Cal Club Autocross Forums

Has there ever been any autocross racing at the Santa Anita Horse race track.

I was just working there this past weekend & saw lots of potential.
They have huge lots.

Cam Correa wrote:Has there ever been any autocross racing at the Santa Anita Horse race track.

I was just working there this past weekend & saw lots of potential.
They have huge lots.

Some smaller groups have used it, but I don't believe it's big enough for us. Plus I've heard the surface wasn't that good and there is real potential of annoying neighbors with some of our vehicles.

Weren't "we" in the middle of an event there years ago ... and got shut down for noise? Car manufacturers get to use it for their demo day weak auto crosses.

Mako Koiwai wrote:Weren't "we" in the middle of an event there years ago ... and got shut down for noise? Car manufacturers get to use it for their demo day weak auto crosses.

wasn't that at the coliseum?

Steve Coe wrote:

Mako Koiwai wrote:Weren't "we" in the middle of an event there years ago ... and got shut down for noise? Car manufacturers get to use it for their demo day weak auto crosses.

wasn't that at the coliseum?

I think you are referring to the Rose Bowl event.

Mako Koiwai wrote:Weren't "we" in the middle of an event there years ago ... and got shut down for noise? Car manufacturers get to use it for their demo day weak auto crosses.

I noticed Arcadia PD seems very on top of things & can see your point.

Just thought I'd throw this out there.

There are churches across the street from the parking lots. Makes doing what we do on a Sunday morning a no go. The back lot is seeing a lot of dealer storage and construction equipment/debris/materials from the track resurfacing right now. I've always thought we might have a shot at that lot but apparently the sound carries pretty badly to the homes above so they only do car stuff in the front lots.... Next to the churches.

Craig was always concerned that there was no real way to secure the lot from outsiders walking on. But its pretty similar in that regard to Hollywood Park.

Apparently we have some misconceptions....

The primary front lot BMW and other companies hold their demo drives on is probably twice the size of Lot 12, so not sure where "small" comes from.

Securing the space isn't that difficult, it has fencing on all the exterior edges (Huntington Blvd, the Mall, and the entry road).

There are no churches on Huntington along the stretch in front of the Mall, or the along the stretch in front of the lots. There are churches just off Huntington on the south side, but a row of condos is between the road and the churches. There are two churches that I know of along the back lots on Colorado Blvd.

I could see noise & Huntington Hospital would be a bigger issue than the churches.

(Side note)
These lots may not be there much longer. There have been plans on the drawing board for years to build a new mall on the front side of the grandstands. Westfield, has inundated the Counsel meetings for the last three years saying "Arcadia" doesn't have the population to support more mall stores. While they have fought off their competitor, they have sanctimoniously fought for, and received approval for two expansions to their own mall, the combined total being almost twice the size of the "new mall" that the population can't support. Why..... because the "Westfield" name draws from "outside" Arcadia.

(Back on topic)

So now that I have addresses most of the prior posted "can't" reasons. Out of curiosity, when was the last time someone actually tried to acquire the lot, vs. "we can't, because...."

Craig Naylor wrote:Apparently we have some misconceptions....

The primary front lot BMW and other companies hold their demo drives on is probably twice the size of Lot 12, so not sure where "small" comes from.

The area (google earth) where their "track" is measures 500 x 500 and lot 12 1000 x 500

Securing the space isn't that difficult, it has fencing on all the exterior edges (Huntington Blvd, the Mall, and the entry road).

There are no churches on Huntington along the stretch in front of the Mall, or the along the stretch in front of the lots. There are churches just off Huntington on the south side, but a row of condos is between the road and the churches. There are two churches that I know of along the back lots on Colorado Blvd.

I could see noise & Huntington Hospital would be a bigger issue than the churches.

The main church is at the corner of Holly and Huntington with no condos between them. They will allow us to run as lot as we start after 12 noon.

So now that I have addresses most of the prior posted "can't" reasons. Out of curiosity, when was the last time someone actually tried to acquire the lot, vs. "we can't, because...."

About 3 years before they divided the lots. BTW, most od the lot is in poor shape. Santa Anita only "fixed" the "test track" and a small section of the parking lot.

Glenn Duensing wrote:The area (google earth) where their "track" is measures 500 x 500 and lot 12 1000 x 500

Google earth has lot 12 at just about 1000x1000 if we stay out of the drainage corner.

Marshall Grice wrote:

Glenn Duensing wrote:The area (google earth) where their "track" is measures 500 x 500 and lot 12 1000 x 500

Google earth has lot 12 at just about 1000x1000 if we stay out of the drainage corner.

I measured course size and didn't count the paddock, entrance way or all the way to the top.