Willow Springs for sale!?!?

nameisbauer · nameisbauer's Garage

on ebay?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/10-acre-Millon-Dollar-View-NO-RESERVE-CALIFORNIA-Trade_W0QQitemZ120147620489QQihZ002QQcategoryZ9806 4QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

emcon5 · emcon5's Garage

No. From the auction link:

Quote:

10 Amazing Acres In Rosamond, California 93560 Over-looking Willow Springs International Raceway.

4 Kurves · 08-02-2007, 08:56 AM

Not exactly adjacent to the track....

VZ935 · VZ935's Garage

ebay user name momoneymohoney ......I think I will refrain from bidding

I do love Willow Springs though

nameisbauer · nameisbauer's Garage

Oh good...

(it was late when I stumbled upon it..)

dd74 · 08-02-2007, 09:51 PM

Don't be surprised if one day Willow Springs does go up for sale. Rosamond is booming. Each time I go out, it seems a new housing development has emerged.

A good thing if you're a property investor, a precarious (read "bad") thing if you're a track guy.

slodave · slodave's Garage

If it does, how about a group buy

chapo · 08-03-2007, 07:35 AM

I think Willow Springs has been declared a point of historic interest? doesn't it have a sign when you pull in?

craigster59 · craigster59's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by chapo

I think Willow Springs has been declared a point of historic interest? doesn't it have a sign when you pull in?

Look at what's happening to L.A. County Raceway, you can't stop the wheels of progress..

dd74 · 08-03-2007, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craigster59

Look at what's happening to L.A. County Raceway, you can't stop the wheels of progress..

Exactly! If any tracks in So. Cal. would be considered "historical" I think they'd be Riverside and Ontario. Look what happened to those: Riverside is a shopping mall/housing development, and Ontario is an industrial business park.

scottmandue · 08-03-2007, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dd74

Exactly! If any tracks in So. Cal. would be considered "historical" I think they'd be Riverside and Ontario. Look what happened to those: Riverside is a shopping mall/housing development, and Ontario is an industrial business park.

You beat me to it.... I loved going out to Riverside, I even rented a room in San Bernardino so I could be at the track at the crack of dawn when they opened the gates then I would drive my dad's stake-bed to the back stretch and back it up to the fence. We would set up in the back of the truck with lawn chairs and coolers, got a lot of envious looks.

What kills me is they tore down Ontario then built Fontana.

chapo · 08-03-2007, 11:37 AM

You guys aren't listening. It already HAS been listed as historical, much like one of the blimp hangers at the old Tustin air base. Can't tear it down by law. I agree about Rverside, but it is too late.

Zeke · 08-03-2007, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dd74

Exactly! If any tracks in So. Cal. would be considered "historical" I think they'd be Riverside and Ontario. Look what happened to those: Riverside is a shopping mall/housing development, and Ontario is an industrial business park.

These are different times. Ontario was not making it financially and there were a lot of bond holders. They tried everything including stand alone rock concerts (no racing). I think Riverside was a different story, but the two oil embargoes of the '70's hurt racing big time and attendance fell off. Not to mention some to the better series went to hell, like CanAm. I don't know that Riverside's debt service was a problem like Ontario, but the sale might just made sense at the time. It was in rough shape in the end. I know, I drove it in a kart and I still hurt, I think.

The owners either needed to fix it or let it go. I don't think the banks were very friendly at the time seeing as how Ontario went down.

You know, WS was so far out in the desert, I don't think anyone ever thought of housing. I mean, how far do you have to go to get away from future unfriendly development? Is Spring Mountain safe? Even Las Vegas Motor Speedway was out in the boonies at one time and they had a road course and an oval, plus some kind of drag strip. Next to Ellis AFB, you would think that would be safe. Now that it's big money (ISC, I believe), it is probably safe.

Now, if the big money had bought Ontario, it would still be there. My God, that place was the Coliseum of racing at the time. You should have seen the sound system!! I don't think the big concerts for the Stones, et al, have yet what that place had in power. I got to drive that one, too. Also in a kart. Nineteen turns. I got lost out there once, I really did. I had to sit up to figure out where I was. Hour long races, one can get tired.