FOUNDED BY RACERS

For nearly 20 years Karl Thomson, later joined by Jill Beck, helmed Compass Racing, a 9-time championship-winning sports car racing team. Competing professionally across North America in both IMSA and SRO, the team campaigned an impressive collection of race cars including McLaren 720S GT3, McLaren 570S GT4, Acura NSX GT3, Audi RS3 LMS, Audi R8 GT3, Ford Mustang GT4, BMW Z3, Porsche 944, Acura TSX, Honda Civic Si and even a Subaru WRX STi.

In 2022, Karl and Jill stepped away from professional motorsports - but not from the car world. Founded by the duo in 2023, Compass Collective was born from their shared passion for cars and the people who own them, bringing the same winning spirit and culture of integrity to the world of online auction support.

KARL THOMSON ON RACING AND HOW TO SELL A CAR ON BAT

JUN 19, 2025 - Alex interviews Karl Thomson, an accomplished race driver and team owner who, along with his wife Jill, is the co-founder of Compass Collective, a true-blue superstar BaT Local Partner. The Southern California transplant talks the correct length for an Airstream trailer; relives a family trip from Toronto to Acapulco in a diesel Rabbit; rationalizes race cars as quality parenting; describes a race career that spans from a lucky barn find to winning at the biggest tracks in the US; explains what drives a racer out of the driver’s seat and into team ownership; says many unprompted nice things about BaT; and details his strategy and methods for presenting cars on the site.