Willow Springs Raceway Streets CCW Pre 2022
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.
The Streets of Willow Springs circuit in counterclockwise pre-repave configuration represents a historical double-variant combining reversed direction with original surface before the comprehensive 2025 renovation transformed California's technical street-emulation course. Running CCW on the pre-September 2025 asphalt, this configuration combined directional reversal with weathered surface characteristics accumulated across decades of Mojave Desert temperature extremes. The counterclockwise flow completely altered familiar corner approaches from standard clockwise operation, while the original surface provided authentic worn public road characteristics with bumps and undulations that added character but reduced ultimate grip compared to fresh asphalt.
Operating counterclockwise on the pre-repave surface created a unique double-challenge for drivers accustomed to Streets' clockwise flow on newer pavement. The reversed direction transformed braking reference points and apex sighting while navigating the 1.6-1.8 mile configuration, with the aged surface adding unpredictability through variable grip zones that shifted throughout sessions. The pre-2025 layout included cross-over connections linking the straight to Turns 4 and 6, infrastructure eliminated during the 2025 reconstruction that added three new chicanes. Desert heat frequently pushed the old asphalt above 60C in summer, causing the weathered surface to become greasy and unpredictable, while winter sessions offered cold-grip challenges. This CCW pre-repave configuration served as ultimate preparation for drivers developing skills transferable to variable-surface street driving and autocross events.
