TheBAYNET.com, along with St. Mary’s Department of Economic Development and racing enthusiast Anthony Mason were invited by Crispin Etherington, the developer of the planned Tatton Park here in Southern Maryland to accompany him to a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Annapolis to Summit Point Motorsports Park in Summit Point WVA.
The purpose of the invitation was for TBN and the others to see first hand what a world class motorsports facility would be like when opened in Southern Maryland. When we arrived, we were in for a treat. Etherington put the group right in the middle of Summit Point’s ‘Track Day’ where all could experience the amazing facility up-close and personal.
TBN’s representative was signed in as a charity ride along with the instructors and started the day viewing the regular race from the watch tower. Mason, had rented his own Mazda Miata in order to participate immediately in the racing. The racing and racing culture including the wide variety of cars, people and equipment was quite different from the familiar roar of dragsters at Maryland International Speedway.
In fact, one of the most impressive things was the lack of roar. The track noises were somewhat less than a lawn mower in the most neighborhoods on a sunny Saturday morning. More impressive was the family atmosphere. There were mothers pushing babies in strollers and kids playing on playgrounds, all while the racing was going on below the tower.
After the race, there was a time period when people could experience the track first hand by going in a ride-along with track instructors. There members of the visting group participated in three different types of cars. The instructors were phenomenal considering none had any racing experience.
First one of the TBN faithful sat behind the wheel of a stock Porsche Carrera, revved the engine and tore down the track’s straight away at an amazing 155 miles per hour. The instructor taught the driver to break and find the corner apex and to accelerate through the turn. What a blast! By the second time around the track, TBN’s driver was passing cars and burning up the track.
From inside the car it sounded quieter than riding a lawnmower, but the thrills were out of this world. Next on the track was Mason in his Mazda Miata and a new instructor. Again, after a lap or two, Mason was passing slower cars and laughing at the fun the experience.
The thrill of pushing these cars to their limits in a safe and controlled manner had drivers in the group hooked to the sport immediately. TBN’s driver said, “From that night on, I was looking online for cheap cars I could enter the sport with, I’m hooked!”
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