A Hot Lap of the Summit Point Circuit c. 1996, 7, 8, 9, 2000; A.F.Cage Rev. 08/22/00 revised by C.Schanzle, P.Sharkitt, 2/2013 Summit Point is considered by many to be a true "driver's" track, with a unique combination of turns and straights that seems to favor no particular type of car. The track has been repaved and patched numerous times in recent years, changing many of the old bumps and landmarks. It's still a course that rewards smoothness and commitment. Use this as a guide; your line may vary. We have found that the basic line is pretty consistent among a wide variety of cars, with minor adjustments for power differences and driving styles. The front straight is 3000 feet long and is entered at fairly high speed from Turn 10 (Paddock Bend). The straight runs up a slight incline until near Start/Finish, then begins a slight descent. Maximize your acceleration by upshifting at the proper RPM (check with your engine builder) to maximize the area under the HP curve. With Turn 1 having a relatively low entry speed, higher HP cars will be scrubbing in excess of 100 MPH in the braking zone. Keep the accelerator floored until the last possible moment, then make a smooth but quick transition to maximum threshold braking. A well-practiced Heel and Toe technique will enable maximum deceleration and reduce drivetrain wear through the multiple downshifts. Complete downshifting fully (clutch released) before turn-in to avoid unsettling the car. There are no longer visible braking markers painted on the track as you approach Turn 1. However, there are five numbered black and white brake marker signs just off the left side of the track spaced at 100 foot intervals. The markers are large and easy to spot as you approach at speed, as long as your view is not blocked by a competitor on your left. For an alternate reference point, note the track widens by 3 feet on both sides approximately 740 feet before the turn in point and narrows back at approximately 300 feet. Very heavy, high HP cars may have to use the entire 500 feet of braking. Light, high down-force, and low HP cars will likely begin braking after the 300 foot marker. In the event of braking failure (mechanical or mental), an access road leads slightly left off the end of the straight to the skidpad area. There is a gravel trap straight off the end of the turn, which will slow and trap your car unless you enter it in a straight line and power through it. As with all gravel traps, if entered sideways, there is a risk of gravel building up on the sides of the tires/wheels, increasing the risk of a roll-over. Turns 1 and 2 combine to produce an increasing-radius, 180-degree right hander. There is a darker black asphalt patch, about ten feet wide, that leads from the entry of Turn 1 until past the apex. Begin your turn in at the left edge of the patch. There is a seam perpendicular to the patch about 25 feet in from the start of the patch. Most cars will be between these two points when they initiate their turn. Apex about midway around the curbing, taking care not to hit the curbing too hard, as it will pitch the car up on two wheels and may cause a roll-over. Accelerate through the turn as you unwind the steering. Be aware of the transitions onto and off of the new paving, especially when wet. Also watch for small streams of water running across the track that can cause unexpected wheel spin as you power out from the apex. The far edge of the access road on driver's left can be used as a track out reference point. Powerful cars will want to take a later apex to straighten the long exit for maximum power application; lower power cars will want to take a slightly earlier apex and run a faster, wider arc,

minimizing lost momentum. A smoothly increasing radius will bring the car back to the right edge of the track just as the track straightens out. From turn two aim toward the turn tree flag station. This will align you with the turn 3 turn-in point. Turn 3 (Wagon Bend) is a tricky, uphill left-hander with a blind exit. Most cars will require a brief squeeze on the brakes for the entry. If you are a left-foot braker, this turn is a good corner for that technique as often no downshift is required. There are two access roads to the right that can be used for reference points. The track curves a bit before the entry point so you can either follow the track edge or go straight toward the entry, leaving the track edge. Many prefer a straight entry, as it leaves a bit of pavement to play with if the car should wiggle under braking. Turn three connects two significant straights. Maximize the radius by turning in with your right side tires right at the edge of the track. The turn in is earlier than you may initially think, allowing a brief moment for weight to transfer to the outside tires. Bend the car into the corner, don’t jerk the wheel. Apex halfway around the curbing and let the car track out. As the car tracks out to approximately mid-track, the hill begins to level off. At the same time the camber of the track goes from positive to slightly negative. As you perfect your entry arc and apex speeds, you will get a little slide from the driving wheels as you crest this spot…that is the clue you got it just right. Be sure not to pinch the exit. The chassis can easily be made unstable. The gravel trap begins just to the outside of the curbing and there is plenty of runoff room beyond if it is necessary to run wide. Watch for gravel that has been carried out onto the track surface by overzealous competitors. Turn three and turn ten lend themselves to a classic racers mistake. If you are running out of track at the exit, many times it is better to drive off the track under control, slow down and reenter safely rather than pinch the exit. Pinching the exit can result in causing the car to rotate, suddenly regain traction and rocket you back across the track to the inside wall. At the exit of Turn 3, look down the track on the left where it disappears over the hill past the Black Flag station. At the crest of the hill, follow the very left side of the track as you start downhill to the entry of turn 4 (The Chute). The Chute is a very fast and scary right-hand kink that leads downhill with precious little runoff room on either side. This turn absolutely rewards the driver who uses their eyes to visualize the arc through the corner from turn in through the exit. You will learn the arc through the turn is much straighter than the track and thus, very fast, but you definitely need to work up to it gradually. If necessary, finish any braking before turn in, and be back on the power at the entry point to transfer weight to the rear tires for stability through the apex. Turn in from the extreme left edge of the track just as the edge of the asphalt veers into the turn (yes, it looks very early) and clip the apex curbing gently at about the middle of its length. Depending on the car, you may have to begin transitioning from throttle to brake slightly before the car is completely straight. This requires great finesse. A polished Heel and Toe technique pays dividends in this very compressed area of the track. Excessively hard braking with even the slightest turn will tend to lock the right front or right rear, increasing braking distance and/or causing instability. Poor clutch releases in RWD cars will unsettle the rear. Spins and off-track excursions are fairly common here. While a traditional line would have you enter Turn 5 from the right side of the track, it is faster to sacrifice the car position at turn in to favor carrying speed through The Chute. Maximizing turn 5 exit speed gains little since the straight between turns 5 and 6 is insignificant. Cars with more grip than power may be able to move a bit toward the center of the track prior to turn in for 5, but beware of would-be passers entering on your left and stealing your apex! Apex with the left tires against the

