the nucleus of Club Spring Mountain, which aims to provide auto racing aficionados of varying skill levels with not just track time, but a genuine country club experience that revolves around a mutual love of roaring engines and eau-de-singed brake linings.

"This is a really good time for an idea like this, with baby boomers having time and money on their hands but often, in the case of car guys, nowhere to really exercise that passion," says Morris, whose real estate software success has allowed him to spend the past few years on this labor of love.

He learned very quickly that one particular item would make most track denizens exceedingly grateful. "Bathrooms," he says. "One of the first things we improved was those facilities, from the portable variety to something permanent. When we saw how happy people were with those, we figured, ‘Heck, let’s give them something more.’"

He’s not alone. The number of racing-focused country clubs is creeping north throughout the country. At least a half-dozen or so like Club Spring Mountain are up and racing, while many more projects are in the pre-track, membership solicitation phase in places like Colorado, Georgia and Minnesota. The scale, scope and cost of such gear-head clubs varies widely, with only a few aiming for the rarified air swirling around Spain’s exclusive Club Ascari (see The Leisure Track: Drivers Wanted). Mainly, the goal is to provide a circuit for car fans and diversions for their families.
One of the most ambitious American driving clubs currently in the build-out phase is the Monticello Motor Club in New York state. Located about 90 miles from the Big Apple’s clutch of wealthy and passionate car collectors, the club will offer a new 22-turn, 4.1-mile track as well as a 30,000-square-foot clubhouse complete with a five-star restaurant, spa and member concierge service. Initiation fees are $100,000 for founding members ($120,000 after the track opens next July), while annual dues are $7,500 (climbing to $8,000 next summer).

Morris’s grand plans include in-construction elements such as the clubhouse and pool, as well as wish-list items like condominiums and a landing strip for personal aircraft. Though some of Club Spring Mountain’s 95 members (he’s targeting 500 total) live in nearby Las Vegas, a number make the drive from Los Angeles. For those who really want the luxe life, Morris hopes to offer air-limo rides in a new Cessna he’s purchased, which would make a day at the races all the more feasible for those hailing from the auto-crazed recesses of Southern California.

Ask about the appeal of a club membership like this, and the same answer rises to the fore. Track time.

"When I used to tell my buddies I was off to a track day, they knew that meant a few half-hour sessions max," says Ken Melgoza, an engineer from Ladera Ranch in Orange County. "But now I can drive to Spring Mountain on a Friday and come back on Saturday with five hours of driving under my belt. You just can’t beat that. Not to mention the fact that I just keep my car in a garage on site. Oh, and they have real restrooms."

Club Spring Mountain has three different initiation fees, from $5,000 to $50,000 for a corporate membership, and monthly dues from $95. "Most people pay more than that each month for their cable bill," says Morris.

But others are happy to pay much more for a piece of a dream. At the hallowed ground of Lime Rock in Connecticut, track owner and racing school founder Skip Barber recently engineered the creation of The Club at Lime Rock Park. With demand for track time growing at a venue that closes for weather five months of the year, Barber felt many of Lime Rock’s well-heeled fans from the greater New York area would be willing to pay extra for guaranteed seat time.

Now, for a one-time fee of $110,000 and $6,000 annual dues, Club Lime Rock members get 20 days guaranteed each year, which is significant considering how often the track is booked up for big-time racing duty. There are plans for a clubhouse, improvements to the track and, yes, new restrooms.

"This is a ticket to a candy store for many auto enthusiasts," says Barber, who notes that members also get perks such as guided group tours of the Ferrari factory in Maranello and treks to the concours in Amelia Island, Florida. "I think most people love the idea of a great camaraderie with people like themselves. Here it’s all about driving and socializing about driving."

Lime Rock members also benefit from that fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing you’re saving an American icon. Barber says most of the initiation funds are going toward track repaving and improvements to the facility.

"I figured there were only two ways to save this track, and that was a billionaire buying it or this club. I lost a home track once, the old Bridgehampton (Long Island) course, and I didn’t want to see that happen again," says John Steinmetz, an investor and longtime SCCA racer who considers Lime Rock’s track his backyard. "Look, I’m not a golfer, never have been. Racing is it for me. Like a sailor needs the salt air, I need the smell of Castrol."
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