I was out of town on business for the entire week before the event. So I spent some time the previous weekend making sure the car was ready. This would be my first race since I was hit at Mt. Tremblant, and I hoped the car would work well after the repairs and my home alignment. Back in September, I did drive 1 day at Lime Rock, and the car was working well, so I was hopeful. I got home Thursday evening, spent some time with my family, then packed and left Friday afternoon. Did the long drive (350 miles) to Summit, arrived at about 8:00PM to find the paddock already crowded. Found a decent paddock space, unloaded the car. Back in the motorhome for the evening, ate some dinner and watched the NY Mets game on TV. I actually got a few channels, and NBC was the best.

Up early Saturday. It’s amazing, but I never need an alarm clock when I stay at the track. I guess there is something about un-muffled race engines at 7:00AM that makes alarms unncessary. I register, meet some very Potomac PCA people, including Rennlist member Paul Amico, and breeze through tech inspection. I’m at the track by myself for the first time, so I go looking for some familiar faces. I find a good group of fellow Metro PCA members, Bill Rudtner is racing, and he brought some friends along to work as crew. I know them all, and since Bill and I are in opposite race groups (I’m in group 3, he’s in group 1) his crew can also help me. I don’t need much help, but I would like lap times and tire temps and pressures.

OK, I’m ready to go onto the track. This is my second time to Summit Point. I was there in June for a 2 day driver ed event. That event wasn’t a lot of fun because I did 1 session in wet conditions, then my head gasket blew. I borrowed friends’ cars for 2 other sessions, but I still have a lot to learn about Summit. We head onto the track and I start driving. Race group 3 is comprised of class E and F, 944 turbos, 911’s, and a few 968’s. There are about 40 cars, so traffic is heavy. I find my way around the track, and it’s very, very smooth. It had been paved a few weeks ago, and the new surface is smooth and fast. I’m working up to speed, passing some cars, getting passed by others, and having fun. The run ends, I pit and check the car. Nothing spectacular, lap times in the 1:29 – 1:30 range. Not very fast, towards the back of the pack. I make some tire pressure adjustments, and wait for the next session.

Second session, I have borrowed Bill Rudtner’s crew. It turns out that Bill blew his motor in his first session, so he’s done for the weekend. I know how he feels, as the last time I was at Summit I was also finished after 1 session. All that work for nothing! Anyway, I now have people waiting to take tire temps, pressures, and record my lap times. Time for work! I get on the track and start driving. I know the track a little better, and I start driving harder. The car is working well, and I feel good. Did some OK laps, came in got tire temps, then back out for 1 more lap before the checker. Over to timing and scoring, and my best lap was a 1:29.53. That put me in 21^st of 33 cars, and 9^th of 14 cars in E. Not bad, but not good either. The fastest E car was Rennlist member Matt Hapgood, who was flying with a 1:25.3. I’m a little disappointed in my times, as I really want to do better. I talk to some people who are turning faster lap times, like Paul Amico, who is running his F class 968, and Matt. I’m looking for shift points, braking points, landmarks, anything that I can use to my advantage. I get some ideas, and I’ll trying them next session.

For a description of the track, check out their web site:
 http://www.summitpoint-raceway.com/

Basically, Summit is a 2.X mile road course. The main straight is pretty long, first slightly uphill (just enough to prevent you from seeing the starter unless you are in the first 2 rows), then downhill after start / finish. Top speeds in my car are in the 135 – 140 mph range. At the end of the straight you brake HARD down to 50 mph or so for an increasing radius right turn of 180 degrees. You then go up hill, shift to 3^rd, then 4^th, then make turn 3, Wagon Bend, a left turn. You stay on the power, then head down a slight hill on a short straight. At the end of the straight is a right hand kink, Turn 4, the Chute. If you do it correctly, you can take the chute without braking. That leads to a short section that gives you just enough time to brake and downshift for a left turn that runs into the carousel. Then it’s a left, a right, a straight, and the final turn, a high speed 90 degree right that ends on the front straight.

Third session, I’m going to try downshifting to second gear for turn 1, I’m going to try to make it through turn 4, the chute, without braking, running through the carousel in 2^nd, and downshifting to 3^rd for the last turn. We’ll see how it goes.

On the grid, head out, take the green. Start driving. There are three F class cars that are in front of me. I feel I’m faster, now I have to pass them and prove it. Pass 1 car on the straight. I start to pass another at the end of the straight, but them I think back to Mt Tremblant, and how I got hit because the driver in front didn’t see me. I decide to wait on the pass. Sure enough, the car in front chopped across the front of me. If I tried to pass, I probably would have been hit. Follow the car around the track, pass on the front straight. I pass the final car the next lap, now I’ve got clear track, warm tires, and confidence. I turn up the wick and push it. Stand on the power for the entire front straight. See the tach and speedo climb. See the braking markers approach. Stay on the power, don’t brake yet. Not yet, not yet. Second brake marker, on the brakes HARD. Stand on the pedal, the car slows. Down from 4^th to 2^nd gear, blip the throttle, let the clutch out. The car jumps sideways a little as the clutch engages. I catch it, aim the car for apex and get back on the power. Accel out of the corner, feel the car get pushed to left edge of the track. Up to 3^rd, then 4^th. The Wagon Bend corner is approaching. Find my braking mark, then turn in and back on the power. Let the car drift right out the edge of the rumble strips. The tires grip and I now rocket towards the kink that leads to the chute. I chicken out, and let off the throttle. I don’t brake, but count to two, get on the power and turn in. The rear sticks, now I’m approaching the left hander, and I’ve got a ton of speed. I can’t slow down and get the car to the right side of the track, so I decide to slow down, and enter the corner from the middle of the track. OK. Down to second gear. Make the corner, accel towards the carousel. Don’t brake, just throw the car to the right. Run around the outside of the track, see the apex for the next corner, make it. Quick shift up to third. Hold on and make the next 2 corners at full throttle. All I have left of the last corner. Go under the bridge. Make sure I’m aimed properly. Squeeze the brakes, throw a quick and smooth downshift to 3^rd, find my turn in point, turn in and back to full throttle. I again drift the car right out to the rumble strips, and it sticks perfectly. Full throttle down the straight, and I know I’ve turned a good lap.

The rest of the session I spent playing with different turn in points, braking points, shifting etc. I never did get comfortable with downshifting to second for turn 1. Either I came real close to over-revving the motor when I left the clutch out, or I didn’t shift up to 3^rd quick enough and hit the rev-limiter, or I blew the aim. The only other interesting lap was towards the end. I was heading down the front straight when a 968 pulled onto the track. I had a full head of steam, but I couldn’t catch him before turn 1. I did catch and pass him before turn 3, but I had never made that corner from the inside edge of the track. I blew the turn totally, early apexing it from the inside. As I exited the corner, there was no way I was going to be able to stay on track. I left the track at about a 30 degree angle. There is gravel there, so I wasn’t worried about hitting or flipping, but I didn’t want to spin. So I kept my foot in it, slithered out of the gravel, and shot down the track. The 968 passed me when I was in the gravel, and I think I scared Manny Alban who was behind me, but no damage done. I also had problems making the left into the carousel. Either I didn’t slow the car enough to make a good corner, of I didn’t match revs properly when I downshifted to second, and the car would hop sideways. Same thing going into T1. Going down to second gear in racing is new to me, and I need to work on it. I tried going into 3^rd, then second, but I don’t think I was able to do that, and stay at max braking. Need more practice.

When the session ended, I checked with timing and scoring, and I cut over 1 second from my lap times. I did a 1:28.41. Better, up to 18^th overall. I know that I can still do better, and I think I can get into the 1:27’s. From looking at the results, I see that I will do no better than mid pack. The fast guys are in the 1:24-1:25 range. So even if I get down to 1:27 I won’t win, but I’ll have fun anyway.

Next up were the practice stars. Nothing spectacular happened. I wanted to do starts from both sides of the track, and see how crazy turns 1 and 2 were (they were VERY crazy).

After the practice starts it started to drizzle. The weather forecast was for rain that evening, and all day Sunday. Good thing I brought rain tires. Spent the evening in the motorhome. Watched the Yanks win the playoff series against Texas. Tried to sleep but the rain on the roof, and nerves kept me up most of the night.

Up Sunday. More rain, forecast is still for all day rain. On goes the rain tires. Note that jacking a car up in the rain when you’re parked on gravel is not very much fun. Head out for the warm up session. Not many cars, from 30+ on Saturday to only 19 cars. Start driving. The weather isn’t too bad, steady light rain. The track is OK. Pretty good grip except for turns 3 and 4, which are very slick. I’m still hitting 125-130 on the front straight, and I have no problem slowing down for the corner. I get loose and scared in T3 and T4, so I make sure to go slower there. Check with T+S, and I’m much happier. Seventh overall, 3^rd in class. Yeah rain, keep on coming!

On the grid for qualifying. Head out to a green track. Start slow, then push it harder and harder. The track is OK. I just have to drive like a driver ed student. Brake in a straight line, no trail braking at all, or the rear starts to slide. Push harder and the car is working great. I’m running Bridgestone RE-71 street tires, and they are working very well. Check the results, and I’m in 6^th of 24 cars, and 3^rd in E (with 10 cars).

The track shuts down for lunch. Then it stopped raining. Everyone is trying to figure out what to do. I want more rain. Check the forecast, look at the sky. Check with the locals. No one knows what it’s going to do. Come on, rain! No dice. The sky looks like it’s clearing. Weather forecast is for now for periods of rain. Better put the dry tires on. By race time, everyone is on dry tires. Damn, once the race starts, I’m going to go backwards. There goes my podium finish, and the chance for some Kumho contingency dollars. Oh well, be careful out there, have fun.

On the grid. Hey, it’s nice to be up towards the front. I’m in row three, on the outside. Jeff Burger is on the pole, Mark Forrester is second, followed by Fritz Gottwald (a rookie driving an 89 944 turbo), Axel Shield, Dr. John Sullivan, and me. Behind me is Bruce Zavros (in another black 944 turbo S, that made like 3), Henk Westerduin, Eric Ravid, and a bunch of other guys. Some notable E class guys were Matt Hapgood (who could write a book on his troubles over the weekend) in 12^th, and Bruce Duff who was starting at the end of field because he skipped qualifying. Bruce has a very fast, very nice 911, and he was in the top 5 all weekend. I knew that with a dry track those guys would be coming hard.

