Willow Springs International Raceway

Willow Springs International Raceway lies near Rosamond, California. The circuit archive Racing Circuits records it as the oldest permanent road course in the United States: construction started in 1952, the first race ran on 23 November 1953, initially on an oiled dirt surface, with paving following in 1954. Bill Huth bought the facility in 1962 for 116,000 dollars and ran it until his death in 2015, after which it stayed in family hands. The site covers roughly 600 acres and holds several courses: Big Willow at 2.500 miles with nine turns, the Streets of Willow, and the Horse Thief Mile added in 2003, plus kart and oval facilities. Wikipedia lists AMA Superbike Championship rounds in 1983 to 1985, 1990 and 1998 to 2000; the Big Willow layout is unchanged since 1953. The venue was put up for sale in June 2024 and bought by CrossHarbor Capital Partners in April 2025. Big Willow is a high-speed course: the sources quote cornering speeds between roughly 70 and 170 miles per hour, with fast cars and motorcycles approaching 200 miles per hour on the straight, plus marked changes in elevation. At that pace any unrest in the chassis shows up immediately. If the bike starts to weave on the straight, top of our cause list is ride-height and sag balance being off with the rear too high - set sag first before you change clicks anywhere else.