Monticello Motor Club

[RPM217]

I took a drive with about 15 other auto enthusiasts up to Monticello to view the soon to open private race track and club facility in Monticello NY. AcuraNSXPilot, and NSXASTY and myself were there with a few Ferraris, Lambos, Porsches, Z06, among others. The drive up was a great spirited run, free from problems with law enforcement, almost a tragedy as a good friends mint 1984 Supra tried to keep up on the twisties, lost it, corrected, and then over corrected, and ended up off the road. I watched this unfold in my rearview mirror and felt for sure that he was going to flip the car. Thankfully, he just scrubbed off enough speed that he slid partially down an embankment and we were able to push him back out onto the road. We met the owner of the track at the office that they're using while under construction, and then followed him back to the track. When complete it will be 4.1 miles, currently the "main track" has had the first layer of asphalt applied and is planning on being open and complete on 7/27/08. We took about 5 parade style laps around the track which has some beautiful banking and elevation changes, keeping the speed below triple digits as the conditions are nowhere near ready for pushing it. When complete it will be awesome. Membership is by invitation only, initial buy-in is currently 100g's, and will be going up. The director of track operations is well known by many of our NE Watkins Glen Trackmasters participants Tony Funicello, a great guy who will be up at the Glen for Kids Day again this year. Go and check out the site it's www.monticellomotorclub.com

 

[Liquid]

Sounds interesting and thanks for the update. Glad to hear the supra came out ok.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Membership is now $125K with 9K due annualy. This is going to be a spectacular track. That's a nice chunk of change but hey I'd rather do this than Golf. I wish it was closer, but I hear they have a Helipad. This sounds like a great business to me. Its certainly less upkeep than a golf course.

 

[RPM217]

Membership is now $125K with 9K due annualy. This is going to be a spectacular track. That's a nice chunk of change but hey I'd rather do this than Golf. I wish it was closer, but I hear they have a Helipad. This sounds like a great business to me. Its certainly less upkeep than a golf course.

I believe the plan is to raise it to $150k soon! Join now and save the $25k for further upgrades!:biggrin:

 

[Liquid]

Membership is now $125K with 9K due annualy. This is going to be a spectacular track. That's a nice chunk of change but hey I'd rather do this than Golf. I wish it was closer, but I hear they have a Helipad. This sounds like a great business to me. Its certainly less upkeep than a golf course.

Is that like a country club where you get your $125k back when you leave the club? Otherwise that's a ridiculous lot of money coupled with the $9k annual dues.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Is that like a country club where you get your $125k back when you leave the club? Otherwise that's a ridiculous lot of money coupled with the $9k annual dues.

I doubt you will get anything back. I am going to find out. This business requires a huge initial outlay of cash but once the membership is rolling along, there is not a huge amount of costs involved. They basically are taking the money that corporations pay to places like Lyme Rock or Watkins Glen and substituting member money with it. Since its private and not "rented" like most tracks, the accomodations are going to be a lot nicer. I think for the clientele they are having, 150K won't mean a whole lot. Its going to be a club for wealthy car enthusiasts. I think Jerry Seinfeld is a member as an example. The location close to Manhattan is probably well thought out. But I don't know how they plan to have over 210 days of racing in this nasty northeast weather.

 

[Liquid]

Similar situation to a country club... I would not at all be surprised if you get your initial investment back (obviously without interest) when you decide to leave the club. If not, in my opinion, the economic value is completely out of whack. Not that you can't have a successful business model where that is the case, but you do need to tap into a niche of people who don't care AT ALL what things cost, which are obviously a very, very tiny percentage of the overall potential market.

 

[RSO 34]

I would be surprised if they sell out their memberships at the original price let alone any increased price. Skippy has been trying to do it at Lime Rock with modest success. I think he has sold about 120 memberships out of the 300 he was looking to peddle and had to sell "associate" memberships for $25,000 with only 10 track days to even get that number of members. Monticello would appear to be a better deal but I don't believe between the two tracks that they can sell the combined 800 full memberships that I believe the two had hoped to offer.

The original plan was for the track to sell 500 full memberships with the first 100 getting the 100k initial fee. The remaining 400 would pay more. Additionally, they intended to sell 200 national and 50 international memberships starting at $35,000 with limited track time. Lofty goals for a track needing at least $50,000,000 to construct but most likely overly optimistic.

 

[TURBO2GO]

WOW...

Bob how do you know all these details? Man, is there anything you don't know? What color is my underwear?

 

[RSO 34]

Bob how do you know all these details?

I had been invited to join both during the planning stages.

What color is my underwear?

Judging by the way you drove at The Glen I would presume that it is a pink lace thong underneath that skirt of yours.

 

[docjohn]

Judging by the way you drove at The Glen I would presume that it is a pink lace thong underneath that skirt of yours.

with a central brown stripe!!:tongue: :biggrin:

 

[RPM217]

The plan is that once they've sold the first 350 memberships, if you want to sell your membership you will be able to do so. They will charge a fee (I think it was 20% but I could be wrong). They are planning on selling as Bob stated 500 memberships and also plan on opening up a total of 6 "clubs" around the country where of course as a "member" you'd be able to use the facilities at any of the clubs. They also will have a number of cars provided by the various "manufacturers" that will be available to the members as well. They expect to make some major announcements in the next couple of weeks. The 3 principals involved (we met with Bill McMichael) supposedly can finance the entire Monticello site with their own capital and would be able to maintain it on their own without selling memberships, but that's not the plan.

 

[RSO 34]

with a central brown stripe!!:tongue: :biggrin:

I think his instructor had the central brown stripe.....

 

[TURBO2GO]

I'm sorry this time you are wrong. I was driving Commando.

Less weight.

 

[TURBO2GO]

The plan is that once they've sold the first 350 memberships, if you want to sell your membership you will be able to do so. They will charge a fee (I think it was 20% but I could be wrong). They are planning on selling as Bob stated 500 memberships and also plan on opening up a total of 6 "clubs" around the country where of course as a "member" you'd be able to use the facilities at any of the clubs. They also will have a number of cars provided by the various "manufacturers" that will be available to the members as well. They expect to make some major announcements in the next couple of weeks. The 3 principals involved (we met with Bill McMichael) supposedly can finance the entire Monticello site with their own capital and would be able to maintain it on their own without selling memberships, but that's not the plan.

Sounds like a well-financed project. We'll see what happens I suppose. I didn't know there was going to be 6 of these. Thats some lofty goals/cash.

 

[RPM217]

Sounds like a well-financed project. We'll see what happens I suppose. I didn't know there was going to be 6 of these. Thats some lofty goals/cash.

Each of the clubs would be an independent facility (500 members) and you'd have the ability to use the facility as your own when you're in the proximity or I guess just because you want to experience the different tracks. It's a very aggressive and optimistic plan and I'm certainly not going to say that they will be successful with the first facility, so proceed with caution!

 

[LJSB]

WOW...

Bob how do you know all these details? Man, is there anything you don't know? What color is my underwear?

Yellow in the front, brown in the back!:biggrin:


Sorry. Couldn't resist that old vaudeville answer.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Yellow in the front, brown in the back!:biggrin:

You mean kinda like DocJohn's car?

 

[thebigjimsho]

As a poor-ass V owner, I can't afford that. But PDA has a couple events on their South course this fall. I'm going to try to get to one of those...

 

[docjohn]

You mean kinda like DocJohn's car?

Ahaaa Touche!:biggrin: