Summit Point Motorsports Park
Summit Point Motorsports Park is a road racing and driver training facility located in Jefferson County, West Virginia about two hours west of Washington, D.C. in the state's Eastern Panhandle.
 | |
 Summit Point Main Circuit (1970–present) | |
| Location | Summit Point, WV, USA |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC−5 (UTC−4 DST) |
| Coordinates | 39°14′3.8″N 77°58′31.04″W |
| Capacity | open seating without capacity limitation |
| Owner | Bill Scott Racing, Inc. |
| Operator | Bill Scott Racing, Inc. |
| Broke ground | 1969 |
| Opened | October 1969 |
| Former names | Summit Point Raceway (1969–2003) |
| Major events | Current: Atlantic Championship (2017–2019, 2023) Former: 12 Hours at the Point (1999–2009) IMSA GT Championship (1971, 1982, 1987–1989) Can-Am (1986) Trans-Am Series (1983–1985) |
| Summit Point Main Circuit (1970–present) | |
| Length | 3.219 km (2.000 miles) |
| Turns | 10 |
| Race lap record | 1:04.531 ( Tõnis Kasemets, Swift 014.a, 2012, Formula Atlantic) |
| Jefferson Circuit (1996–present) | |
| Length | 1.771 km (1.100 miles) |
| Turns | 7 |
| Shenandoah Circuit (2004–present) | |
| Length | 3.540 km (2.200 miles) |
| Turns | 22 |
| Summit Point Original Circuit (1969–1970) | |
| Length | 3.219 km (2.000 miles) |
| Turns | 8 |
Current status
Summit Point Motorsports Park features three road racing circuits that are currently used for amateur automobile, motorcycle racing, and contracted government training.
History
Built in 1969–1970, Summit Point Motorsports Park (then "Summit Point Raceway"), opened in October 1969.[1]
The first races held there were SCCA regional races in the fall of 1969 with IMSA International Sedans being the first professional event,[2] later to become The Radial Tire Series, and IMSA Pro Formula Ford. The event was held on Memorial Day, May 30, 1970. (The holiday was still celebrated on the 30th then.) Rasey Feezell won in an Alfa Romeo 4-door sedan, whose modifications were very questionable, taking home the grand sum of $200 prize money. Five of the eleven entrants were from Raleigh, North Carolina.
During its early years and since SCCA held numerous events at the track. Several Regional and National races were run each year. Many racers got their start in the popular SCCA Driver's Schools held there by the Washington DC Region.
Paul Newman ran several of his early races there in a Bob Sharp-prepared Datsun 510 sedan. He wished to be just another "racer" and did not want to be recognized at racing events as a "superstar", so he and wife Joanne Woodward kept to themselves and eschewed signing autographs. Few realized they were racing in the company of famous actors. The only outward clue was the plate on his 510's front bumper... "PLN"
Over time the track was host to a number of professional races sanctioned by IMSA and the SCCA Trans-Am Series through the late 1980s.
The track was sold to Bill Scott and his partner Tom Milner in the early 1980s. Bill was 1970 Formula Vee World Champion Bill Scott.[3]
The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association returned to Summit Point in 2023 after a two-decade absence.
In addition to racing, the track became a training ground for various federal agencies and other security organizations.
Circuits
Summit Point Main
Summit Point Main is a 10-turn, 2.000 mi (3.219 km) road course that features a 2,900-foot (880 m) main straight. This original circuit opened in 1970.
The original layout did not include the "Carousel", presently denoted Turns 6 and 7. In the original layout, Turn 5 was a ~90 deg. left-hander leading to a 90 deg. right-hander at the entry to what is now denoted Turn 8. Therefore, the original layout had 8 turns (or 9 depending on how you counted them). The "Carousel" wasn't added until sometime after mid-1973.[4]
No longer used for professional auto races, it hosts many WKC, WKA, SCCA, Audi, Mazda Drivers, BMWCCA, NESBA, and NASA club races, track days, and schools. In addition, motorcycle races are run by CCS and WERA, which also holds national-level 6-hour endurance race.
The Main Circuit is also the annual home of the Jefferson 500 vintage race and The 12 Hours at the Point endurance race.
The Main Circuit was repaved in the Fall of 2007.[5]
Jefferson Circuit
The Jefferson Circuit is a Nine-turn, 1.100 mi (1.770 km) road course that was designed and built by Bill Scott as a dedicated course for high-performance, accident avoidance and emergency operation driver training. Opened in 1996 or 1997, the Jefferson is a course that demands constant attentiveness and smooth inputs from drivers.[6][7]
The circuit hosts a number of driver training schools, as well as a handful of motorcycle trackdays each year.
The Jefferson Circuit is currently under construction with extensive upgrades, according to the track's website.
Shenandoah Circuit
The Shenandoah Circuit is a 22-turn, 2.200 mi (3.541 km) road course that first opened in 2004. Widely considered one of the most technical circuits of the recent crop of race courses, the Shenandoah also boasts a smaller scale replica of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife's famous banked Karussell turn. It's also known as the concrete jungle.
Since opening in late 2004, the Shenandoah has played host to a number of high-performance driver education clinics, a handful of road races and a number of motorcycle races. After a number of races and schools, minor changes were made to the track layout in late 2004 and early 2005, including the addition of a straight between turns 5 and 7.
Washington Circuit
The Washington Circuit is Summit Point's newest addition constructed and opened in 2009.
Several layouts are used depending on the types of events occurring and the weather conditions, but the course is most often configured as the "Washington Long Course". This is .52-mile (0.8 km) and 11 turns, including a sweeping 160-degree decreasing radius corner and 3 straights.
Lap records
As of August 2012, the fastest official race lap records at Summit Point Motorsports Park are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summit Point Main Circuit: 3.220 km (1970–present)[1] | ||||
| Formula Atlantic | 1:04.531[8] | Tõnis Kasemets | Swift 014.a | 2012 Summit Point Atlantic Championship round |
| IMSA GTO | 1:12.240[9] | Pete Halsmer | Mercury Cougar XR-7 | 1989 Summit Point Grand Prix |
| Can-Am | 1:12.650[10] | Horst Kroll | Frissbee KR3 | 1986 SCCA Can-Am Challenge Summit Point |
| Trans-Am | 1:15.460[11] | Willy T. Ribbs | Mercury Capri | 1985 Summit Point Trans-Am round |
| IMSA GTU | 1:18.070[9] | John Overton | Mazda RX-7 | 1989 Summit Point Grand Prix |
| American Challenge | 1:18.760[9] | Tommy Riggins | Buick Somerset | 1989 Summit Point Grand Prix |
References
- "Summit Point - Racing Circuits". racingcircuits.info. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- Results of Spring Sprints for Sedans, Summit Point Speedway, 30/5/1970 "1970 IMSA - round 2". Archived from the original on 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
- Herald-Mail http://articles.herald-mail.com/2009-12-08/news/25157356_1_race-car-bsr-formula-vee by Julie Green 2009-12-08 retrieved 2010-01-16.
- Per Steve Coleman, 1972 IMSA Radial Sedan Class A Champion, from a testing session late summer 1973.
- "Trackpedia : Le webzine des passionnés d'auto moto !". www.trackpedia.com. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
- http://www.nccbmwcca.org/index.php?id=17,167,0,0,1,0 retrieved November 12, 2007.
- "Riesentöter Region: Porsche Club of America - Riesentöter Awards". www.rtr-pca.org. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
- "Formula Atlantic Track Records". Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- "Summit Point IMSA GTO 1989". Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- "Can-Am Summit Point 1986". Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- "Trans-Am Summit Point 1985". Retrieved 16 January 2023.