Buttonwillow vs. Willow Springs?

Just curious which track is perceived as "better" for a first time big-track DE and TT newbie. I've done some autox, and of course extensive public road canyon carving, but that's about it so far. I will be running my lightly-prepped, mostly stock 914 2.0. Judging solely from maps, Willow looks faster and Buttonwillow more technical to my inexperienced eye.

In terms of organizations to run with, not sure if it will be POC, TCRA, Tracquest or ??? I suspect some of each, eventually.

Any comments/suggestions on either point?

TIA,
Chris C.


[This message has been edited by campbellcj (edited 01-16-2001).]

Chris,

I know there have to be guys here with much more experience than me on all the local tracks, but I'll give you my opinions, since I've driven all three of them -- Willow Springs has to count as two, since there are two very different tracks there.

I hope you're in a comfortable seat, because I'm dodging real work right now, and my car's in the shop. This could get long.

My first DE was a PCA-run event at Streets of Willow, and it was a great way to start. It was nice that it was all Porsches, and -- no slight intended to anyone -- the PCA guys seem to have really nice cars that they don't want to bang up. This meant that no one was getting too competitive (except maybe me, with my 2.2 ), which meant it was safe to slowly get a handle on what the track feels like, and what the best line to drive is.

The Streets of Willow track is also fairly difficult to learn (compared to the big Willow Springs track, which only has nine turns), but that's one of its virtues. You learn a bunch of different kinds of turns, all day long, instead of just winding the car out for long high-speed straights (which are fun, of course, but less instructive). Another important factor is that the speeds at Streets of Willow are manageable. This makes it a great place to learn without worrying constantly about dying. As an illustration of this point, my second track event was a Tracquest day at the big track at Willow Springs. There were two guys I got to know there who were both new to track driving, and they both had to contend with the speed of the bigger track all day long. There cars weren't faster than most of the other cars out there, but it's tricky to learn a new set of skills when you're also seeing your life flashing in front of your eyes. It's one thing to spin your car at 50 mph; it's quite another to be just getting the feel of track driving and losing control at 120.

But the Tracquest event was a lot of fun -- a good second outing, for me. Todd Serota runs a really tight ship. Unlike with the PCA event, there were a fair number of non-Porsches. Also, a lot of the guys there were very serious drivers -- guys who had been to a lot of track events.

The big track at Willow Springs is very fast, and -- while it's not especially technically challenging -- it can scare the pants off you at a couple of points. Most notable is turn 9, the last one before the front straight, where you come in (through turn 8, a sweeper) with a great amount of speed, and have to scrub it off while turning, and keeping the accelerator pressed down, as you go into a decreasing-radius turn. It puts you in a classically challenging situation if you're in a 911 -- and an early 911, especially. Get either too aggressive or too cautious, and you can take a long cross-country trip through the sand (or into that wall that's just beyond the sand).

This was the first track event with my new engine, so the spin-inducing turn 9 was even scarier for me. I had a heavier back end and more power to push me into the turn. That said, I didn't spin at all that day.

My third track outing was back to Streets of Willow, with SpeedtrialUSA. It was fun to go back to the same track with a bigger engine, and it was also cool that they had added a new half mile section to the track, that included another big straight and a nice, banked turn. SpeedtrialUSA is dominated by Asian import cars, and the brave young men who pilot them. It's a little 'looser' of an event than I'd seen before. Everyone has a lot of fun. Many of the guys work hard to sweep as inefficiently and loudly as they can through the turns. It made me want to buy stock in tire companies. It's a fun, younger crowd, and it gave me a nice chance to see a different kind of car culture than the Porsche world is known for.

Buttonwillow may be my favorite of the three tracks, because it's more technically challenging than Willow Springs, but also has (depending on how they configure it) some very fast pieces. I've only driven on their open testing days there, which would probably be a little scary for a newcomer to track driving, since most everyone there is SCCA club or pro racers. But I know that Tracquest, POC, SpeedtrialUSA and Open Track all hold events there.

For me, the first thing with every new track is an extended period where you work to 'learn' it -- get it locked into your muscle memory enough so that you can concentrate on fine-tuning your line through it. This took me the better part of the day at Streets of Willow, maybe half a day at ButtonWillow, and not very long at all at the big track at Willow Springs. If I were going to participate in wheel-to-wheel racing, I'd want to do it at Willow Springs. It's wide, and fairly simple to navigate. You could really concentrate on slowly picking other guys off.

If I had a few days where I wanted to increase my driving and car control skills, I'd go to Streets of Willow. Lots of turns, with different camber and elevation, make it a very good school for driving. For a mixture of the two, I like the open testing days at Buttonwillow.

With an early 911, or a 914, Streets of Willow is a great equalizer. The light weight of the early cars makes a lot more difference through all of its turns than the bigger horsepower of the newer cars can make up for on the straights. If you want to remind guys with 993s why the early 911s were such great cars, then Streets of Willow is the place to do it.

Of course, another thing my limited time on tracks has taught me is that the guy doing the driving, more than just about anything else, is what makes for the best lap times. A relative novice in a Turbo S can easily get embarrassed by a veteran driver in a 90-hp 914 on that track. At least, that's what I saw happening on my day there with the PCA.

In any case, all three tracks are a lot of fun. It's one of the things that makes Southern California worth living in.

Now, I hope some guys who really know what they're talking about will correct my mistakes, here, and steer you in an even better direction.

------------------
Jack Olsen
1973 911 T (3.6) sunroof coupe
jackolsen@mediaone.net

[This message has been edited by JackOlsen (edited 01-16-2001).]

I've never driven Willow Springs, but the Golden Gate Region (http://www.pca-ggr.org/) has at least one Time-trial at Buttonwillow every year. Check out the site for times and how to get registered.

Unfortunately, its usually scheduled in the dead of summer, so you will be able to test your cooling system :-)

Wow - thanks Jack! A lot to digest there.

My optimal plan is to do some POC "short track" (slalom/DE) events at Streets and then probably hit Buttonwillow with one or two different DE organizations. (I'll continue doing autox events with PCA as well.)

As I am a novice and will be learning in a 914/4, i.e. a "low powered" but great handling car, a technical track with lots of varied turns and safe runoff areas is a more important and more realistic starting point than a big, fast track like Willow.

Right now, unfortunately, my trusty steed will be in the shop for a number of weeks for accident repair & light rustoration followed by race prep. I'm hoping to get out there starting in March. Maybe I'll see ya there sometime.

Chris C.

I agree with Jack on all of his points.
I would only add that I think Turn 9 at Willow Springs is scarier than all of the other turns at all of those other tracks combined!