What happened to the Mulholland "King of the Hill" RSR?

[gostraight]

C'mon Chris...It'll be a blast. I'll drive the beast all the way there. ...
Yeah. Let's grab dinner soon. Kei keeps asking if I spoke to you guys lately, and if we're doing the pinaple grill again.

[lfot]

Mul get-together/challenge at Big Willow. Bring out and ring out the RSR, Chris!

[porsche4life]

I think they are calling you out Chris!

[Banning]

Originally Posted by lfot

Mul get-together/challenge at Big Willow. Bring out and ring out the RSR, Chris!

Derek, do you know when they will be running Streets of Willow next?
That looks like much more fun than Big Willow, is it?

Anyone can put their foot down to the metal, but it takes skill to drive the tight turns...and it's a lot more fun in my opinion.

Going around and around in a circle is BORING (like Nascar) and Drag racing is just a drag. IMO

I wish we had a mountain track locally, like perhaps in the hills before Antlelope Valley. Lots of ups and downs with tight turns going right and left.
With short straightaways...

Oops, sounds like Mulholland. lol

[lfot]

Boring???

[Banning]

Originally Posted by lfot

Boring???

Not at all boring because there are right and left hand turns.
ie: not an O

Do you have any similar footage from Streets of Willow to compare it to?

Love to see it if possible. Thanks Derek.

[Banning]

Here we go, found this...

Looks like some real fun.

I've heard Radu and Derek mention that Streets was tight, lots of understeer. But I didn't realize how much fun it was til I saw this video.

Awesome! (on a cool day)







plus this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPWsmb9TL10

[Zeke]

2 completely different tracks. You only brake at Willow 4 times in 9 turns, the rest of the time you're on the gas. It's a pretty fast and ballsy track.

Streets is much tighter. I was told years ago that "streets" meant it was designed for set up for street races like the Long Beach Grand Prix. Put concrete walls around it and you'd have the same effect.

Put some drop offs next to the streets track and you'd have Mulholland.

[Zeke]

As I sit and think about it, if one had the opportunity to do 50 laps on an oval in a 911, you'd probably come away with a pretty good cornering technique.

[Banning]

Originally Posted by milt

2 completely different tracks. You only brake at Willow 4 times in 9 turns, the rest of the time you're on the gas. It's a pretty fast and ballsy track.

Streets is much tighter. I was told years ago that "streets" meant it was designed for set up for street races like the Long Beach Grand Prix. Put concrete walls around it and you'd have the same effect.

Put some drop offs next to the streets track and you'd have Mulholland.

Thanks for that info Milt. Very interesting about Streets designed for street races like LB Grand Prix.

Also intriguing that the Streets track layout resembles a Mulholland-like turn set-up. Neat!

[lfot]

I'd say the biggest difference between Streets and Big Willow is how they differ in the way they affect your sense of self-preservation. Streets seems tame, and you can kind of get thrown off by it's technical attributes. But it is NOT tame. I've seen more than one indecent there.

Big Willow can scare the crap out of you if you're not prepared for the sheer speed of the place. Sure, you're not braking nearly as much as Streets, but you're also not entering and maintaining 120mph speeds through turns at Streets. Balls, and knowing your car's limits of adhesion are key on Big Willow.

They are both fun tracks, but in very different ways. However, they are both equally capable of "bad things happening" if you don't respect them.

[Banning]

Originally Posted by lfot

I'd say the biggest difference between Streets and Big Willow is how they differ in the way they affect your sense of self-preservation. Streets seems tame, and you can kind of get thrown off by it's technical attributes. But it is NOT tame. I've seen more than one indecent there.

Big Willow can scare the crap out of you if you're not prepared for the sheer speed of the place. Sure, you're not braking nearly as much as Streets, but you're also not entering and maintaining 120mph speeds through turns at Streets. Balls, and knowing your car's limits of adhesion are key on Big Willow.

They are both fun tracks, but in very different ways. However, they are both equally capable of "bad things happening" if you don't respect them.

