confuZion3 wrote:
The owner of Summit Point Raceway just passed too. I was going to create a separate thread, but perhaps it fits in here too.
Yeah.
I never met Bill Scott but I enjoyed his facility for the past 15yrs. From the following article I am sad I never made his acquaintance. Here is the article (source unknown) as repeated on the Delaware Valley mailer list for BMW CCA:
William Henry "Bill" Scott, IV. 1938 - 2009
William Scott succumbed to a lengthy illness on December 7, 2009, at age 71. He lived a life of courage and uncompromising integrity. He graduated from Franklin and Marshall College with a BA in geology and received his PhD in geophysics from Yale University. He chose to follow his passion for auto racing, however, rather than pursue a university career.
His success in racing included the 1968 European and U.S. Formulas Vee championships, the 1969 Formula Ford world championship, the 1970 Formula Vee world championship, and the 1971 and '72 Formulas Super Vee U. S. pro series championship. In 124 races between 1965 and 1972, bill won 42 times and finished on the podium 77 times. Bill Scott Racing Inc. also won three consecutive SCCA GTR-3 national titles as a team in the late 70's.
A racer's life is short lived and Bill had a vision to train drivers the skills that he learned from racing. In 1980, he purchased the ailing Summit Point Raceway and, over time, transformed it into a premier racing facility. Summit Point Motorsports Park has evolved into four tracks, several firing ranges, a new 13-acre tactical training center for the U.S. State Department, and the Summit Point Training Campus. BSR trained thousand of drivers from private security companies to government agencies, but Bill was most proud of his life-saving Accident Avoidance classes for young drivers.
Bill had his own explanation for success, "The competitive spirit is still there. I want to be so much better than any other business that does our type of training, so that it goes without saying that the best clients come here. Second place is not an option."
Bill carried this same spirit of excellence into his private life. He was an active supporter of the Music Conservatory of Shenandoah College and established the SPARC Foundation Fund, a part of the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation, for the support of educational opportunities in Jefferson County, WV. He was a member of the Sports Car Club of America, Road Racing Drivers Club, American Society for Industrial Security, Horticultural Society of West Virginia, International Motorsports Association, Rotary International, and was a former board member for the Hill School.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara Scott, his sister, JoAnn Scott of Forest, VA, his children William Henry "Jens" Scott of Marshall, VA, Alexandra Scott of New York City, Joella Wilson of Atlanta, GA, Laura Kinsman of Williamsburg, VA and Frans Hansen of Annapolis, MD, and five grandchildren.
Those whose lives he has touched are many. He was a loving husband and papa. Of all his interests, family was the most important. The twinkle in his eye brightened the day of all who saw it.
His was a life well-lived.
