Summit Point Club Race 2000

Summit Point Club Race - October 2000

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30-40 other scheming adults …

An Account of the Summit Point Race Weekend
by Cris Brady

This is the race that I had been looking forward to all year. I consider Summit Point Raceway to be my home track, located a quick and easy 2 1/2 hour drive away. I started my track driving there and have been back many times. I've been a spectator at the club race for the last several years.

The club race last year, 1999, was to have been my first club race. I've been doing driver's ed events for several years, and upgraded my 944 turbo to club-racing trim. Unfortunately, earlier that summer, some Porsche-less person decided to steal mine and proceeded to crush every metal panel except for the sunroof in a demented Dukes-of-Hazard fantasy.

I bought my current car, a 73 911 Carrera RS Touring in August of that year. Haven't ever owned a 911, I decided that I would forgo the club race that fall. I reasoned that I would need some time to become comfortable with a car that handled quite differently than my 944. And in retrospect, that was a wise decision. On my first day on the track with my new 911, I stuffed it into the tire wall going into the chute at Summit.

Forward to a year later. After 10+ DE days and 2 races with the 911, I am a lot more comfortable with car on the track. Especially since most of those days and races were in the pouring rain. I think I've become a lot smoother in my driving. I'm ready for Summit Point this time.

My plan was to leave early Friday and make it down to the track by 5pm. Tech was open from 5 to 7pm and I hoped to get there early, get tech'd and settle in. Tom Holmes, another racer from Delaware, went down on Thursday. He was doing the "Seat Time" day held by the track on Friday. "Seat Time" is a open-lapping day for drivers that have been signed off to drive solo or have race licenses. Tom's son joined him for the day, running his Honda CRX he autocrosses. Tom was going to stake out some territory in the paddock for the rest of the Delaware Region racers.

photo by Alan Herod

Well, you know what they say about plans. What with all the things to do to get a racecar ready, my self-imposed deadline came and went. Seeing my deadline coming, I fought the urge to hurry-up. Instead I relaxed, and took the time to do a through inspection of the car. I didn't find anything, but better safe than sorry. I had the car loaded on the trailer and ready to go by 5. I met Gregg Wilson over at Harry Hall's house and we set off down I-95. We arrived in Charles Town around 8:30. Figuring that the track was locked up tight, we bypassed it and headed to our hotel in Winchester. The next morning we found out that the racetrack was still open until 10pm and I could've dropped my trailer off. Next year …

Up early the next morning, we were off in the pre-dawn darkness. After a short wait Gregg and I entered the track, finding a full but deserted paddock. Looks like most folks came yesterday and got tech'd last night, sleeping in this morning. We found Tom's trailer, with a space roped off, along with a mysterious trailer sitting in the middle of it. We couldn't identify the trailer, so after some discussion, we decided to push it out of our space so we could set up.

Automotive Associates encampment - Delaware Region is behind the trailer (photo: Eric Rupert)

The owner, Woody Smith, showed up 20 minutes later. Woody, is one of my driving buddies from previous Potomac Region PCA Driving events. We both have been running in the white group together for the last several years. Woody came down yesterday for the Seat Time day, arriving early and staking out his place in the paddock. Later, Automotive Associates and their tractor trailer full of customer cars showed up, pushing his trailer over into our section, and claiming his space. Now we come along, and played "pass the potato" with his trailer too. Woody just couldn't get any respect. We took pity, and allowed Woody to paddock with us the rest of the weekend.

Next: Practice Day

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