When The Concours Club recently invited me to fly out to Florida and experience a day in the life as a member, I looked forward to honing my track skills with an experienced coach at my shoulder. I knew of The Concours Club and in my mind, envisioned something almost akin to a country club but with a racing circuit instead of a golf course, much like the Thermal Club here in California. But when I arrived in Miami and pulled up to the gate, the constant focus on hospitality and member convenience on display immediately revealed an entirely new level of thoughtful consideration.

The facility boasts not just a racetrack but all the services that any automotive enthusiast might dream they can one day access at a single location, from onsite mechanics to car storage, detailing, and even a full restaurant and swanky bar. Sure, any day of racing sounds fun but The Concours Club elevates the track day experience into an enviable revitalization of automotive passion that only the world's wealthiest enthusiasts get to enjoy.

Welcome To The Concours Club

Concours Club Entrance Gate
via Michael Van Runkle / HotCars

Technically located on the grounds of Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, TCC's location attracts members who live in nearby Miami with only about a 15-20 minute drive, while others fly in on private jets to find their Ferraris and Porsches ready and waiting—air conditioning blasting, of course, in the hot Florida sun. A short drive away, an imposing gate and a modern guard hut hint at the secrets within, though members sign an annual waiver so they can cruise right past the guard with a wave of their smartphone.

Just like in motorsport, TCC President Aaron Weiss explained to me, saving precious time emerged as an early focus for all of TCC's efforts. In the passion project Le Mans, Steve McQueen's character famously mumbles "When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting." For those lucky few who can afford to become members of The Concours Club, Weiss spends his time figuring out the best ways to reduce that before and after. The club's proximity to both Miami and a private runway help to trim the typical time commitment required to go racing—plus, the airport location means no decibel restrictions on the track!

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Your Car Is Waiting

Concours Club BMW M2 CS R Lineup
via Michael Van Runkle / HotCars

The many ways that Weiss and his team can maximize every minute and second of a member's visit include a bespoke smartphone app, which gives TCC's staff enough warning before a member arrives to pull a racecar out to the shaded paddock and warm up the tires and fluids. Many TCC members race in the Ferrari Challenge Series, though a large percentage either purchase or rent a prepped BMW M2 CS Racing as their track toy of choice. Weiss never formalized a deal with BMW because he wouldn't want to apply any pressure on his clients while they choose a track car, but BMW's range of 2 Series toys offers many advantages, including the M240i Racing with slightly less power for beginner drivers.

Given my past experience earlier this year at Radford Racing School, TCC decided to drop me straight into an M2 CSR Clubsport that pumps 450 horsepower from a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six to the rear wheels only through a seven-speed DCT and a limited-slip rear differential. I arrived also fresh off a trip to North Carolina, where I pushed a street-legal M2 CS to the limits on famous winding roads like the Tail of the Dragon. But where the M2 CS I drove offered adjustable suspension and drive modes, plus a six-speed manual, the M2 CSR trades creature comforts for true racing capability. Those 450 horses might not sound too imposing on paper before taking a CSR out on TCC's circuit, but Weiss explained that the excellent balance, respectable power, and direct driving engagement all make the car a great track training tool, one that all his members can use as a kind of equalizer for a little healthy lap time competition.

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Strap Into A BMW M2 CS R

Concours Club BMW M2 CS R Interior
via Michael Van Runkle / HotCars

After donning a firesuit in TCC's luxuriously appointed locker room, I strapped on a helmet and HANS device before taking a look into the M2 CSR that sat warming up before my session. Compared to the Hellcats at Radford, with only half cages to separate them from their road-going brethren, the CSR left little doubt in my mind about my next half-hour or so. Luckily, TCC's crew helped me climb in and fasten the five-point harness, then clip on the quick-release steering wheel.

One of the main reasons Radford loves the Challenger and Charger Hellcats as a track tool comes down to operating costs and Weiss told me the relatively affordable entry price for an M2 CSR also holds true for his members, and that the cars have so far proven quite reliable, as well. BMW technically offers no warranty on the CSR—which seems reasonable given the intentions of most drivers to flog the car at every opportunity—but apparently still helps with those few problems that inevitably crop up. Another major reason TCC members love the M2 CSR: a trick air conditioning system that only runs when the driver brakes, thereby preventing any power losses during acceleration but still helping to combat that South Florida heat and humidity

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Full Racecar Interior

Concours Club BMW M2 CS R Interior
via Michael Van Runkle / HotCars

The CSR's cockpit looks almost nothing like the comfortable M2 CS I drove at the infamous Tail of the Dragon. From the yoke steering wheel with F1-style buttons to a race-specific and configurable gauge cluster, the center console, and even right down to the emergency brake lever, every aspect focuses on the driver. The passenger seat even took me by surprise, since Weiss explained that TCC uses data logging, live video streaming, and radios for track coaching, rather than the popular lead-follow format or plopping an instructor in the passenger seat to yell instructions over the screaming straight-six. But before heading out myself, I went for a slow lap in an SUV with instructor and former Formula 3 champion Rod MacLeod pointing out the track's main features, from the safety-focused walls that match FIA specs to run-off zones, tricky segments, and a surprising number of subtle elevation changes.

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Back Out On Track

Concours Club BMW M2 CS R On Track
via Michael Van Runkle / HotCars

I arrived in Florida a couple of months out from my last track day, so planned to take the first few laps easy in the hopes of acclimating to the new car, new circuit, and new tires. But as soon as I got the green light, the M2 CSR inspired far more confidence than I imagined. The prodigious grip of Hankook racing slicks, especially when braking, took me by surprise—the only car I previously drove with actual slicks being a legit Formula 4 open-wheeled racer. The Bimmer's stiff suspension also translated to quicker compression, so toying with weight transfer during every phase of the course required a new level of focus.

