Event Coverage 1/8 mile drag race Antelope Valley CA

It seems that there are several of us on this network that use to frequent L.A.C.R. and
since its demise we have had no where to go to include the Kids in our community who
have now hit the streets with a vengeance.

Recently there have been some talks with a property owner that has enough space and
the correct zoning and permit to hold a street legal 1/8 mile drag race, which would include
a rescue team etc..

To pull this off it's going to cost money.

So what about a 1/8 mile Drag Race and questions to go with it:

First of all, How do you feel about a 1/8 mile temporary facility?

Would you be willing to come out to the Antelope Valley for such a race?

How much are you as a racer willing to spend for registration?

As a spectator how much would you be willing to spend at the gate?

How do you feel about an Ol'Skool Flash Light Start VS. a timing system?

How many of you would be willing to help promote a race in this area?

Comments Please!

You can message me or reply to this thread..

Many thanx in advance,

tha Moldy one

http://www.savelacr.org

 

ummmmmmmm what about insurance and the legal liabilitys that go along with this venture??

 

I know a car club that would sponsor and organize the event . . .

 

We got that already covered.... part of the cost...

 

Make it in spring or fall. Or even winter. AV is hell in the summer...

 

If we can pull this off it will most likely take a month or two to organize it.. so maybe Sept Oct.

 

DO NOT conflict with the dates for the CHRR.

 

Yeah, I've noticed that

 

I think it would work. The price needs to be fair. There are a ton of kids still running on the street and have no place to race. Could be fun, old school run what you have , pair up and go.

 

Its a great Idea. You would need to figure what time you will be opening and closing (Check with the City) and what days. If possible maybe run at night.
As for charging it all depends on Insurance, Permits, Business License, and who gets paid. When Terminal Island was open I think they charged $25 to run and $10 to watch. It might also help with Insurance if you try to work with NHRA Tech Department.

Does the land owner already have the track laid out.

 

First of all, How do you feel about a 1/8 mile temporary facility?
1/8th mile sucks. but its better than nothing.

Would you be willing to come out to the Antelope Valley for such a race?
for 1/8 mile? it would have to be a special deal. i wont drive to irwindale for 1/8 mile on a regular day

How much are you as a racer willing to spend for registration?
irwindale is 20 i think. thats about it.

As a spectator how much would you be willing to spend at the gate?
irwindale is 10 i think. thats about it.

How do you feel about an Ol'Skool Flash Light Start VS. a timing system?
i'd prefer an old school flashlight start. not sure i could handle a flat black flashlight with zoomies.

 

Sissy! ain't nothin wrong with the summer out here! hell i'm out wet sanding now, perfect weather.

Moldy, 1/8 is kinda wimpy but if ya want the rice rockets that will bring them! Talk to johnny cuda or coppertop at R&E yet? we need a real track out here again, got 3 cars sittin and no track. i don't like the 2 down below and Famoso is to far for a fri night. kinda funny how granite mined that out in less than a year!

 

I would try and stay away from the NHRA as much as you can, they tend to try and run the show. Maybe get the cops to help out with a get the kids off the street and on the track deal. 1/8th mile track would be fine as long as it was done right. I would pay $20-$25.

 

Hey folks,

I just want Thank you for your feed back I really appreciate it,

I have 2 meetings next week at 2 different locations. We'll see what happens. Just trying to keep things alive up this way until we can find a permanent place to race.
Get the kids off the streets and for us old timers just go out and have some fun!

There is an article that was published last week in the AV Press on http://www.savelacr.org

I figure the more no's we get, we'll get closer to a yes!

I'll keep ya posted as always,

Big Thanx,

tha Moldy one
http://www.SaveLACR.org

 

you are awesome.

 

You know the Wheel Tramps will be there.

 

<b><center>The Day the Music Died
Commentary by Moldy Marvin</center>

July 29th 2009

Today marks the 2nd anniversary of when the music died as our engines met with silence that marked the end of Los Angeles County Raceway as we all knew and loved it!

So what is has been going on since then?

Plenty, but still to no avail, the saga along with the search for a place to race still continues.

For the past couple of years I have found several locations that would be well suited for such a venue only to be stopped in our tracks with the legal issues and rhetoric verbiage from the County level.

They say they need someone that is a competent operator of such a complex, when we have the operations management, the crew, along with the financial support that would be needed! The hurtle as it seems is as to be able to find the property with the correct zoning and the community support to back it up!

The County suggested finding Industrial M 1 type or land zoned D as they would be the easiest to cultivate into a facility worthy of a race track!

So I’ve used the County GIS maps on line to find such a property. The problem is that most of the land in the unincorporated Count of Los Angeles is zoned A-1 for Agricultural and they are not willing to change the zoning because Agricultural properties are also a kin residential offerings.

On May 2nd 2008 Brian Golden wrote a small inconspicuous column in the AV Press that was titled “Antonovich Still Pushing For The Rebirth of L.A.C.R..”

