Could business some day be conducted on the racecourse as commonly as it is conducted now on the golf course? The offbeat wedding of fast cars and a country-club atmosphere on the outskirts of Monticello could well answer that question.
That”™s where Pound Ridge resident Michael Kaplan, managing member of Jefferson Development Partners L.L.C., is building a 3.7-mile road course for owners and enthusiasts of high-end cars.
But this isn”™t a track that just anyone will be able drive up on and use. Kaplan”™s plans are for an exclusive, country-club style membership; the grounds where the track is being constructed will also feature an 18,500-square-foot clubhouse with all the amenities.
Kaplan says it will be the first of its kind in the U.S.
“This will be not only for people who want a serious venue to race their cars, but for all those other people with cars in their garage with no safe place to test them out,” he said.
Other tracks for car racing exist in the U.S., but most are rented out by the day and can often be crowded, offering users only a limited amount of time to drive.
With its membership capped at 200, a large track open 200 days per year, and a luxury clubhouse, members of the Drive and Race Club will have amenities akin to the feel of rich Corinthian leather.
“This is really a new business model,” Kaplan said.
Bill McMichael is one racing enthusiast who believes this new business model will be successful. He has spent many a dissatisfying afternoon at existing driving facilities waiting one hour to drive for 15 minutes in an overcrowded track.
McMichael, the president of the drivers club, now drives his Ferrari north to Monticello from his home in northern New Jersey as part of the team bringing the track to life.
“Most of the places you can race, the facilities are antiquated and they are not very safe,” McMichael said. “There are not a lot of venues in this area to satisfy racing passion.”
Interestingly, Kaplan said he is not a huge driving enthusiast himself, but throughout his years in the business world has met many colleagues who liked to collect and drive high-end vehicles, but didn”™t have a quality venue to put pedal to metal.
“Driving fast cars is deep-seated in the American psyche,” he said. “I think most people would find this more fun than golf.”
Kaplan first came upon the property where the racetrack is being built when he was in Sullivan County several years ago as Valhalla-based developer Louis Cappelli”™s general counsel.
Cappelli was in the process of acquiring two Sullivan County historic hotels and Kaplan worked on the approval process.
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He then went through the same process himself when he acquired the land and required the necessary permits to build the track. He estimates the total cost of building the facility will be around $50 million.
The land is the former site of the now-defunct Monticello Airport, so the zoning already in place did not have noise restrictions.
“This was a parcel where we knew we could get approval for a track, so that”™s why we bought it,” he said.
Kaplan sees his market of potential members consisting of business people from around the New York City metro area who are luxury-car enthusiasts.
“Our average member is someone who probably has about 10 cars in their garage,” he said.
He said the biggest quality the club is looking for in its potential members is “that they”™re going to be a safe driver.”
“We”™re weeding out those who think they have something to prove, the hotshots,” he said.
Members buy a 99-year tradable license to the club. So far, since the club has starting accepting applications in January, it has drawn considerable interest.
Kaplan said the one draw to attracting member is the closeness of the track to the New York metro area. There will also be a helipad at the facility for those inclined to travel that route, which he said is about a 20-minute flight from Westchester County.
Members are welcome to drive their own cars or use one of the 100 club vehicles that will eventually be on the premises.
“We are bringing the golf-club model of exclusivity, comfort and the camaraderie of club membership to this venue,” he said.
The club will also be bringing about 50 full-time employees with it, from racing pros that will give lessons and evaluate driver performance to the clubhouse cleaning crew.
Kaplan hopes to open the track by the summer of 2008.
For more information, visit www.driveandrace.com.
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