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!”
Another interesting fact about a multiple track motorsports facility is that while the group was learning about the fun and excitement of the track first hand, next door on a companion track, police and government officials were receiving advanced driver training - running cars into an obstacle course learning how to cope with anti-terrorism missions.
According to Etherington, “this is exactly the kind of atmosphere he is trying to achieve for Tatton Park in Southern Maryland.” When asked how soon the plans would be revealed to the media, Etherington stated that dreams were not financed. “We need to have something tangible and real in order to get the financing to move ahead with the development.” The affable Brit told TBN that an announcement should be made soon with respect to the location and that once that is signed, the rest should fall into place fairly soon thereafter.
St. Mary’s County Manager of Business Development, Hans Welch, who was one of the group to witness the spectacle of Summit Motorsports Park first hand stated, “I feel very strongly about this. This will be great for St. Mary’s County and there are many who feel the same.”
Welch went on to say that the proposed Tatton Park would accommodate many people in the area allowing them to have a great place to race in a controlled environment without endangering lives on county roads.
