I think this will be on next years bucket list...

I would love to attend this. Only problem is my car has failed on me 2 years in a row right into the trip to spring fling! . I really want to attend this event and enter my yellow turd of a barracuda for some fun. Gonna see what I can do in the next 6 weeks to get it ready in time. Really want to try this, much more fun that driving the congested freeways around here.

I don't know how "awesome" my car is, but I plan on being there....
I'm working on replacing my old tires with some better ones that aren't 10 years old.

Thanks for the offer to help out on my car. 440 just isn't running at all for a long trip, thinking of swapping in that 360 crate motor and running that. Wondering if the new TTI shorty headers will work with that and some dart ratio arm.

Only two weeks away...

Thursday – May 9, 2013


Spring Fling Speed Festival Willow Springs Raceway Rosamond, California

7:00 am Drivers meeting

8:00 am Course open to the first group

8:00 am New Driver instruction class and ride along instruction

12:00 pm Free cruise laps for spectators $10 per person to spectate

5:00 pm Track Closed

6:30 pm Dinner

I'm shooting for this next year...

I'll be there for the parade laps, first time out. I just ordered new wheels and tires and I don't think I'll get them in time. So I'm stuck with my 12 year old BFG T/A's and I wouldn't feel safe out there

Next year if I get my brakes upgraded, I'm definately in it for all day

Regarding the age and reliability of those old BFG tires (T/A Radials?), I've beed driving on mine for the past 4-5 years on the street and some local hi-speed road course lapping events. Size 245-60-15 front, 275-60-15 rear... bought them ~1990 and basically they sat in my garage unused until about 2009 (I got real serious and began trailering the car full-time on autocross race rubber)... currently remounted onto 15x8 vintage minilite rims (were originally mounted on 15x7 rally rims). I know they're old and have hardened some, but actually they drive locally a-ok, fine on the highway, and ok on the road course events (avrg speed bewteen 70-80, hitting 110 max on some straights.. I drive it easy on those road courses as its just for social fun... bump the tires up to ~36 front, 34 rear psi.. could go a little more. So, I've now got about 2500 miles on my ~22 year old new tires. I plan to replace them with 255-60-15 fronts and again 275-60-15 rears BFG Radial T/As... they are an ok tire just for cruising and give semi-reasonable performance. For pylon autocross competition events, I run Hossier A6 275-45-16 DOT race radials on my 16x10 road race Centerline forged aluminum lightweight rims.. and I see some of the serious hi-speed road course "competition solo" cars running the Hossier A6 tires also.. they are very sticky when hot! I intend (dreaming again) to eventually get some 17 or 18 rims (9 min, maybe 10-11 widths) with hi-speed soft compound tires (~100-200 tread wear) and use them more safely and with higher confidence on the hi-speed road courses... and likely drive to/from those specific events on those same tires. All it takes is $$. Those 12 yrold BFGs of your's will get you to/from the event and.. just don't push it real hard.. and increase the psi about 5 pounds (maybe a little more) than what you normally drive on them.. just for the road course event.

Those videos are so cooll! How did you mount the camera so it didn't fall off???? Did you use a GoPro camera?

I attended for the first time last year in my slant six powered 1968 Barracuda convertible. I have the suspension upgraded with stiffer springs, a pair of swaybars and some Koni shocks. I also have some older BFG Radial TA's.

This year the car has more power with the EFI 5.9 Magnum/727 & 3.23 Suregrip swap I did over the winter. I can already tell the car has a bit more oversteer due to the added weight (+-75lbs) in the front end, so it will be even more exciting. More power and suregrip on a road course, dang I love Mopars!

Willow Springs is a big track. Last year, towards the middle of the day with the /6 & 2.93 rear end gears, I was able to build up to 98 mph entering the back sweeper. It was exciting, I progressed at my own pace and I definitely benefitted from the new driver meeting at the beginning of the day.

There were several guys who literally melted their tires down to the cords, because they pushed their cars so hard. My old TA's did get some wear that day, but it was minimal. I still have them on the car for this year.

My point is that you have all day to get comfortable with your car and the track. The key is to start off slow, build up as you gain experience throughout the day and leave yourself a comfortable but exciting margin of safety.

It was one of the funnest things I've done all year, and I can hardly wait until this Thursday.

Bah, my tow vehicle lost two tires on the way out... Didn't get there until about 3:30, coming from Vegas. I missed out. Walked around with my wife and 3yr old daughter for a few minutes then left for Van Nuys.
Lesson learned, leave the day before and spend the night.

Some Pictures

A little bit of everything