Sounds like good advice, thanks Derek.

Important to respect each road's characteristics. Especially when "at speed".

Big Willow appears very fast. A prepped 911 should go over 165 mph on the straight it looks like. Correct?
...and the fast big turns at over 110 mph?

Streets appears to have an approximate top speed of about 110 mph.
Some tight turns so tight you have to slow to 50 mph. Is that right?

[Zeke]

I don't know if 165 is possible in a 911 unless it was some ungodly full blown race car. We don't see many of those unless there's cup race. Interestingly enough, Big Willow can be faster on the backside from T5 thru T8 before braking a little and setting up for T9.

T8 is what ifot is talking about. Whatever you can wring out of your car you can find a line thru T8 to carry that same speed. So, there are cars that make it thru there at 140 and some more.

I was a little chicken in T8 at top speed. But, you can't lift (obviously), so you either sandbag a little just before entry or just get in there and do it. Surprisingly, if you hold steady, the car will do fine. Most don't try to find much of an apex, they just drive down the center lanes in the turn. There is room for more than one car easily w/o going off line.

T9 can be different story. Very fast, but you need the run out to the edge of the track. Take a wide line or miss the late apex and you can find your self in trouble. If someone is going to get upside down, the exit form 9 is more likely than other places on the track.

The rest of the track is a joy and if I owned the place, I'd put a another turn in the T8 area to make it even more enjoyable.

I'm sure there are 100's of drivers that would hang me from the tower for doing so.

AFAIK, no one has broken the "magic minute" lap time at Willow. Don't know what the record is, but it's close to 1:00. At 2.5 miles, that's carrying the mail.

This is owner Bill Huth's description of the turns:
http://www.willowspringsraceway.com/visitorinformation/nineturns.asp

[TRE Cup]

You know what Milt? changing big willow would be a very cool idea!
adding a couple of options say in the T7 to T8 , or T8 to 9 , would make it a new ball game

I know there is some sort of restriction as the Huths have it registered as a historical point of interest with the state. So that means that certain things must remain the same. I'm sure they have considered it given all the other development that has been undertaken since the days of 55 gallon dirt filled drums being the main hot pit protection in the 80's !

[Banning]

In the old days of Mulholland Racing, many guys ran Datsuns. Some of the contributors to this thread have had personal experience with running Mul in a Datsun, so this is relevant info...


SAN DIEGO, Sep. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/--Comedian, actor and Internet sensation Adam Carolla is making a repeat performance at the Coronado Speed Festival. Carolla will race his Bob Sharp Racing 1973 Datsun 610 B Sedan Trans Am Race Car, a car he debuted at the event in 2009. The 13th annual Fleet Week Coronado Speed Festival will take place Sept. 25-26 at Naval Air Station North Island.

Carolla’s Datsun 610 was built by Bob Sharp Racing and was the back-up car to the B-Sedan team car that Elliott Forbes Robinson drove to the 1976 championship. The car was toured to Datsun showrooms in the Northeast and never saw any track action until it started vintage racing in 1992.

Like many other celebs, Carolla’s love of cars is nothing new. Growing up, he drove a battered Datsun pickup while he worked as a carpenter. He tried to fix up a Datsun Z-car in his driveway but didn’t have the time or money to do the job properly. Today, Carolla’s garage includes the very first BRE race car, a Datsun 2000 roadster, the Valvoline Trans Am Datsun 510, the Paul Newman IMSA GT 300zx and other Datsun racers. He also boasts a collection of vintage V12 Lamborghinis and a V12 Ferrari.

TheAdam Carolla Showis the top comedy download on iTunes and consistently among the top 10 in all genres. Carolla also hosts CarCast,a weekly show devoted to his love of cars. He has written a book, a collection of his rants, to be published this fall.

Carolla’s car is one of more than 200 historic automobiles that will race at high speeds on a spectator-friendly 1.7-mile course constructed in mere days on the runways and taxiways of the military base. The track is set against the stunning backdrop of San Diego Bay. Look for Carolla in race group number five.

