This is an easy one: You and a friend need to register right now for the team sport of Targa Chicagoland because registration is now open. Simple, right? Got more questions? Like what is Targa Chicagoland, when does it take place, and how’s it scored? I suppose we can answer those questions, too.
Targa Chicagoland is a motorsports tour of the Chicago area – other than it’s not. And by that we mean it’s better.
The adventure kicks off on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, with a trip to Autobahn Country Club (North Circuit) in Joliet, IL, followed by a trek to Putnam Park in Green Castle, IN, on July 31. Friday, Aug. 1, is no lazy day of summer, because Targa Chicagoland participants will hit up both Tire Rack’s headquarters in South Haven, IN, and GingerMan Raceway in South Haven, MI, on the same day, before returning to Joliet, IL, on Saturday, Aug. 2, but this time to run Autobahn Country Club’s South Circuit on Saturday alongside the Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack Challenge.
There’ll also be a meet up on Thursday evening, July 31, at Tire Rack for some extra fun.
Put another way:
- July 30: Autobahn Country Club (North Circuit), Joliet, IL
- July 31: Putnam Park, Green Castle, IN
- Aug. 1: Tire Rack Headquarters, South Bend, IN
- Aug. 1, GingerMan Raceway, South Haven, MI
- Aug 2: Autobahn Country Club (South Circuit), Joliet, IL
- Aug. 3: The fun’s not over…keep reading!
And…
The name of the game in Targa is fun, and nothing is more fun than wheel time.
At Autobahn (the first-time round), Putnam, and GingerMan, each team gets two practice sessions and two cumulative lap sessions to score their best time. The stop at Tire Rack’s HQ will see teams hit an autocross course for six (that’s SIX!) runs. Then at Autobahn (the second-time round) drivers get one practice session and three timed sessions on Saturday during the Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack Challenge.
And…note that teams get one free entry for the primary co-driver into the Time Attack Challenge, so your Saturday time will count toward Targa AND the Time Attack Challenge (tip: the primary co-driver is the person who paid the Targa entry fee during registration). Targa concludes on Saturday (with a podium celebration and everything!), then Sunday will see Targa drivers continue to lap Eagles Canyon to log their final Time Attack Challenge score.
And and…teams are welcome to enter their other co-driver in the Time Attack Challenge, too! For that, they’ll just need to register as a standalone entry. They can continue to co-drive their Targa car, or they can jump behind the wheel of something else. It’s totally up to them!
And and and…teams are scored in the best possible of ways, which means straight up times (three laps cumulatively timed at each track, as well as your fastest autocross run), plus bonus points that come from (somewhat arbitrary) social and peer judged elements.
But…
There is a but – and it’s a big but. You’re going to need a friend for this adventure, since Targa Chicagoland is a team sport. OK, maybe that’s not a big “but.” Five days at the track with a friend? It’s like #funwithcars, but better!
The second “but” isn’t big either: You’re going to need $1,250 for the entry. For that, you’ll experience track time on four different racing circuits, plus an autocross that boasts as many runs as a Solo National Tour event! The price of admission also includes a free entry into the Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack Challenge at Autobahn over the Aug. 2-3 weekend which, in and of itself, is a $500 value .
But…nothing! Targa Chicagoland is the event you’re going to run this July 30-Aug. 2. Registration is open now!
Photo by Jon Krolewicz