Standing on the false grid. Watching race group 4. Race took forever. There was a problem in the first lap, so they did a restart. Took a long time. Finally I get belted in. Get the gear on. Engine off. Think about the upcoming race. Start the motor. Make sure I have enough fuel to run the race and still make weight at the end (check). Tighten the belts. Tighten them again. Head onto the track. See the splitter, I’m on the outside (good). Follow the pace car on the warm up lap. The track is very wet, with puddles in places. Sky is bright, I’m wearing sunglasses. Get the race tires warm. Get some heat in the brakes. The track is going to be slippery for a while. Be cautious out there. Last corner, pace car pulls in.

In second gear, about 4000 rpm. I can’t see the starter. When the car next to me, Dr. John in his 944T goes, I’ll go. Field takes off. I stand on the throttle, shift up to 3^rd, then fourth. I’m not gaining on anyone in front of me, I’m fine with that. I see Henk behind me. He moves over to the middle of the track, but I can out brake him, and he won’t pass me in T1. Down to second gear for T1. Make the corner, there’s a puddle at the track out point. I shift into 3^rd just as the rear tires hit the puddle. Catch the resulting hop, and stay on the power. Henk gets a better run out of the T1, so I let him pass, then move right in preparation for T3. This corner has been slippery all morning, so I slow a lot and make the corner. Guys are bunched up behind me, but too bad. Heading into T4, the chute. I watch as two cars are fighting for position heading into T4. I think to myself that this is going to be bad. The corner is slick, guys are fighting for position, and it’s not going to work. I’m already out of the throttle when I see a 911 start to slide sideways. Then it gets ugly. Everything happened pretty quickly, so forgive me if I make any mistakes in my recollection of it.

From my vantage point here’s what I saw:

The 911 gets loose and slides left as he makes the corner. 944 turbo S moves left to avoid 911. 911 slides off track, driver left, into tire wall, embankment, other hard stuff. 944 moves further left, then goes through a tire wall and up an embankment. The car goes straight up, then starts to nose over. It goes from vertical nose up to vertical nose down. I clearly see the entire underside of the car. Then it hits the ground nose first and tumbles onto the roof. While all this is happening, I’m waving to the cars behind me to warn them. I see another 944 come back on the track with the LF wheel at an unusual angle. Smoke streams from the tire. The driver pulls his side view mirror into the car to keep it from falling off. The field moves by the incident, yellow flags out, then black flag, then red flag. We all stop before T8. Ambulance dispatched. Black flag. We head into the pits.

Mass confusion in the hot pit. No one know what’s happening. Sit tight for a few minutes. Told we’re going to head out single file. Then told the race will be restarted. Then told to just hold position in the pits. Get the good news that all drivers are OK. What a relief!

We’re now told that the race will be restarted in the order we came off the track. I came out in second place. New order is 911, me, someone else, Henk W, and everyone else. Back on the track. Hey, it’s nice to be at the front! Drive around, get tires and brakes warm. Onto the main straight. Second gear, again 4000 rpm, see starter, stay next to 911. Green flag! Go go go. Up to third gear, up to 4^th. Pull ahead of 911 (E cars are supposed to be faster than F cars!). I’m going to lead into T1, cool! Come out of the corner, and accel to T3. 911 pulls down to the inside, fine, let him pass. Tail the rest of the way around the track. Henk is right behind me, along with a whole lot more cars. Stay behind 911 on the front straight, see what he’ll do. He brakes earlier than I would have, so I get on the brakes and slow down a lot. I forget to shift up to third exiting the corner, and when I hit the rev limited the car bogs. Henk pulls out and passes me.

OK. I’m back to third, driving well, car working great. Another 911 (team Scream car) is behind me. He passes on the back straight, and is faster than me, but I out brake him going into T1 and pull ahead again. However, again I screw up the shifts coming out of the corner, and he re-passes. I’m being tentative in the T3 – T4 section, and I’m losing ground to the other cars there. I’m as fast or faster then everyone in the carousel, and the T1 section.

Eventually, the pack caught up to me and starting passing me. After 7-8 laps the track was mostly dry, and after 10 laps my tires started going away. After almost sliding off the track a few times, I decided to cool it, try to stay close to pack of 944 turbos in front of me, and see if I could get them at the end of the race. However, when passing some lapped cars I got left behind. So I finished the last few laps pretty much by myself. I ended up 5^th in class, don’t know where over all.

The race was a lot of fun, one of the better one’s I’ve had in the fun factor. I’m sorry that so many cars got damaged, it seems like Summit is a dangerous track for racing. Anyway, I came off the track, packed up my stuff, said goodbye to people and hit the road at 5:00PM or so. Hit traffic on the way home, and got there around midnight. No more races this year. One final driver ed, then it’s the off season, and time to make plans for next year.