Every time I’ve had a meeting with the county, I walk out with that warm and fuzzy feeling that something would be done, that the County might help, shown areas of interest, and told that they get back to us, only to wait with baited breath waiting for the phone to ring!

The County had suggested several times that we should go to Fox Field, because they owned the land, so we did just that and spent several months talking with the county, getting blessings from both Fox Field operations and the City of Lancaster, we went as far as to come up with a general plan and layout of the track, to include terms of a 30 year lease, only to be shot down by the FAA who underwrites the airport with grants in order to operate.Four months turned into a big waist of time!

In the interim I’ve also asked the county if we could shut down a street, one that leads to nowhere on the east side and allow us to hold legal and safe races with the crew and support needed. They came back with find a street then you will have to do and pay for a environmental impact report and then submit it to the county for review. I then asked what about all of the filming I see as the desert streets are closed off, there are lines of trucks, tones of gear, and very large crews, with explosions and special effects going on in the middle of nowhere do they need an environmental impact study? The answer, “Well the Film Commission and the County has a special deal!”

Why can’t we get a special deal?

Getting back to the GIS maps, the maps only show the zoning for the unincorporated areas of the County and do not show the industrial boundaries within the incorporated cities of the Antelope Valley.

Just recently we had a supporter get in touch with the City of Lancaster, and through that contact we found out that the City of Lancaster is planning a Cart Grand Prix in the City streets of Lancaster slated for October 10th and 11th of this year. So with that in mind I contacted the parks and recreation department and we had a meeting.

First of all the people that I met with have some very creative minds and are open to all sort of ideas.

I talked with them about finding a permanent property and they obliged me with a map that shows the lay out of the land which includes light and heavy industrial areas and what they call the Specific plan zonings for the future which at this point can be manipulated to our advantage as long as the property owners in the area are willing to either lease or sell the properties. This area covers almost 14 sq. miles of mostly undeveloped land!

Second was my concept for a 1/8th mile legal street race, providing a safer environment for racers of all ages by using Google earth.

I have found several areas within the City boundaries of Lancaster that might be suitable for such an idea. The City was very accommodating in providing me with information regarding the proper permits in order to do so. After all they too have also had to pull permits in order to run their slated grand prix. Once a suitable location is found then the concept will have to be approved by City Council and then we can move forward to raising the monies and pulling the permits to run a race. I’ve also found a couple of industrial parking lots that might do the trick also.

With a 1/8th mile race the track itself is only 660’ with another 660’ for run out, totaling 1320’ all together. Yes we all want a ¼ mile track for our permanent situation but for something temporary 1/8th mile will do! 1/8th mile is also safer for the drivers and easier to control.

In San Diego, the San Diego Police along with the city and the county put together a program called RaceLegal several years ago. It’s is a 1/8th mile race that they hold in the Qualcomm parking lot using a portable timing system and provide all of the safety equipment and crew needed to run such a race. They have been very successful and run races there once a month, with between 250- 500 cars in attendance at a time. This program has been very successful and not only beneficial to the community but the kids who attend.

If we succeed with the City of Lancaster then I can run with the idea to City of Palmdale and so on, as to then create a race program that could possibly run as a bi monthly event. Allowing not only to give the kids something to look forward to but also allow ol’time racers the opportunity to fire up our engines and roar down a portable track to victory! This too could boost the local economies in the areas of where a race would be held, by food, lodging and automotive expendable and parts sales.

Imagine if you will teams made up of youngsters and of seasoned racers getting together once or twice a month in a different city or town in the Antelope Valley. Team Lancaster, Team Palmdale, Team Lake LA, Team Littlerock and so on. A program like this could open doors for outside competition bringing in teams from other Cities outside of the Antelope Valley. It could open doors to young racers by getting them interested in their cars instead of drugs, give them something to look forward to and provide a safe environment to allow them to race. The ol’timers set as avatars, teaming up with our youth, teaching them the ins and outs of their machines and the skill of racing like as it should be done. A Brotherhood so to speak! In fact the Brotherhood of street racers has endorsed these ideals for years and still does!

When we lost our Alma mater, the alumni not only lost a safe place to race but a place where people could congregate, to continue an institution for the good of our youth and the future of racing.

Something really needs to be done and I continue my quest in doing so. Please join me, speak out my friends, even
shout it if you can, for the squeaky wheel gets the grease and eventually someone will listen!

A Big Thanx to everyone for your continued support,

Jeffrey W. Hillinger, A.K.A. Moldy Marvin
http://www.savelacr.org

 

Moldy, did ya read the write up in the lifestyle mag that was in todays paper? had a write up on the history of the track from start to the demise of it.

 

What did they do with the LACR? I heard the sand pit, or gravel pit wanted to expand?

Any chance on using the runways on the former George AFB in Victorville?

