Willow Springs International Raceway

Willow Springs International Raceway
PO Box 911
Rosamond, CA 93560
(661) 256-2471 (voice)
(661) 256-9140 (fax)
www.willowspringsraceway.com
Race98WSIR@aol.com

Comments:

Billed as the "Fastest Track in the West", Willow Springs is the home track of Aramel Racing. Located in the Mojave Desert near Edwards Airforce Base, Willow Springs also has the weirdest weather we've ever experienced. Blazing hot summers up to 120f, freezing cold winters down to 10f. It rains once in a while, snows every odd year, and almost always has a pretty good wind blowing. Bring lots of water and pack for all types of weather.

The paddock area is large and open, a big pit setup is usually no problem. There aren't many amenities available at the track. Eight permanent toilets; portable ones are brought in for big events. The gates are usually open 24 hours during events, camping is allowed in the paddock. No electricity is available along the hot pit wall, so bring a generator if you plan to set up a staging area.

Racing notes:

Grab a track map off of Willow's home page and come along with Bob for a lap:

Coming down down the front straight I usually grab sixth gear at start / finish. Stay to the right side of the track and start breaking for T1 as you pass the entrance to the course from the hot pit lane. You don't have to break really hard as T1 is a fast corner; just scrub off enough speed to drop two gears and start your turn in. If there's a good wind blowing, it'll be coming towards you, just off your left shoulder. Adjust your braking accordingly. Get back on the gas right away, apex inside the turn near the curbing and head for the outside edge of the track. It's a little spooky here, as you can't see that outside edge until you crest over the crown of the track. If there aren't any cones out there marking the edge of the track, try to find a landmark for reference.

Get her straightened up and hard on the gas for T2. Make a nice, easy sweep back across the track to set up for the entrance to the turn. T2 is a long sweeper that will let you carry a lot of speed. Roll off the throttle just a bit to help settle the front end as you tip it in. If there's a wind blowing it'll push you down into the turn - watch it. There's a couple of nasty bumps on the inside of the entrance; I usually wait to hit those before getting back on the gas. There's a couple of lines you can take through T2 - inside or outside. Stay out of the middle, it's pretty bumpy there. If you're running the inside line, drift out a bit to square off the corner on the exit and get you pointed towards T3.

Exit out of T2 hard on the gas, pointed towards the left side of the track to allow you to carry more speed. The entrance area to T3 is a good passing-on-the-brakes zone. Pick your entrance line depending on what you need to do - defend your position or catch the guy in front. Shift down to third and get hard on the brakes as you set up for your turn-in. If there's a wind blowing it'll be at your back. Keep tucked in to avoid being pushed by the wind right off the track.

Exit T3 pointing to the very inside of T4. T4 is the slowest part of the track, but getting it right can mean the difference between staying ahead or losing position. It's a pretty steep hill, so watch the bikes tendency to wheelie or tank slap as you shift from left to right. The popular line through T4 is to sweep up across the track then cut it back towards the inside, pointing back downhill towards T5. Another good line is to keep to the very inside all the way around, but watch the bumps on the exit.

Exit out of T4, get back on the gas and run for the left side of the track as you descend the hill. You'll be cranked over to the right as you come down the hill and follow the curve of the track. Stay leaned over, watch for the sharp bumps in the middle of the track as you cross back to set up for T5. The entrance and exit of T5 is one of the key areas on the track to setting a fast lap. You need as much drive as you can get from the exit of T5 all the way to the entrance of T8.

Give yourself a bit of space to get hard on the brakes as you transition from right to left for the entrance to T5. I usually start light braking as I begin to stand the bike up, get in it hard while I'm upright, then start tapering off and trail it into T5. Get back on the gas as soon you can. Watch the pavement transitions and bumps as you come through T5, especially on the deep inside of the turn.

The perfect entrance line for T6 is still a bit of a mystery to me. The idea is to be hard on the gas from the exit of T5, keep the front end down as much as you can as you crest over and turn through T6 and keep accelerating all the way through T8. Easier said than done. T6 is a blind hill with a turn in the middle. You want to come over T6 pointing as straight down the back section as possible, staying on the gas as hard as you dare. Come in pointing too far to the right and you'll nail the curbing. Too far to the left and you'll be eating some desert sand. Be prepared for some nasty tank-slapping action if you wander too far to the left side of the track as you come down the back side of T6. The course is off camber and it can get nasty.

The back straight from the exit of T6 all the way to the entrance of T8 is the fastest part of the track. Tuck in tight, point down track pull the trigger and run her through the gearbox. If it's windy, it'll be blowing at your back through here. It's great to have a little help from Mother Nature, just don't piss her off and overshoot the entrance to T8.

T8 is the beginning of a long, long sweep that eventually leads back to the front straight. Depending on the speed you're carrying into T8, you might want to back off just a wee bit to let the front settle as you turn in. If the wind is blowing, it'll be coming at you from the right side as you move through the turn. Get as much weight up front as you can to help stabilize the bike as the wind tries to blow you off the track.

There's a small straight between T8 and T9. Start moving over to the left side of the track as you run through the straight and set up for F9. I usually shift down two gears (into fourth) just before leaning it over to start my attack on T9. The true apex of T9 is usually marked with a cone on the inside edge of the track, by the curbing. There's a good size drainage ditch at the extreme inside of the track - avoid it or be ready for it. You generally do not use your brakes coming through this section. Hang it out on the left side of the track as long as you dare, then whip it in towards the apex. Let the turning of the bike scrub off any excess speed and point towards the left side of the track as you come through the apex on back onto the front straight.

One last warning about the wind at Willow. It does not blow from the same direction all the way around the track. There's a mountain along the backside of the track that sometimes deflects the wind, sometimes encourages it. I've also seen the wind change directions between races, sometimes from lap to lap. The directions mentioned above are the usual pattern of the blow. I've gotten used to checking the flags along the front straight and giving the corner stations a glance when the wind is kicking.

Bob