Warren Wang

This came across the UUC list:<p>Summit Point Raceway Undergoes Dramatic Facelift<p>SUMMIT POINT, W.V. (Aug. 4, 1999) -- Summit Point Raceway -- a two-mile<br>road racing course 70 miles west of Washington, D.C. -- is undergoing<br>its largest improvement program since the circuit was built in 1969. The<br>track's plan includes installing gravel traps and energy-absorbing<br>barriers around the 10-turn circuit, similar to those used in the<br>Formula One and Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) racing series.<br>Additionally, the track is being entirely repaved for the first time<br>since the original pavement was applied more than 30 years ago.<p>The track hosts 35 events each year including Sports Car Club of America<br>(SCCA), Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), Intercontinental<br>Events and motorcycle races. According to Bill Scott, who has owned<br>Summit Point Raceway since 1980, the facelift will improve competition<br>as well as add an additional margin of safety for competitors.<p>Gravel traps, like those used in Formula One, CART and other<br>professional road racing series, are being installed in corners where<br>speeds are the greatest. More than 2,000 tons of pea gravel will be<br>used to a depth of 10 inches.<p>The energy-absorbing barriers are being installed at the end of<br>high-speed runoff areas. As in Formula One, thousands of discarded car<br>tires will be bolted together in four-foot vertical stacks. The<br>barriers, which will run approximately 290 yards, will be layered from<br>one to three tires deep, depending on location.<p>Scott believes racers will be most pleased with the track repaving,<br>however.<p>"We test-paved a portion of the track several years ago using both a<br>non-polishing aggregate and a polymer from Elf Aquitaine (a French<br>petroleum company)," said Scott, who holds a Ph.D. in geology from Yale<br>University. "The surface turned out to be very smooth, not slippery and<br>non-raveling."<p>Jefferson Asphalt, Inc., has been contracted to apply approximately<br>3,200 tons of asphalt.<p>Brian Redman, a retired U.S. Formula 5000 and International Motor Sports<br>Association (IMSA) champion driver and president of the Road Racing<br>Drivers Club promotes the Jefferson 500 vintage sports car race at<br>Summit Point. Redman believes the vintage racers will enjoy the<br>improvements.<p>"These improvements will be most welcome," Redman said. "The smooth<br>track surface is particularly beneficial to the prototype vintage cars,<br>and the attention to safety features is always a major concern to<br>drivers, and they are being proactively addressed."<p>All construction and paving are due to be completed in September. The<br>next scheduled event at the track begins Sept. 18 with a motorcycle<br>race. It will be followed by the SCCA Marrs event Sept. 25-26.

Jon

Hope it all goes smoothly, without any problems ... for the events sake!<p>Jon<br>'96 A4qs

Steve S.

John/TSR (aka VolvoMan) burned off all the good asphalt barreling around the track in his loud Volvo. The resonance off the muffler separated the asphalt layers to such a great extent that the whole track needs repaving. John, personally, chalked up a $2.3 million dollar renovation project at the Point. On his latest track escapade he was measured at 140db.<p>There should be a law against people like him. <p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM<br>A4.org Roving Reporter

John/TSR

My Volvo doesn't have a muffler. Just a megaphone, pointed sort of down, which is proven to reinforce the subatomic bonds of ash-fault, and make it stonger than steel.<br>And....it's currently on the hairly edge of 102 dB (Nat. limit is 103 dB).<p>I, for one, will miss the old pavement at the Point. It's currently known as the "slippery-est track in North America" or "Slippery Point", and I love it because of that. A real traction adventure in the dry, it becomes nearly (but not completely...) undriveable in the wet. YEEEEHAAAAAAAA!!!!!! I don't need no stinkin grip...<p>I hope that they keep the gravel far away from the pavement. One of the neat things about the Point is you can get waaaaay out in the weeds, save it and navigate back onto the track. Gravel traps generally prevent this. I have a fair amount of experience with gravel traps, and I don't like them. Sure, they have a place, but if done wrong they can screw up great racetracks (long debate could follow, but won't for the sake of brevity). <p>I might make that MARRS race in September, but I don't have firm plans to be back at the Point until late October (teaching at a school) and then mid-November (sprint races & 4 hour night enduro). <p>I understand why they're doing it (a couple of nasty incidents there this season), but I hope the new pavement doesn't hurt the character of Summit Point. <p>John<br>Trained Seals Racing<p>(bumpy, slippery track surfaces separate the hard-core from the "dabblers" in racing...)<br>

Warren Wang

Man, I'm tempted to go back out there before it gets repaved. I wonder if it's all going to be like that concrete patching stuff in the corners now. I'll miss the pothole between 7 and 8, along with all the other bumpiness in the carousel. I did get a chance to drive on it when it was wet though. I had my R1's on, and that's something I'll never forget.<p>Nothing like driving over that crap *** bridge that feels like someone just threw down a bunch of 2x4's, looking at the track, which holds water like you wouldn't believe.<p>Warren

Greg Slater

I like slippery. But then, I'm also an Oregon native and driving on wet surfaces is pretty much second nature. I attended an Oregon Region PCA track day at Portland Int'l Raceway last Friday, and during my second session I was having to brake down from ~125-130 MPH while peering through my hard-working wiper blades at the end of the main straight. That was the first time I've ever really wondered if the back end of my 911 was going to do something from which I couldn't recover....

qt4lddht

Racing Volvos = Minor Pain; Hearing 140db = Major Pain

Jon

was going to go right through it. Unreal that it holds together like it does ... makes the one at Lime Rock look like the GW Bridge. <p>I never got to experience it slippery, but .... I really don't feel sad. I'd rather it be nice and dry when the QCUSA event is going on there in October, thank you.<p>Jon<br>'96 A4qs

Jon

Please e-mail me if you are interested in instructing when the Potomac-Chesapeake Region QCUSA chapter runs our first event there, on October 18-19, 1999. I'd love to talk to you about it.<p>Thanks,<br>Jon Linkov

John/TSR

Gonna be at Watkins Glen as the Chief Weenie for Driving Ambitions High Performance Driving Schools both days (seats still available for August 30/31 and Oct. 18/19) - My play schedule fills up early. I'll be at the Point the next Mon & Tues (25th & 26th) though, with Trackmasters. I know I'll be at Nelson on the 30th and 31st, and maybe even on the 23rd and 24th. How sick is that ???? I might even visit my office sometime that month. Hope not....<p>Keep me in mind for other dates/tracks in the future. Questions - email me.<p>John<br>Racer Rat-boy<br>(Just got back from 3 days at Mt. Tremblant - you should see my August schedule !)