Willow Springs

[98SVT - was 06GT]

Will the new owners invest in preventing the afternoon sandstorms? LOL

That is one of the overlooked features of Willow. You car is always lighter after the sandstorms chip off a little paint.

[Dorota]

Sounds like amazing news.

[FL SAAC]

Willow Springs has been sold:

https://www.hotrod.com/features/willow-springs-raceway-closing-2025-new-owners/

Lots of great memories from there. Hopefully it's not RIP time.

     Roy

any new developments?

[98SVT - was 06GT]

I spoke to Lynn Park at the LASAAC show. Willow is DEAD as a track day for COCOA or LASAAC.
They raised the rent from $14,000 to $40,000 for a weekend. They will not allow passengers. They will probably require a Hans device. The real killer is they will require the sponsor to be financially liable for anything that happens during the event. Gas/oil spill you pay for the cleanup - somebody slips and falls - you're on the hook. I'd wager they'd also bill you if someone backs up a toilet.
BTW: Lynn has already given up the dates they always had reserved since around 1974 or 5.

[FL SAAC]

I spoke to Lynn Park at the LASAAC show. Willow is DEAD as a track day for COCOA or LASAAC.
They raised the rent from $14,000 to $40,000 for a weekend. They will not allow passengers. They will probably require a Hans device. The real killer is they will require the sponsor to be financially liable for anything that happens during the event. Gas/oil spill you pay for the cleanup - somebody slips and falls - you're on the hook. I'd wager they'd also bill you if someone backs up a toilet.
BTW: Lynn has already given up the dates they always had reserved since around 1974 or 5.

Its happening everywhere in the USA

A sad day in hotrod land

[6s1432]

What groups can afford to race there, at those rates? Who are they targeting?

[98SVT - was 06GT]

What groups can afford to race there, at those rates? Who are they targeting?

It will become one of those private condo club race tracks. It sits on about 600 acres so plenty of room to build. Just to the east there is a residential fly in airport to ease your commute. You can move in there for 800 grand https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4431-Knox-Ave-Rosamond-CA-93560/19035054_zpid/?

[JohnSlack]

What groups can afford to race there, at those rates? Who are they targeting?

It will become one of those private condo club race tracks. It sits on about 600 acres so plenty of room to build. Just to the east there is a residential fly in airport to ease your commute. You can move in there for 800 grand https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4431-Knox-Ave-Rosamond-CA-93560/19035054_zpid/?

My Dad looked at property at that airport, they didn't mind him bringing his Pitts, but the went into convulsing spastic fits over the Bearcat moving there.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

What groups can afford to race there, at those rates? Who are they targeting?

It will become one of those private condo club race tracks. It sits on about 600 acres so plenty of room to build. Just to the east there is a residential fly in airport to ease your commute. You can move in there for 800 grand https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4431-Knox-Ave-Rosamond-CA-93560/19035054_zpid/?

My Dad looked at property at that airport, they didn't mind him bringing his Pitts, but the went into convulsing spastic fits over the Bearcat moving there.

I toyed with the idea when we had our 182. The price was (and still is) way out of line for the area. It would have been fun to wake up the residents with the Bearcat. My friend used to fly his Swift to Willow and land on the east road that now goes up to the streets.

[JohnSlack]

What groups can afford to race there, at those rates? Who are they targeting?

It will become one of those private condo club race tracks. It sits on about 600 acres so plenty of room to build. Just to the east there is a residential fly in airport to ease your commute. You can move in there for 800 grand https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4431-Knox-Ave-Rosamond-CA-93560/19035054_zpid/?

My Dad looked at property at that airport, they didn't mind him bringing his Pitts, but the went into convulsing spastic fits over the Bearcat moving there.

I toyed with the idea when we had our 182. The price was (and still is) way out of line for the area. It would have been fun to wake up the residents with the Bearcat. My friend used to fly his Swift to Willow and land on the east road that now goes up to the streets.

A Bearcat, however not a typical Bearcat.

Rare Bear | This Day in Aviation https://share.google/VnHsuLjAVwotSfZ5C

[FL SAAC]

What groups can afford to race there, at those rates? Who are they targeting?

It will become one of those private condo club race tracks. It sits on about 600 acres so plenty of room to build. Just to the east there is a residential fly in airport to ease your commute. You can move in there for 800 grand https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4431-Knox-Ave-Rosamond-CA-93560/19035054_zpid/?

What's that saying:

when all racetracks are purchased by the bourgeois , only the bourgeois will have raetracks

[98SVT - was 06GT]

A Bearcat, however not a typical Bearcat.

Saw it run at Reno in the mid 70s - different paint scheme and name? Stead is a neat airport. I've got pix of our daughter when she was 4 or 5 standing in the door of the LearFan mockup. A friend worked on building the prototypes and also the ill fated BD10 project. The guy that designed the LearFan sorted out the BD10 tail problem but the last one had a flap problem crop up and killed the owner of the company. The LearFan was weird to be in. There was no bulkhead behind the pilot and they'd built long seat tracks. If the pilot needed out he could slide back to the door which had det cord around it so they could just blow a hole in the side to bail out. Financing failed on that one. The Brits were funding it to be built in Ireland - same as the DeLorean deal.

[JohnSlack]

A Bearcat, however not a typical Bearcat.

Saw it run at Reno in the mid 70s - different paint scheme and name? Stead is a neat airport. I've got pix of our daughter when she was 4 or 5 standing in the door of the LearFan mockup. A friend worked on building the prototypes and also the ill fated BD10 project. The guy that designed the LearFan sorted out the BD10 tail problem but the last one had a flap problem crop up and killed the owner of the company. The LearFan was weird to be in. There was no bulkhead behind the pilot and they'd built long seat tracks. If the pilot needed out he could slide back to the door which had det cord around it so they could just blow a hole in the side to bail out. Financing failed on that one. The Brits were funding it to be built in Ireland - same as the DeLorean deal.

Having been around the Learfsn quite a bit. One of our back up pilots was John Penney also a LearFan test pilot. The major issue that killed the Learfan was the inability to get the two into one gearbox certified. There was interest from a Saudi Prince that was going to guarantee the future funding.

Neat airplane.

[6s1432]

Is this discussion, an agenda item for L.A. SAAC? What other alternatives are there for Southern California racing? Vegas?

[98SVT - was 06GT]

he major issue that killed the Learfan was the inability to get the two into one gearbox certified. There was interest from a Saudi Prince that was going to guarantee the future funding.

I remember there was a problem with the drive (u joints?) either into the gearbox or out on the propshaft. Tracy was working with the company to also make him some high angle ones for the F1 plane he and his wife were building. It was doable but the horsepower loss was not acceptable. That's a tough class when you're limited to 100 hp.