GT40 Ride-Along at Cobra Owners Club Willow Springs Track Day
Presented by USAutomotive.co.ukCobras, Daytona Coupes, GT40s, Shelby and Saleen Mustangs, a Cortina, a Tiger, and even a rare Panoz were part of the ‘tracktion’ at the recent Cobra Owners Club of America Biannual Track Day at Willow Springs International Raceway, California. It was actually the anniversary of the very first race at Willow, held May 8, 1954.
Organized by TorqTalk friends Lynn ‘Mr. Cobra’ Park and Tom McIntyre and a bunch of their friends this is one of Southern California’s ‘must attend’ events if, of course, you have a suitable ride and can get on the list.
Willow Springs, for those who don’t know, is a historic road track located 100 miles north of Los Angeles. Construction started in 1952 and the first race was held on November 23, 1953. The main track is 2.5-mile (4.0 km) 9-turn course with plenty of elevation change that is quite challenging. Besides the main road course there is the Streets of Willow, a 1.8-mile road course; the Walt James Stadium, a 2/3-mile clay oval; Willow Springs Speedway, a ¼-miler paved oval; a 0.625-mile kart track; The Balcony, a ¼-mile paved autocross and drifting track; Horse Thief Mile, a 1-mile canyon road course and approximately 160 acres of off-road, mountainous terrain. It’s a fantastic facility that for now remains beyond the reach of the Los Angeles sprawl, in fact, efforts by fans have resulted in the track being declared a place of historical interest.
The Cobra Owners Club is a laid-back group, and their two-day events are casual but structured. There are few rules: Cockpit and trunk must be free from extra items—cameras, bowling balls, etc., and, underlined, Driver attitude must be good.
Of course, this is not a race and, in fact, passing is only allowed on the two straights by the experienced groups. This is more of a test and tune session when owners can improve their driving skills and test their cars without pressure. You can also take family and friends for a ride-along and we got to ride in Lynn’s Superformance GT40 and Randy Richardson’s recently, almost-completed ’63 Falcon. It was grand day out with fast cars and fun peeps.
