SCCA® Targa is the Club’s best kept track adventure everyone’s in love with. Not only have we been telling you all about it, but so have event participants via the Targa Facebook group. Fact is, virtually everyone who participated in 2016 and 2017, then Targa Texasland and Targa Southland this year, agree that if you’re looking for fun, Targa is the place to be.

But what is Targa? Plus, more specifically, why do you need to attend the upcoming Targa Chicagoland?

We’ll tell you! We’ll also reveal why you need to register for Targa Chicagoland ASAP.

(TL;DR: You’re about to miss out on the fun.)

Why Register Now?

This is an easy one: Targa Chicagoland takes place July 30-Aug. 3, 2025, which means the event is about to begin – unless you act fast, you’re going to miss it.

To register, you’ll need to be an SCCA member (not a member? Join now!) and you’ll also need $1,250. Sound steep? We’ll get to this being one of the best deals for track time around in just a moment, because as you read on, keep in mind that the price is per team, not per driver. Targa is, after all, a team sport, meaning this entry fee covers you AND a friend, significant other, or even a sneaky link (we won’t tell). End of the day, we want two of you in that car.

Whoever you choose to bring, this Targa adventure around Chicagoland is waiting for you.

Is it Worth the Money?

Let’s break it down.

Your Targa Chicagoland adventure begins on Wednesday, July 30, at Autobahn Country Club, in Joliet, IL, as your team will run for times on the challenging 1.46-mile, nine-turn North circuit. That evening, you’ll head 200 miles south to Putnam Park in Greencastle, IN, for Thursday morning’s competition around the roughly 1.8-mile, 10-turn circuit. Once wrapped at that track, Targa teams will meet at Tire Rack’s HQ in South Bend, IN, for a special event.

Friday, Aug. 1, is another day packed with thrills, as teams will autocross on Tire Rack’s test track before making the quick, one-hour transit to GingerMan Raceway in South Haven, MI, for timed hot lapping around that famous circuit’s 2.14 miles and 11 corners.

With GingerMan in the bag, teams will return to Autobahn Country Club, where they’ll compete alongside Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack Challenge competitors on the 2.1-mile, 15-turn South course for an unforgettable weekend of speed.

At several of those stops, you’ll be given multiple pace laps, practice sessions, and competition sessions where you AND your teammate will get more than enough track time to leave you with a smile.

Bonus: As part of Targa Southland, teams will receive one free entry into that Time Attack Challenge weekend, which is itself a $500 value. (Your teammate can then purchase their own entry into the Time Attack Challenge and you can start competing AGAINST your teammate!)

Let’s break it down some more: That’s you and a teammate competing in multiple sessions on four racetracks and one autocross course – plus you get one free entry into the Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack Challenge – all for only $1,250. That’s $250 per points-earning stop per team…or, put another way, $125 per stop per driver.

We challenge you to find a better deal than that.

What Targa Is

If you’re still asking what Targa is, you apparently skipped the earlier parts of this article. But there’s more…

Between you and your Targa partner competing at a variety of racetracks and facilities around Chicagoland, you’ll be facing social media challenges that will score you extra points. How will the points affect your score? Ultimately, you won’t care, because Targa is all about the journey, the drive, the experience, the fun.

As nearly every participant of any of the four Targas that preceded this one will tell you, this will be – hands down – the most fun you’ll have all year. That’s no hype.

You simply need a street legal vehicle (no towing on transits!), a helmet (you can share, but that’s kinda nasty, so we suggest buying your own here), and an attitude set to “fun.”

I’m In!

We knew you’d see things our way.

The thing is, the July 30-Aug. 3, 2025, Targa Chicagoland is coming up waaaay fast, so if you want to take part (and how could you not?), you’ll need to enter soon.

The links below tell all.

Targa Chicagoland Info     Register Now!

Photo by Philip Royle