Lanier Corvettes Unlimited Tours Michelin Tower And The Driving Club

To succeed in life, you have to jump as quickly at opportunities as you do to conclusions.

So when the opportunity to tour the Michelin Tower at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, The Driving Club at Road Atlanta, and the Dog House came our way, we jumped quickly.

If you’ve ever attended an event at Road Atlanta, you’ve looked at the impressive four-story Michelin Tower with more than a slight tinge of jealousy. And rightfully so.

This beautiful, recently constructed tower provides excellent amenities and sweeping views of this world-famous 2.54-mile road course. Since October 2018, when the new tower construction began, we’ve wanted to tour this state-of-the-art motorsport facility.

Special thanks to those who gave us the chance to join the fun.

Fed Fletcher, President of Lanier Corvettes Unlimited,

Trip Campbell, CEO of The Driving Club at Road Atlanta,

Al Petrangeli, Chief Operating Officer of Carroll Daniel Construction, and

Rick Humprey, President and General Manager of Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Touring Michelin Tower

The Michelin Tower tour started with everyone gathered in the spacious multipurpose first-floor Podium Club area. The Podium Club’s primary objective is to serve as a hospitality area during race events.

The well-thought-out floor plan can accommodate approximately 300 guests, making the multipurpose area ideal for hosting corporate functions, birthday parties, etc.

We were fortunate to have Rick Humphrey, President and General Manager of Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, personally welcome everyone to the facility.

As Rick shared his insights into this 40,000 sq ft Tower, you got a real sense of what it takes to complete a project of this size on time.

Carroll Daniel Construction built this site’s original Tower and this one as well. Despite unrelenting rain for the first three months of construction, they came through on time, which was no easy feat.

The Michelin Tower consists of the Podium Club on the first floor, while the second floor houses the extensive media center. The third and fourth floors accommodate suites.

What impressed us most was the attention to functional design and the quality of the construction.

Little things make a big difference in the overall experience. Such as the sound-deadening glass that faces the trackside and the expandability of the suites.

The second-floor media center has 100 designated workstations to accommodate the national and international press on race days. There are also studios purposefully built for television broadcasts.

The third floor is divided into six suites, while the fourth floor has five. Each suite can host 30 to 45 guests, depending on configuration and location on the floor.

As impressive as the Michelin Tower is, the open-air rooftop area captures everyone’s attention and quickens your racing spirit. In a word, the view is spectacular.

The partially covered patio is the perfect vantage point to experience the downhill excitement of Turn 12, the start/finish line, and the long straightaway. It’s everything a racing enthusiast could hope for and more.

The Driving Club At Road Atlanta

From the Michelin Tower, the group headed just up the hill to the home of The Driving Club at Road Atlanta.

Trip Campbell, the CEO/Founder of the Driving Club at Road Atlanta, has ten years under his belt of delivering a high-level driving experience, and it shows. His proven experience and attention to detail are readily apparent when you step foot inside their 25,000 sq ft clubhouse.

While the spacious first-floor parking area garners plenty of attention, it’s the upstairs Driver’s Lounge that draws the “oohs and aahs.” When asked, Trip remarked that their objective was to create a Driver’s Lounge experience befitting the status of this legendary road course.  

The Driver’s Suite, bar area, locker rooms with showers, and restrooms are well-appointed. In addition, the seating area with large screen TVs provides a great place to unwind and talk about the day’s track experiences with friends.

Trip also explained he wanted a Driver’s Lounge where you could relax after a day at the track in style and comfort. The design ambiance had to be inviting to both spouses and members’ clients as well. 

The next stop on tour was another of Trip Campbell’s properties across the street, the storied Dog House.

The Dog House & P1 MotorBlock

The Driving Club hospitality continued as members of the club were treated to a bite to eat at the legendary Dog House. Situated across the street from the road course, the Dog House has a rich history that few get the opportunity to experience.

After eating, Trip Campbell unveiled his exciting vision for the upcoming P1 MotorBlock project. This expansive 137-acres motorsports-related development will be across from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

The development will have exclusive garage condos that individuals will own and build out as their urban cabins. These “home away from home” condos will be perfect for “staycations” in this private gated community.

The garage condos will appeal to those who want a safe, secure place to house their growing collection. It also will be a community of like-minded enthusiasts who share a common automotive passion.

As early as February of 2022, groundbreaking will take place on the first condos and automotive village. They already have two significant anchors in Phase One, taking about fifteen thousand square feet of the automotive village.

In addition, there are plans for a multistory restaurant events center that provides indoor-outdoor dining. The views from the restaurant will offer a stunning view of Turn 11 and a large portion of the infield.

Everything they are doing in the P1 MotorBlock project will enhance the fan experience at Road Atlanta. It will give race fans compelling reasons to visit one of the finest road courses in the world more often and to stay longer.

A Perfect Trifecta

It’s rare to hit a trifecta of activities as Lanier Corvette Unlimited club did that night.

Getting the chance to see any one of these locations would have been a compelling reason to make the drive to Braselton, Ga.

Combined, it made for a fun night not soon forgotten.