The third weekend of July is always a thrill at Road America, the four-mile road course about a hundred miles north of Chicago, because the cars cover the span from the 50s to some that were raced in international competition only a few years ago. The cars you can read about in Burt Levy’s “The Last Open Road” series will be there if you look. And Burt Levy himself will most likely be signing and selling his editions. There are competition classes for just about every car ever made and they all race at some point during the weekend.

The weekend usually runs much like this:
Friday night (July 15, 2011) – get to the campground by late afternoon and be ready to leave by 5 P.M. for the race car parade to Elkhart Lake (people line the streets for a mile or more). Then it is dinner time and lately the group goes to Three Guys and a Grill (920-876-2535) at Marsh Lodge at the end of route J west of Elkhart Lake.

Saturday (July 16) – Go to the races, visit a local historic site, hang out in Elkhart Lake, or go shopping in Plymouth to the south. But be at the camp ground to share a supper if you like. Bring your meat (if you eat it) and a side-dish to share. There will be a charcoal grill for cooking. After supper go back to Elkhart Lake for the Concours d’Elegance. This would be a good chance to get a pop at Siebken’s Inn or an ice cream sundae at Gessert’s fountain.

Sunday (July 17) – Pack up your tent unless you are staying longer, repeat Saturday’s activities.

Most of us stay at Plymouth Rock Camping Resort across the street from the track and a bit south on Route 67. Bring a tent in your MG and ask when you register to be with the Chicagoland MG Club group. The cost is about fifty dollars a night for two persons and one tent. Telephone: 920-892-4252.

Other camping options: Marsh Lodge; rate is $20 per night. On the Road America site; must purchase a weekend ticket.

The schedule and reduced price tickets are available for the races at www.roadamerica.com, 800.365.7223.

Questions: Ann or Jake at 847-295-2753 or
snyder@chicagolandmgclub.com.

Come and celebrate the 50th birthday of the postwar MG Midget. MG Midgets and Austin-Healy Sprites from around the country will gather in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin to celebrate with food, driving events, and social time. Come for the Chicagoland MG Club Camping trip, see the Kohler International Challenge, and stay for the Midget 50. For more info go to http://www.spritemidgetclub.org

-- Seth Jones  

The sixth annual Secrets of Jo-Daviess County (and beyond) tour will be held July 15-17, 2011. If you like to drive your Little British Car on remote, scenic, winding roads (many without painted lines) this is the tour for you. The emphasis is on driving and we’ll log about 350 miles in the two days of the weekend. Yes, a lot of driving, but we’ll also take in some distractions like wineries and cheese stores.

If you choose an early arrival, Friday afternoon we’ll have our regular open house and reception at our home on Lake Carroll followed by the popular Yellow Creek Inn fish fry. Saturday, starting at 9am in Stockton, we wind our way north through Jo-Daviess county and on into Wisconsin. An early distraction will be a mystery experience and will remain a secret until Saturday. This year we’ll use a little different format. Instead of a long day of driving to a distant overnight stop, we’ll arrive at an intermediate location (of the hotel and restaurant) at Prairie du Chien earlier in the day. After a break we’ll take shorter loop runs over scenic fun roads beginning and ending at the hotel - a sort of hub and spoke operation. The day ends with dinner at the Jones’ Black Angus, a really nice steakhouse, walking distance from the hotel. Sunday we’ll run some more loop road circuits working our way homeward with the official end of the tour circuit in Monroe, Wisconsin the home of Baumgartner’s tavern and cheese store. The plan is to arrive in Monroe about 3pm to get you to your home at an early hour.

Hotel information: We have reserved blocks of rooms at all these hotels under the name of “MG club”. All the hotels have an indoor pool. The expiration date for the blocks is roughly 30 days in advance of the stay.

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