inside curbing. Power hard through the arc, following the asphalt patch and let the car track out to the outer 3/4 of the track. Let that arc carry you back to the left side of the track to set up for the turn-in for turn 6, which begins The Carousel. The Carousel and the Esses make up the talent portion of Summit Point. Much time can be gained (or lost) through these connected turns, and a small error usually compounds itself as you go along. If you make a mistake, lift enough to get back on the proper line to minimize lost lap time. The turn in point for turn 6 is marked by a slightly wider area of pavement on the extreme left. A brief squeeze of braking is needed before turn in. Left foot braking works well here to smooth the transition from braking to turning. Most cars like the additional weight on the front tires to help point the car to the apex. The darker asphalt patch will guide you into the beginning of and around the Carousel. A common mistake is to turn in too late, causing missed apexes lap after lap. Touch the apex near the middle of the inside curbing (6A). Let the car drift out near the left edge toward the midpoint of the outside red and white curbing where the new dark pavement meets the outside curbing. Allow the same corner arc to bring the car back to the second apex (6B). When taken correctly, one steering wheel movement can connect turn 6 entry, apex, track out, and second apex. Small adjustments to your arc can be accomplished with throttle modulation alone; note how weight transfer affects your line through here. If you must upshift, doing this before the second apex (6B) causes forward weight transfer which can tuck the nose towards the apex. Make the second apex (6B) very late, and keep the car well to the right of center. Make a smooth transition to the left for turn 7, with the arc ensuring you get fully to track left before the turn in point for turn 8 up the hill. You may not get the left side tires fully to the turn 7 apex curbing. Watch for water seeping through the track surface in this area, even if it has not rained for quite a while. The exit speed out of Turn 8 is very important since it leads onto the second longest straight, which runs uphill under the bridge to Turn 10. Many drivers give up quite a bit of time by: (1) not having the car fully to drivers left for turn in; (2) turning in too late (scrubbing speed through the apex); or (3) pinching the exit (not using all the track, unnecessarily scrubbing exit speed). Unfortunately, there are very few reference points for turn in. The turn in is approximately 100 feet past the crossover road. You want your right side tires to follow the middle-half or later third of the apex curbing, depending on the car. If you delay your turn in to where you can clearly see the exit, you have initiated your turn in too late. The pavement undulates through the apex. Very stiffly sprung cars may have to run wide of the curbing by two feet to keep your car from becoming unstable, or by placing your right tires about six inches on the curbing to smooth out the dip/rise. Most cars can handle proper typical apexes with just a brief, temporary unwinding of steering input. Past the apex, let the car run wide to the left edge of the track, unwinding the steering while progressively adding power (if any is left!). While the exit curbing is flat and usable like track, with the high speed, small amount of run-off room, and inconsistent arc through the apex, many drivers simply reserve the exit curbing as a safety-net. In the wet, smooth application of the throttle is necessary all the way to the track out - be ready to quickly ease off the throttle at the first feel of wheel spin or instability. Taken properly, The Carousel and The Esses will be one long acceleration zone. It can be flat out (except for shifts) in many cars when taken correctly. From the exit of The Esses, aim the car under the center of the bridge. The road makes a long, lazy right turn between 8 and 10, which you can straighten out by driving under the center of the bridge. Your line should rejoin the left edge of the track just before the entry to Turn 10.

Turn 10 leads onto the long front straight, and a fast exit is important to good lap times. The corner, however, has a decreasing radius, which means that your physical apex will be very late as you try to fit an increasing radius line on the pavement. Most cars will need to brake for the turn, and many may need to drop down a gear, but be sure to do so smoothly and early enough so as not to upset the chassis on turn in, blowing the current and next lap times. Like the entry to turn 4, the left track edge is not perfectly straight. Initiate your turn in at the point where the track edge bends slightly to the right and aim for a late apex. Once again, the apex point will not be visible when you turn in; walking the course is helpful here. The red and white curbing paint extends out on to the track surface as much as a foot, so be sure to get to the actual apex curbing. The car should track out to the middle of the red and white curbing. There is a gravel trap on driver’s left similar to those at Turns 1 and 3. The first few feet between the curbing and the gravel are paved, but the paving has been scalloped to discourage drivers from using it. Many cars are able to drive across the troughs without upsetting the chassis, and the paving makes a good safety net in case you should overcook it into the corner. If you should drop a wheel off here, it’s best to drive the car off driver's left rather than fighting it or you might get to visit the tire wall across the track on driver's right along the pit straight. Due to common off’s near the exit of turn 10, there can be several inches of height difference from dirt to pavement - just continue off-track until you see dirt level with pavement, then re-enter safely. There's a lot to remember on a fast lap at Summit. Add in some traffic and passing, and you'll be pretty busy. The Summit Point Circuit is a track of nuances; the last 5% of speed is extremely difficult to find. Keep at it, though, and you'll find the course to be as rewarding as it is challenging.