When I began pushing harder, I found the M2 CSR's slight nose-happy understeer quite predictable (after a few instances past the slip angle, anyway) and the edge of oversteer into apex typically transitioned to a quick tail shimmy by the time I reached full throttle again. But just as I began to think I might be getting the hang of TCC's circuit, a member with far more experience than I caught up and I dutifully slowed on a straight to allow a pass. Watching the other car's lines revealed just how much further into the M2 CSR's limits I still needed to push.

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Data-Driven Track Coaching From Pros

Concours Club Lap Data VBOX Charts
via Rod McLeod

Just then, MacLeod came over the radio and delivered that instruction straight out of Netflix's Drive to Survive or, more lately, the nightmares of Ferrari fans: "Box, box, box." My first 10 laps complete, I pulled into the paddock and loosened my restraints, only to find helpful hands undoing my harness, helping me slip out of the helmet, and handing me a cold towel and a bottle of ice water. Turns out, I never switched on the M2 CSR's air conditioning. Serious rookie mistake!

But the full reveal of my amateur status still awaited. I walked over to MacLeod, who pulled my session up on his laptop using both Vbox and video footage simultaneously in the Circuit Tools app. Unforgivingly, he selected my best lap and then pulled up one of his best laps—suffice to say, a wide delta—and started walking me through every straightaway, turn, and braking zone. After explaining how each chart showed my throttle position, steering angle, instantaneous speed, and braking pressure, MacLeod went through the full lap from start to finish. In the end, as I learned at Radford, he advised that I focus my efforts on braking later and harder before each corner. Then I suited up once more and headed out for five more laps.

Simply by focusing on my braking technique, I almost immediately began running faster, holding more speed into a corner as I turned more aggressively with more weight on the front tires and, therefore, more grip. The higher cornering speeds led to higher apex and exit speeds, then to higher top speeds on the straights, and then hard back into the brakes. I began feeling the flow that Weiss had told me he and track designer Alan L. Wilson labored to produce on TCC's road course. Despite only logging five more laps, I managed to trim a full two seconds off my previous best time.

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Cool Down At The Club

Concours Club Interior
via Michael Van Runkle / HotCars

MacLeod and I both ride road bicycles almost daily, so we similarly obsess over our power stats on the bike. But as I cooled down with another towel and bottle of ice water, we both marveled at the significant improvements possible after only a single coaching session using race data. Just imagine how much better I might drive after a full day, or a week, or a year at The Concours Club! Or so I consoled myself, especially since the other members on track that day consistently notched lap times three to five seconds faster than my best—and then Weiss told me his own PR, a full 10 seconds quicker, as we sat down to lunch at TCC's onsite restaurant called Verge.

Weiss delivered that kicker without a hint of gloating, reassuring me that a 1:32 lap on my first day compared favorably with most newcomers. Perhaps to assuage my own feelings of inadequacy, he then walked me through a tasting menu curated by chef Brad Kilgore that ran the gamut from house-cured charcuterie meats to one of the best Caesar salads of my life complete with croutons baked from a 50-year-old sourdough starter and then, my personal favorite, a delicate homemade raviolo-style pasta with truffles (nicknamed "Tuxedo" style, though I thought maybe checkered flags might be a more appropriate reference given the racing context of a black-and-white pattern). Even though we decided not to sip on any of the spirits or wine on hand, Weiss explained how the club's main dining room and bar can play host to anything from Formula 1 watch parties to family-style member meals and private enthusiast events.

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A Plan Is Afoot

Concours Club Helmet and Gloves with Apartments
via Michael Van Runkle / HotCars

As we refueled, Weiss fleshed out the vision that he and founder Neil Gehani believe sets The Concours Club apart from other automotive meccas. Maximizing every member's track time still stands as priority number one, so TCC aims to create a one-stop-shop of sorts. Eight technicians in the service facility next door can work on the BMW racers, prepped supercars, and luxury cruisers that members keep onsite. Basics like fluid flushes and tire mounting take place daily, though the crew can also take on more concerted projects include the full mechanical restoration of a high-mileage E36 BMW M3, not to mention keeping air-cooled Porsche carburetors running smoothly for those members still clinging to the golden era of analog driving.

The Concours Club can store up to 100 cars, a convenient number given that Weiss counts just over 100 members currently. TCC keeps a waitlist for potential acceptance, though new members can only hope to receive an invitation—no applications accepted. Weiss counts his lucky stars that the first batch of members, which included IndyCar and endurance racer Helio Castroneves, fully bought into the community that he and Gehani hoped to foster from the get-go, since one bad apple might easily have spoiled the entire project. Current and future expansions fit into the vision, too. Directly next to the track's longest straightaway, a line of what Weiss calls "Autolofts" sit nearly completed. When fully furnished, they will overlook the track and offer car storage, social space, and sleeping quarters. Another construction project taking place at the far end of the 75-acre grounds will play host to more public events, in a building designed by Pininfarina completely separate from the main members' area.

After the sumptuous meal, as I climbed back into my car and headed back to my South Beach hotel for the night, I wondered why The Concours Club invited me to visit in the first place. With a full member roster and waitlist, surely they don't need the press. Blame the hot day in the sun or the focus on trimming infinitesimal moments off my lap times, but sometimes, when the fine life comes knocking, you can only answer with gusto. My brief taste at The Concours Club definitely left me addicted to track driving once more, wishing in vain for just one more session with MacLeod and the M2 CSR. How much, you ask, to live The Concours Club life on the regular? In this case, perhaps more than ever, if you have to ask, you definitely can't afford it.

Sources: theconcoursclub.com, thermal.cc, miami-airport.com, imdb.com, bmwusa.com, rodmacleod.racing, and apple.com.