WERA National @ Summit Point

While the AMA series was in Kansas experiencing the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of a "new" circuit on their calendar, I was working Round 7 of the WERA National Endurance & Challenge series at the familiar Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia.




My weekend started on Saturday with the 6-Hour endurance race. Based on my informal observations, entrant turnout was low, certainly lower than last year. This is the entire field for the 6-Hour:




It probably won't come as a surprise to anyone that follows WERA National Endurance that Vesrah Suzuki won. Tray Batey and Cory West handled the riding duties.










But it was a close race, with BEI Racing Team (#72) enlisting fast guys Jeff Wood, Robert Jensen, and Tim Bemisderfer to give Vesrah a real run for the overall win. It almost worked; after 6 hours Vesrah's winning margin was 26 seconds. Here Robert Jensen hounds Vesrah's Tray Batey:




Sunday was for sprint races but they didn't figure to be all that quick given the steady rain that fell throughout the morning. As it happened, the rain stopped falling, the skies gradually cleared, and only the first few races were run on a wet track.








AMA @ VIR up next!

Memories are made of this

The last two weekends sent me back in time a bit. First was a couple days at Summit Point Raceway for the annual Memorial Day weekend Summit Point Cyclefest, featuring CCS and ASRA club racing. And this past weekend offered a chance to take my 4.5-year-old son Jack to 75-80 Dragway in Monrovia, MD, for an evening of (very) amateur drag racing. Both venues were the setting for some of my earliest gearhead memories.

Although Jack wasn't with me this Memorial Day weekend, he has been to Summit Point before and every time I'm there reminds me of my first visits with my dad. I vividly remember a Roush Trans-Am Mustang on jackstands, engine lit and rear wheels spinning--it seemed alive, and powerful. I also recall a Trans-Am car flipping over backwards as it crested the rise out of Turn 4 and flying into the trees. That was exciting (for the driver too!). As was the chaos brought on by a surprise downpour and slick-shod racecars slithering around searching for suddenly unavailable traction. These things leave an impression in a budding gearhead's mind.



These days Summit doesn't host professional racing series like Trans-Am, but it's still a popular stop for a number of car and motorcycle club racing organizations. Jeff Wood (leading, above) is a consummate club racer--get out front early, maintain a gap, don't take too many risks. Watching a fast guy like Wood amongst average weekend racers is eye-opening. Every movement broadcasts his talent, skill, and commitment.



* * *

Recently there was an article in the Washington Post about local racetracks. In a photo that ran with the story I thought I recognized 75-80 Dragway, but it couldn't be, I thought--it had been closed since '05, the owner intent on a housing development. A building ordinance change put paid to his plans however and the land wasn't developed, so this spring they've put the dragstrip back into operation. Jack and I visited Saturday evening.



Looking at the racecars--sorry, Jack, hot rods--as we walked through the staging lanes was like a case of deja vu, only now I was the Dad with the reassuring hand around the apprehensively offered hand of the boy. The noise was what had made him nervous, just as it did for me years ago. Hot rods are loud!




75-80 is an unassuming place. The grounds are modest in size and scope. We were free to wander freely and we did. The racing was strictly amateur, with many of the competing bikes and cars driven or ridden to the racetrack.




Jack had a blast. I figured he'd enjoy it but for how long would it stoke his preschooler attention span? Sometime after 10pm I decided enough was enough and we had to go home . . . I promised we'd go again. A good day out.