The family event also presents an open paddock, a car club exhibit featuring more than 1,200 cars, a stunning array of military static displays, ship tours, command displays, flyovers, a vendor midway and live music.

The Fleet Week Coronado Speed Festival is first and foremost an event that pays tribute to and honors the men and women of our military. The festival offers free admission for active duty military and their dependents. The general public is welcomed onto the base for a weekend of racing, making it the largest open house offered by the Navy on the West Coast.

Tickets are on sale now and cost $25 in advance/$35 at the gate for a one-day admission or $35 in advance/$45 at the gate for a two-day admission. Reserve tickets or learn more at Fleet Week Coronado Speed Festival.


About the San Diego Fleet Week Foundation

The Coronado Speed Festival is the marquee event for Fleet Week San Diego. The San Diego Fleet Week Foundation is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation. In addition to honoring the military services through the annual Fleet Week events, the Foundation’s goals are to foster awareness of the contributions made by enlisted military personnel and their families, to enhance relationships between the civilian, business and military communities, to provide events that Military personnel and their families can attend at little or no cost, and to raise funds for charitable efforts benefiting enlisted service members and their families. For more information, or for a complete listing of all of the Fleet Week events, please visit www.fleetweeksandiego.orgor you can find us on Facebook at Fleet Week San Diego | Facebook or follow us on twitter at Fleet Week San Diego (fleetweeksd) on Twitter.

About Historic Motor Sports Association

The Coronado Speed Festival is sanctioned by the Historic Motor Sports Association (HMSA). Established in 1977, HMSA specializes in race events with historic cars, emphasizing the preservation and proper use of historic race cars.

[Swiss Carrera]

Banning - my copy of your book arrived yesterday - only had time for a quick look through, but it looks like just my kind of book.

Attached are some gratuitous pics of my car at top of the Umbrail pass last weekend (backdoor pass from Switzerland to Italy, with Stelvio pass right round the corner).

[Banning]

Originally Posted by Swiss Carrera

Banning - my copy of your book arrived yesterday - only had time for a quick look through, but it looks like just my kind of book.

Attached are some gratuitous pics of my car at top of the Umbrail pass last weekend (backdoor pass from Switzerland to Italy, with Stelvio pass right round the corner).

Great shots of your car and the countryside, thanks for posting.
Looks beautiful!
Enjoy reading The Mulholland Experience. Best regards.

[TRE Cup]

Mulholland racers will be represented at Coronado by myself in the "evil Cockaroach" 914-6

As an active military facility we have some restrictions and requirements that usually aren't seen at a vintage race. Including option to search, there are bomb sniffing dogs checking our equipment out.

I am in group 6 with all the FIA racers thru 1980. That includes Lola T 70 coupe and other rocket ships. Considering some sort of lasso device that would allow a nice tow down the straights when one of these bolides goes by

[Swiss Carrera]

Originally Posted by Banning

Great shots of your car and the countryside, thanks for posting.
Looks beautiful!
Enjoy reading The Mulholland Experience. Best regards.

Have more pics if you want to see them ?

[Banning]

Originally Posted by TRE Cup

Mulholland racers will be represented at Coronado by myself in the "evil Cockaroach" 914-6

As an active military facility we have some restrictions and requirements that usually aren't seen at a vintage race. Including option to search, there are bomb sniffing dogs checking our equipment out.

I am in group 6 with all the FIA racers thru 1980. That includes Lola T 70 coupe and other rocket ships. Considering some sort of lasso device that would allow a nice tow down the straights when one of these bolides goes by

Way to go Dave! Take some pics if possible. Love to see the action.

As per the lasso device; since we don't have Tractor Beams as yet how about some sort of drafting-enhancing device or an actual physical connection with invisible fishing line or a clear bungee attatchment with a gentle grappling hook assembly on the end that can retract quickly.