Willow Springs International Motorsports Park
Willow Springs
Circuit map
LocationKern County, near Rosamond, California, United States
Time zoneUTC-8 (UTC-7 DST)
Coordinates34°52′30″N 118°15′52″W / 34.87500°N 118.26444°W / 34.87500; -118.26444
Broke ground1952
Opened23 November 1953 (1953-11-23)
Former namesWillow Springs Raceway (1953-1982)
Major eventsFormer:
Trans-Am West Coast Series (2017)
Can-Am (1987)
NASCAR Cup Series (1956–1957)
Big Willow (1953–present)
SurfacePaved
Length2.500 miles (4.023 km)
Turns9
Race lap record1:15.900 (Al Lamb, Frissbee GR2, 1987, Can-Am)
Streets of Willow Extended Course (2003–present)
Length1.800 miles (2.897 km)
Turns16
Streets of Willow Long Course (2003–present)
Length1.500 miles (2.414 km)
Turns14
Streets of Willow Long Course (1988–present)
Length1.300 miles (2.092 km)
Turns9
Horse Thief Mile (2003–present)
Length1.000 miles (1.609 km)
Turns9
Willow Springs Raceway from the air

Willow Springs International Motorsports Park (commonly referred to as Willow Springs) is located in Willow Springs near Rosamond, California, about 80 mi (130 km) north of Los Angeles. It is the oldest permanent road course in the United States.[1] Construction began in 1952, with the inaugural race held on November 23, 1953.[2] The main track is a 2.500 mi (4.023 km) long road course that is unchanged from its original 1953 configuration. The elevation changes and high average speeds make it a favorite of many road racing drivers.

Willow Springs hosted two NASCAR Grand National races in 1956 and 1957 on the original road course (then known simply as Willow Springs Speedway), won by Chuck Stevenson and Marvin Panch, respectively.[3] The track also hosted five NASCAR Winston West Series events, the first two in 1955 and 1956 and the other three between 1984 and 1986. Willow Springs also hosted one NASCAR Southwest Series race in 1986.

There are seven tracks at Willow Springs. The largest and most well known track is Willow Springs International Raceway (commonly referred to as Big Willow). Other racing facilities include The Streets of Willow (1.800 mile road course), The Horse Thief Mile (road course), The Speedway at Willow Springs (1/4 mile paved oval), Willow Springs Kart Track (a .625-mile, nine-turn paved sprint track), The Playpen (a 1/4-mile paved training track), and the Walt James Stadium (Clay Oval and Paved Oval).

Efforts by fans resulted in the State of California declaring Willow Springs International Raceway as a California Point of Historical Interest in 1996.[4]

History

The original intent was to create a replica of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, but space constraints resulted in its final configuration. Ken Miles was among several people involved in planning the layout. The first event was held on November 23, 1953.

The course was very fast from the outset and quickly earned the nickname "The Fastest Road in the West."

In 1962, the course was sold to Bill Huth, who paid $116,000 for the facility and hoped to use the main straight for drag racing. Huth purchased the lease outright in 1980 and soon began expanding the facility. The initial 230 acres expanded to 600 acres with the purchase of adjacent land. A second track, the Streets of Willow, was constructed next, and a third track, Horse Thief Mile, was added in 2003.

Huth died in 2015 at the age of 91, but as of 2023 the track remains under family ownership.[5]

Tracks

Willow Springs Raceway

Turn 3/4/5, or "The Omega", can be seen on the hillside above Pit Lane.

Willow Springs Raceway (commonly called Big Willow or sometimes The Big Track) is a 2.50 mi (4.02 km) paved road course consisting of 9 turns.[6]

  • Turn 1: "Castrol corner" is a 90-degree high-speed left-handed turn.
  • Turn 2: "The Rabbits Ear" is a double apex sweeping turn
  • Turn 3/4: "The Omega" is an uphill and downhill section with a camber change.
  • Turn 5: A quick left-handed turn that sets up for the fastest sections of the track.
  • Turn 6: Monroe Ridge
  • Turn 7: Repass Pass
  • Turn 8: Sometimes called, "The Sweeper," turn 8 is a high speed right hand corner. The lead-in to this turn is the fastest section of the racetrack.
  • Turn 9: A right-handed turn with a big dip before the apex. This is the final turn before the front straightway to the finish line.

The Streets of Willow Springs

The Streets of Willow Springs (commonly called The Streets of Willow or sometimes Streets) is a 1.80 mi (2.90 km) paved roadcourse.[7] The track was repaved in late 2021 after numerous complaints of the deteriorating quality of the track.[8]

Horse Thief Mile

Opened in 2003,[9] the Horse Thief Mile (sometimes called The Mile) is a 1.00 mi (1.61 km) paved roadcourse featuring 11 turns as well as numerous elevation changes.[10] It was designed to simulate a winding mountain road.

