Willow Springs Raceway Now Co-Owned by Singer Vehicle Design
Willow Springs Raceway officially has new owners, no its not some real estate firm that’s going to bulldoze the track to make way for trendy condos or a gated community. Private equity firm CrossHarbor and none other than Singer Vehicle Design have officially taken ownership of the Rosamond, CA track. So, what does Singer want to do with Willow Springs Raceway and what does that mean for everyone else?
Singer Vehicle Design is known for “re-imagining” classic Porsche 911’s into resto-mod wonders which can fetch anywhere from $400,000 to well over $1 million. Seems like they’re doing just fine selling vehicles so why invest in a race track? Well, according to Singer it plans to create a members club so that its deep-pocketed clientele has a place to run their 911s when the mood hits them. It’s a savvy business move as it creates an all-inclusive experience when commissioning a Singer vehicle. Though, the move is sure to raise some eyebrows.
Willow Springs Raceway is hallowed ground for Southern California grassroots motorsports and track day aficionados. It’s one of the few affordable publicly available race tracks near Los Angeles county. It’s especially popular with drifting enthusiasts as it’s often used by entry-level drift series, houses a drifting school, and is a popular spot for Formula Drift teams to do pre-season testing.
If Willow Springs Raceway becomes a members-only club for Singer’s wealthy customers does that mean the local community will be left with one less place to drive? Singer promises that won’t be the case.
“Willow Springs is an important part of California’s motorsport heritage for enthusiasts, and everyone with an automotive obsession,” said Singer’s Chief Strategy Officer, Mazen Fawaz in a statement. “Singer has two decades of track days, racing, and development at Willow’s circuits. We are delighted to help make sure that it’s in safe hands and can be an even more impressive part of California’s car culture for the next seventy years. Its custodianship is a responsibility we are not taking lightly, and our partners could not be better suited to see it through.”
The sentiment was echoed by Sam Byrne, Co-Founder of Singer’s new partner CrossHarbor. “We are committed to serving the community for decades to come and creating a space where all members of the car community can collectively share their enthusiasm for Willow Springs and motorsports.”
They are flowery promises indeed, but time will tell if they are kept as plans begin execution. One thing’s for sure, the facility is going to get a major glow up thanks to Singer and CrossHarbor tapping major talent to come on board to manage upgrades including former F1 driver and track designer Alex Wurz who will update the track’s design and safety features, Speedway Motorsports which will oversee track operations, and architecture mega-firm Hart Howerton which will design and build new “off-track elements” which will most likely a luxury club house and car storage facilities for Singer’s members among other things.
The next two to three years will be interesting for Willow Springs Raceway to say the least. I’ll keep you updated as things develop.