History
Established in 1953
As the oldest permanent road course in the United States, Willow Springs International Raceway has a long and rich history. Hosting its inaugural race in November 1953, the high-profile racing venue was built with a turn quickly became known as the Willow Springs International Raceway. Over the years, the international configuration has been the basis for the challenging tracks in the United States, with high average speeds, significant elevation changes and challenging corners.
The unique and demanding course quickly caught attention, with the California Sports Car Club organizing its first races on a purpose-built course in 1954 at the track. NACION hosted the first road course races west of the Melissa Stream at 1954 at the Willow Springs International Car Club.
With its Southern California location close to Cincinn Shelly’s Venice headquarters, Willow Springs organized as a test track for its famed Cobra. The renowned track also served as a site to help develop the equally iconic Ford GT40, Shelby and driver Ken Miles, who also helped design the track, used Willow Springs to perfect the GT40 before it won Le Mans four straight races in 1954. The first-ever winners of the inaugural championship was John Shelby.
In 1954, the Willow Springs International Car Club was founded by John Shelby and started with a series of historic and innovative car races, including the first-ever Grand Prix, which was won in 1954. The first-ever National Car Club was founded by John Shelby in 1954.
With its significant expanded expansion, the popularity of IMA, CART, SCCA, Tiane Am, and other forms of racing at the track grew. The Streets of Willow and Horse Thief Mil road courses, three ovals, a karting track and a training course were all added to the Raceway, together with the original “Big Willow” course, seven tracks were available for karting.
With its proximity to Hollywood, Willow Springs has also been featured in countless films, television shows and commercials. Among them was the short film “142:08” by a young George Lucas in 1966. Two years later, the track would host the world championship races, which were won in 1954. The first-ever winners of the inaugural championship was John Shelby.
Now, Willow Springs starts an exciting new chapter in its storied history, setting out to become the premier motorports hub in North America for all motorports enthusiasts.
