Willow Springs Raceway Streets (Pre-Repave)
Willow Springs Raceway Streets (Pre-Repave) Notes:
The Willow Springs Raceway, one of the oldest permanent road courses in the United States, was born in 1953 with the same configuration currently used in the main course, on the outskirts of Rosamond, an hour and a half drive north from Los Angeles. A full-fledged Motorsports Park grew around the old track, also known as Big Willow, including additional race tracks, oval circuits, and driver training facilities. Willow Springs stands in the westernmost part of the Mojave Desert, 2,523 feet (769 m) above sea level. The climate is arid, with intense sunshine, oppressive hot summers, mild winters, and almost non-existent rain.
The Big Willow is the main 2.5-mile (4.02-km) road course in Willow Springs and hosted several NASCAR Series races in the past. It is the fastest layout at the park, with a whopping 97 mph average speed (156 km/h). The Big Willow has tight corners, dramatic elevation changes, fast-paced sweepers, and a long straightaway for speeding up to the finish line. The other Raceway worth mentioning in the motorsports park is "The Streets of Willow Springs." It is located north of Big Willows, with a total length of 1.8-miles (2.89-km) and a little more intricate layout containing 14 turns. The average velocity for racing in The Streets is about 75 mph (120 km/h) for both clockwise and counterclockwise orientations.
Streets (Pre-Repave) Notes:
The Streets of Willow Springs circuit in its pre-repave configuration represents the historical layout before the comprehensive 2025 renovation that transformed California's technical street-emulation course. Prior to the September 2025 upgrades, the Streets circuit measured between 1.6-1.8 miles depending on configuration options, featuring the original asphalt surface that had weathered decades of Mojave Desert temperature extremes and countless track day sessions. The pre-repave layout included cross-over connections linking the main straight to turns 4 and 6, enabling two shorter configuration variants that were eliminated during the 2025 reconstruction. This older surface provided a different grip characteristic compared to the fresh 2025 asphalt—more abrasive in some sections, polished smooth in primary racing lines, with bumps and undulations that added character but reduced ultimate grip limits.
What distinguished the pre-repave Streets configuration was its authentic representation of worn public road surfaces rather than pristine racing asphalt, making it ideal for street car enthusiasts preparing vehicles for canyon drives and autocross events. The 1.3-mile original course had been incrementally extended to 1.5 miles and then 1.8 miles over the years, with each expansion adding technical sections designed to replicate California street circuit challenges. The pre-2025 layout lacked the three new chicanes installed during renovation—two set into the back straight and one within the skid pan leading to the front straight—creating longer sustained acceleration zones that favored horsepower over technical driving precision. Desert heat frequently pushed track temperatures above 60°C in summer, causing the older asphalt to become greasy and unpredictable, while winter sessions offered cold-grip challenges. This historical configuration served as the testing ground for countless club racers, track day novices, and driving schools before the 2025 transformation modernized the facility with new safety features, gravel runoff areas, and fresh surface that fundamentally changed the circuit's character.
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