 

!/8 mile is better than nothing
Flashlite really kool
$25.00 to race
$10.00 to specatate
evening time better than day

any kind of racing better than no racing

 

I was watching channel 5 news the other night, and they had a story about trying to put a track near the Poppy Reserve.
All they talked about was how it would ruin the poppies and cause alot of traffic there, and how that would be so terrible...

Thats the type of people we are up against. People believe whatever the news at 10 tells them. So when its time to vote, we get what the news corporations want, not what is good for the people.

 

Apparently they are opening a 1/8th track at Willow Springs.

On their land. No county BS to deal with.

I hope they do.

And Moldy keep at it, 2 tracks are better than one!

 

George is a pretty busy airport now with USAF heavy's doing approaches all day long and there is a Predator reserve unit there doing training flights.

 

Willow Spring is Not Building an 1/8th mile track,

We confronted them back when I sent out the Inquire.. They were a bit hesitant but at least it is something for now...

We are just going to use the Straight Away on their Road Course..

For now Wednesday Nights only!

We can at least do that for the Test And tune as part of the street racing program...

Below is an article that was published by Brian Golden of the Antelope Valley Press this last Thursday!

<b>BRIAN GOLDEN
Valley Press Staff Writer Thursday July 30th 2009 Page C1



On the second anniversary of the closing of Los Angeles County Raceway, drag
racing is coming back to life in the Valley.

Bill Huth, the owner of Willow Springs International Motorsports Park, announced
Wednesday his intention to operate a one-eighth mile dragstrip along the main straightaway of Willow Springs' fabled 2.6-mile road course. "Too many kids are getting hurt street racing," Huth said. "I drive down Avenue G, and I can see where someone has painted a start line and a finish line. It sours our young people's relationships with Sheriff's deputies when they're simply doing their job enforcing the law.

"There are a lot of other drag racing fans in the Valley, too, and we have the
facilities to do this."

Huth instructed his son, Chris, Willow Springs' general manager, and Jim Hutchins,
Willow Springs operations manager, to discuss with former LACR operatives the details on
implementing a one-eighth mile drag strip.

With its fully paved paddock area and high speed run-off lanes entering Turn One,
Willow Springs already has much of the needed infrastructure in place for drag race
staging.

The main question to be resolved concerns whether to install electronic starting and
timing equipment, or use hand-held flag starts.

A month ago Emmitt Harrington, a Lancaster radio executive, arranged a meeting that
included Willow Springs officials, former LACR operations director Tim Shpall, and
SAVELACR.ORG founder Jeffrey Hillinger.

Hillinger polled the former LACR drag racing community, and received hundreds of
responses expressing support for the prospective Willow Springs project.
That the news would come on the second anniversary of LACR's closing, when former
owner Bernie Longhorn made the last official pass on the historic quarter-mile in a
hearse, was appropriate. "The time is right for this," Chris Huth said Wednesday. "For years, out of respect for Bernie, we had no involvement here in drag racing.

"LACR was a big loss to the Valley racing community. So this is going to be good for
them, and good for Willow Springs, too."

The move marked the second time in less than a week that the Huth Family stepped up to
address a need in the Valley racing community.

Last Friday, Willow Springs management agreed to pick up the sponsorship costs at
Speedway Willow Springs to ensure it would be able to complete its Summer Heat Series,
which runs through November.

 

The Drag Program continues to grow at Willow. I spoke to Chris Huth the other day and he is planning to add more equipment.

RaceAmerica just posted this news brief: http://www.raceamerica.com/download/may0310.pdf

jim at RaceAmerica.

 

Great News.... We have a Quarter Mile on the way.. still may take a couple of years, one positive thing is that we do have some of the land secure, the City of Lancaster is behind us along with the County of Los Angeles...

Stay tuned to http://www.avmotorplex.com

m

 

They called "down below" when I moved to Littlerock Farms in '58.

I think the AV has a large enough population to support a 1/4 mile facility. There are probably a hundred N/FC and N/TF car within towing distance. Want to make this work? Nitro shows! Build it way out somewhere and book in match races. Race at night. Build a safe track with generous shutdown area. Paved pits and permanent restrooms. Use the profits for driver safety and education. You can always run the 1/8 for the tuner kids.

 

By the way, oh Moldy One, some time ago there was supposed to be a track built in Beaumont called Mopar Drag City. That deal had enough charletons and back stabbers make a daytime TV show. The credibility of promoting a strip for everyone took a big hit that time. Google it and get ready for some rough language... But, learn. I'd search for a link, but it's smarmy and ugly and I don't care to read it all again. You don't want to be a player in a drama like that.

 

Yeah I remember Drag City.... I'm trying to remember, didn't the city pull out and shut the project down right in the middle of it? something like the owner had a deadline to get it done and ran out of time?

 

It had more to do with Andy somebody. He and his father. Lots of hard feelings and money lost.