69 replies to this topic

[Seppi_0_917PA]

New owners, new ambitions for Willow Springs

"Willow Springs, the oldest active road course in the United States, has been purchased from the Huth family by an investment group led by Sam Byrne through CrossHarbor Capital Partners and the renowned Porsche devotees at Singer Vehicle Design."

"Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns and runs ovals and road courses across the country, has been hired to manage Willow Springs, and former F1 driver Alex Wurz has been signed to deploy his track design and safety services to update the road courses."

[Peat]

That's good to hear. Willow lives!

[BRG]

Good news.   I wish Indycars raced there instead of the horribly elitist Th$$mal.

[PayasYouRace]

I assume with Wurz onboard there’ll be an e-scootr course.

[BRG]

OMG, is "e-skootr" still a thing?  I thought it had died out. along with its suicidal riders.

[PayasYouRace]

I have no idea. It’s just the first thing I associate with him nowadays.

Second being his podium at the 1997 British GP.

[paulb]

Good news.   I wish Indycars raced there instead of the horribly elitist Th$$mal.

Willow Springs (and the Streets of Willow) makes Thermal look like the garden of eden.

[Alfisti]

Glad it has been saved for now, will be interesting to see how they turn a buck from it. It's a large facility that won't be cheap to run.

[Seppi_0_917PA]

Follow-up article

 

New ownership at Willow Springs aims to host major events

 

"It’s a few years away from being a possibility, but the new owners of Willow Springs Raceway are hoping to attract some of the bigger racing series like IndyCar and IMSA to hold events at the challenging Southern California road course."

[Alfisti]

IMSA seems a natural fit

[Peat]

I would think they'ed have to reconfigure the pit area significantly to host IMSA especially. Extend it towards T1 and have a new pit exit between 1 & 2. 

Also, there's the whole thing of the final turn being a flat out slightly banked turn with pit entry feeding off the exit. Basicaly like having the pits on the outside of an oval. 

 

Virtual onboard with an IndyCar (iRacing)

Edited by Peat, 10 April 2025 - 14:34.

[BRG]

Willow Springs (and the Streets of Willow) makes Thermal look like the garden of eden.

So no danger of grass fires then, nor anything to provoke Jim Thurman into a thesis on Californian grass colours.

 

Thermal is nice enough as a race track but the whole billionaires' playground business is a bit hard to like.

[juicy sushi]

Despite the denials of the new owners, if Willow Springs is to have a future, it will also be a billionaires' playground.  But maybe with some club racing and pro racing sprinkled in.  I can't see it hosting a pro race in an unmolested state, though.  A prototype or an Indycar is definitely going to be really fast around the current layout.

[Alfisti]

Yeah that long right has you collecting a wall if you mess up so that would need to be seen to.

[Jim Thurman]

So no danger of grass fires then, nor anything to provoke Jim Thurman into a thesis on Californian grass colours.

 

Thermal is nice enough as a race track but the whole billionaires' playground business is a bit hard to like.

  No, but I can give you - and anyone else that needs to know - a thesis on area history. Not that it ever stops netizens from spewing their "knowledge." 

 

With you on the playground aspect of Thermal, but that sounds like part of the goal for WSIR as well.

 

WSIR is not a suitable replacement, not only for amenities (which the new owners says they will address), but the weather is drastically different in the high desert (Willow Springs) versus Thermal (low desert). It might be in the 30s F at Willow Springs. I live less than 20 miles from WSIR and can see the balcony off in the distance when I do errands.

 

If they don't mess it up, it would be nice to see more pro series at WSIR again. There hasn't been much of that since the mid-80s.

[Jim Thurman]

Despite the denials of the new owners, if Willow Springs is to have a future, it will also be a billionaires' playground.  But maybe with some club racing and pro racing sprinkled in.  I can't see it hosting a pro race in an unmolested state, though.  A prototype or an Indycar is definitely going to be really fast around the current layout.

  Thanks for this js. Yeah, the article(s) mentioned "levelling off", "curbing" and "run off", so I wonder about changes to the layout.

 

Turns 8-9 at Willow Springs are really fast, and daunting.

 

They've removed some of the rocks, which used to be the size of bowling balls.

[Jim Thurman]

I've only seen vintage racing on "Big Willow" or OG Willow, or whatever you want to call it. There have only been a couple of very low level pro series races since I've been in this area.

 

I never saw a race on the dirt oval, which was only in use for an annual vintage oval event after a certain point.

 

I did see several races on the 1/4 mile paved oval. My brother and I were regulars there in 2006, supporting local racing despite miniscule car counts. The season finale, the temperature was in the 30s F, but not by much. Fortunately, the way the track was situated meant fans (such as they were) could retreat to the comfort of their cars and still watch action on the oval, which is precisely what we - and everyone else - did.

[loki]

Willow is cool but what's with the brown surroundings?  They should put some grass around it…

 

At one point in the early 2000s road race karts ran on Big Willow with another sprint kart org on Streets.  They wouldn’t let us run Horse Thief.   It would be neat but in a kart it's death on a stick.

[loki]

Willow Springs (and the Streets of Willow) makes Thermal look like the garden of eden.

Yeah but Thermal has them beat on the podium.  Willow doesn’t have one.  Though that's possibly an advantage.

[loki]

Glad it has been saved for now, will be interesting to see how they turn a buck from it. It's a large facility that won't be cheap to run.

It's rented a fair amount.  That’s how rank and file tracks make it here on private rentals, film and track days.  Others do the private club deal in addition to rentals and events.

 

Here’s one over in Pahrump.  Complete with a gun range and landing strip.  I reckon new Willow be go that sort of way.  Likely without airstrip or gun range.  

 

https://www.springmo...otorsports.com/