Willow Springs Kart Track

Speedway Willow Springs

Walt James Stadium

Media

Willow Springs has been featured in numerous forms of media including movies, television, music videos and video games.

Willow Springs has been used for filming for motion pictures such as 1:42:08: A Man and His Car, the 1969 Disney film The Love Bug and Ford v Ferrari (Le Mans '66).

Willow Springs has been used for several TV shows including British BBC program Top Gear, several episodes of Wheeler Dealers and Jay Leno's Garage.[11]

The track was featured in the Japanese Best Motoring International "American Touge" video special.

The track is in the 1985 Christopher Cross music video "Every Turn of the World",[12] as well as "It's the Things You Do" by Five.

Willow Springs International Motorsports Park was the venue of a photoshoot session by Playboy for its Playmate pictorial and centerfold featuring Alyssa Arcè as Miss July 2013. The photographs were featured in the magazine's July-August 2013 issue.[13]

Willow Springs tracks have been featured in video games including Need for Speed: ProStreet, Need for Speed: Shift, Gran Turismo 6, Gran Turismo Sport, Gran Turismo 7, Project CARS, and iRacing.

Track records

The overall track record is held by Michael Andretti in a 1987 CART Indycar. Andretti completed a lap of the 2.500 mi (4.023 km) main track in 1 minute, 6.050 seconds for an average speed of 136 miles per hour (219 km/h).[14]

Lap Records

The official fastest race lap records at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park are listed as:

CategoryTimeDriverVehicleDate
Permanent Road Course ("Big Willow"): 4.023 km (1953–present)[15]
Can-Am1:15.900[16]Al LambFrissbee GR21987 Willow Springs Can-Am round
TA1:20.839[17]Greg PickettFord Mustang Trans-Am2017 Willow Springs Trans-Am West Coast round
Group 41:37.100[18]Frank MoniseLotus 231966 SCCA Regional Willow Springs

Other motorsport

Option hosted an early exhibition drift event in 1996.

During the early 1980s, the factory-backed Renault Formula One team often used Willow Springs to test their cars before the early season United States Grand Prix West held at Long Beach in Los Angeles.

ChampCar Endurance Series hosts a double-8+7-hour endurance race on Big Willow.[19]

Photographs

A downhill section of the big track.
All the tracks, from the air.
Willow Springs - Big Track - Turn 4

See also

References

  1. ↑ Berk, Brett (May 2013). "Will Ellis Drive?". Road & Track. 64 (8): 80.
  2. ↑ "1tail Resource Database - Willow Springs International Motorsports Park". Retrieved 2009-09-28.
  3. ↑ "Willow Springs Speedway in Lancaster CA Road Course". NASCAR Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  4. ↑ "WILLOW SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY". Office of Historic Preservation. State of California. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  5. ↑ https://www.racingcircuits.info/north-america/usa/willow-springs.html
  6. ↑ "2.5 Mile Road Course - Willow Springs International Raceway - Since 1953". willowspringsraceway.info.
  7. ↑ "Streets of Willow Springs - Willow Springs International Raceway - Since 1953". willowspringsraceway.info.
  8. ↑ "Willow Springs International Raceway Reddit post for repave". 19 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Horse Thief Mile Opens At Willow Springs International Raceway". www.roadracingworld.com. 16 August 2003.
  10. ↑ "Horse Thief Mile - Willow Springs International Raceway - Since 1953". www.willowspringsraceway.com.
  11. ↑ "Jay Leno's Garage". CNBC. 26 June 2017.
  12. ↑ Warner Bros. Records (26 October 2009). "Christopher Cross - Every Turn Of The World (Video)". Archived from the original on 2021-12-13 – via YouTube.
  13. ↑ Student, Joe (5 July 2013). "Alyssa Arce – Playboy's Miss July 2013 – Plays F, Marry, Kill With Soccer Players". Busted Coverage. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Track Records". Willow Springs International Raceway. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  15. ↑ "Willow Springs - Motorsport Magazine". Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  16. ↑ "Canadian American Thundercars Willow Springs 1987". Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  17. ↑ "Trans Am West Coast Championship Round 1 Willow Springs International Raceway TA / TA2 / TA3 / TA4 Round 1 Trans Am Feature Race TA/TA2/TA3/TA4 Race Official Race Results" (PDF). 28 March 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  18. ↑ "SCCA Regional Willow Springs [CM+DM+EM+FM+GM+AP+BP+CP+DP] 1966". Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  19. ↑ "ChampCar Endurance Series - 2022".
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