Welcome To The New Willow Springs Raceway
Something has happened to America’s oldest road course, Willow Springs International Raceway. It’s been “Reimagined”—and what we saw there the other week is just the tip of the iceberg.
Willow Springs Raceway united legendary drivers, historic racing machinery and world-class automotive brands for an unforgettable celebration of Southern California car culture.
By The Editors
Tue, Oct 27, 2026 03:00 PM PST
Featured image above: The Vintage B-Sedan group at the Willow Springs Reimagined event featured a 25-car field of historic under-two-liter and 2.5-challenge 1966–1972 SCCA Trans-Am era race cars (Walter Fulbright photograph).
Before Willow Springs was Reimagined
Willow Springs International Raceway is America's oldest permanent road course. Located in Rosamond, California, it’s a multi-track racing venue for private track days, club races, and regional racing series.
It was one of the major venues for the motion picture, Ford vs. Ferrari, and for many years, Willow Springs was the venue for the Motor Press Guild’s Track Days.
It was also the primary venue for Danny McKeever's FastLane Racing School, and that school still conducts programs utilizing Willow Springs International Raceway.
The school's main home track is now Buttonwillow Raceway, but private coaching days, selected courses (such as the Novice School), and events remain available at Willow Springs Raceway.
In fact, they continue to offer SCCA-accredited racing schools, high-performance driving courses, and race-licensing programs at Willow Springs.
Regular track days, club races, and weekend racing series at Willow Springs focusing on specific competitive racing classes, private testing, or standard regional race schedules carries on at the Speedway.
So, what has changed?
In April of 2025, Willow Springs International Raceway was acquired by CrossHarbor Capital Partners and Singer Vehicle Design from the Huth family.
CrossHarbor Capital Partners
A Boston-based "boutique" private equity and real estate investment firm, CrossHarbor Capital Partners provided investment capital with a multi-generational goal of preserving the 600-acre motorsports facility through its Summit + Speed division.
CrossHarbor also manage automotive lifestyle events such as the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America and the FAT International Ice Race Big Sky.
Singer Vehicle Design
Singer Vehicle Design is the renowned, California-based luxury automotive specialist famous for restoring and reimagining air-cooled Porsche 911 sports cars. Partnering with CrossHarbor, Singer is helping to turn the historic desert track into a premier multi-tiered automotive hub.
Key plans for Willow Springs
Singer Drivers Club: An exclusive, private members-only club capped at 400 members offering high-end hospitality, coaching with video and data analysis, a fleet of Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsports, and the Jenson Button Karting Circuit.
Preservation & Public Access: All three historic track layouts (Big Willow, Streets of Willow, and Horsethief Mile) remain open for public track days, club racing, and events.
Upgrades & Management: Track operations are overseen by Speedway Motorsports' Sonoma Raceway, track safety and layout redesigns are handled by former F1 driver Alex Wurz (Wurz Design), and off-road/hospitality planning is guided by Hart Howerton.
“Reimagined” serves as a showcase for the track's ongoing modernizations while honoring decades of high-desert racing heritage.
Willow Springs Reimagined, then, serves as a preview of things to come at the Raceway. On October 18, 2026, Willow Springs Raceway hosted its second annual Reimagined. Building on the success of its inaugural event in 2025, Reimagined brought together an extraordinary collection of historic machinery and interactive experiences.
The second Reimagined included the full spectrum of historic racing, with wheel-to-wheel racing, drifting, off-road adventures, curated automotive displays and the Petersen Automotive Museum Time Attack Hillclimb.
About Willow Springs International Raceway
Willow Springs International Raceway is the oldest permanent road course in the United States. Its original 2.5-mile, nine-turn configuration remains unchanged, offering a uniquely challenging track experience with high-speed straights, elevation changes and technical corners. The historic raceway is entering a new era through a transformative partnership between CrossHarbor Capital Partners and Singer Vehicle Design, as both groups are dedicated to honoring the track’s historic legacy while establishing it as the premier motorsports hub in North America for drivers, fans and car culture enthusiasts. For more information, please visit willowspringsraceway.com.
About Summit + Speed Events
Summit + Speed is the experiential events division of CrossHarbor Capital Partners, dedicated to creating premier automotive, luxury and lifestyle experiences across a portfolio of iconic destinations and brands. Summit + Speed develops destination-driven programming that brings together automotive enthusiasts, collectors, luxury travelers, culinary leaders and global brand partners. Its growing portfolio includes Willow Springs Reimagined, the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America, FAT International Ice Race Big Sky and the Big Sky Food & Wine Festival, alongside new experiences designed to connect passionate communities through automotive culture, hospitality, food, wine and adventure.
Blow-by-Blow
Eric Becker of Kahn Media provided a blow-by-blow of the day’s events:
The Huth Cup Invitational pitted racing legends and automotive personalities against one another in Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsports in a 12-lap shootout. Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button battled racing stars Marino Franchitti, Patrick Long, Emelia Hartford and Singer's Maz Fawaz were among the field, but it was Ed Jones who emerged victorious, claiming top honors in a thrilling showcase of wheel-to-wheel competition on Big Willow.
The day featured a full slate of racing on Big Willow, including Vintage B-Sedan, Clubwheel House Classic Cup, IROC Porsche Tribute and Vintage Motorcycle Race. “The Petersen Automotive Museum Time Attack Hill Climb celebrated six decades of sports car performance, challenging competitors across a technical course spanning Turns 1 through 5.
Beyond traditional racing, GT Radial brought high-energy drifting ride-alongs and demonstrations to The Balcony, featuring Formula Drift stars Matt Field and Odi Bakchis alongside local legend Charlie Ongsingco. The excitement continued with Burnout Competition, presented by GT Radial, where Nolan Sykes, editor-in-chief of Donut Media, claimed victory, delivering a spectacular display of tire-shredding performance and taking home top honors in the six-man competition.
Off-road experiences were equally prominent, with Rivian introducing a dedicated driving circuit for its quad-motor R1T and R1S, allowing guests to explore the capabilities of its electric adventure vehicles. In collaboration with DirtFish Rally School, Rivian also showcased its new R2 Performance through professional-driver rally rides at Walt James Stadium. DirtFish further elevated the experience with exhilarating passenger rides in rear-wheel-drive Subaru BRZ rally cars.
Cars & Bids brought its innovative hybrid collector-car auction format to Willow Springs Reimagined, combining the excitement of live, in-person bidding with its established online marketplace. Featuring an exceptional selection of enthusiast vehicles, the auction was highlighted by the sale of Cars & Bids founder and YouTube star Doug DeMuro's 2005 Ford GT, which crossed the block at $540,000. The 16-car collection underscored the enthusiasm of the collector-car community.
The paddock transformed into a vibrant showcase of automotive excellence, featuring rare supercars, iconic machines from renowned collector Bruce Meyer, racing simulators and more. Local food vendors and family-friendly experiences rounded out the off-track festivities, creating an atmosphere that celebrated the broader automotive community.
For more information about Willow Springs Raceway, upcoming events and future experiences, visit willowspringsraceway.com or follow Willow Springs Raceway on Instagram and Facebook.
