Meet the Shoot-Out Queen – Summer Richardson

 Out on the water, the only sound louder than the pounding of Summer Richardson’s heart was the idling of the Dial 911 388 skater powered by twin 1,800 HP Carson Brummett engines.  Staring down the waterway, Summer was on deck eager to accomplish her fastest mph speed yet.  Quickly, she runs through her mental checklist: helmet on; gauges on point; kill switch ready.  Then, she waits for it: “Summer Richardson, the course is yours.”  She starts the engine as she gets ready to get on plane.
“Yes, I get nervous – it doesn’t matter how many times you run it.  What we’re doing out there is dangerous,” she said.  “All the fundamentals race through my head until that exact moment when I fricken gun it.”
And then the green flag flies.  Summer hammers down the throttles.  The speed gauge climbs.  Her eyes lock in on the track, and nothing will break her gaze.  She doesn’t need the gauges; the sound and feel of the engine guide her.  And then she hits it: 176 mph.
Summer has done it.  Within minutes she’s secured the No. 1 spot as 2016 Queen of the Desert.  The singular sound of the engine is replaced by the cheering of the crowd, and she swings off her helmet, letting her blonde hair spill out in waves.  She smiles and waves at her friends and family.  For those few minutes, she revels in the fact that she is the only female driver in performance boat racing shoot-out events.
“I get so much support from the men for being a woman in this sport,” she said.  “Ladies, young girls, longtime friends who love racing – they’re all just so supportive.”
Summer’s love for boating was passed down from her parents, Don and Connie London, who own the Dial 911 skater.  Her father has been named two-time King of the Desert at the Desert Storm shoot-out.  Fortunate enough to grow up in a boating family, she was drawn to the steering wheel, to the engine.  She learned everything she could, from mechanics to driving.
“I’m so thankful for my husband’s support through the years, along with the love and support from the London and Richardson families,” she said.  “They passed on such a passion for performance boating, and I wouldn’t be here without them.”
When Summer married, her and her husband, Travis Richardson, started a motorsports company called Swoop Motorsports, which eventually lead to the formation of a poker run and shoot-out team.  Swoop Motorsports is campaigning their F32 DCB performance boat in the poker run events this season.
For the past few years, Team Swoop has been participating in events across the country – from shoot-outs to poker runs.  While poker runs are more family friendly events complete with boat shows, shoots-outs are high-stakes races.  In a shoot-out, each driver gets a shot at the track, one at a time, and when the driver crosses the finish line, the radar speed trap clocks your top speed.  Drivers can run a pass as many times as they want; the driver who secures the top speed is named King or Queen of the Desert.
Summer has held titles at Lake Havasu’s Desert Storm – one of the biggest races in the sport – in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016; she has protected the crown since 2012.  And as Summer continues to improve her speed and skills, the world of performance boat shoot-outs is slowly growing, as well.  Performance boat racing is quickly gaining in popularity, which surprisingly, seems to create a supportive environment among racers.  Amidst the growth, Summer is inspiring more women to join the shoot-outs, as well as showing the industry that women have a place in performance boating shoot-outs.
“We all just want to see it grow, and the more people who can help bring attention to the sport, the better,” she explained of the camaraderie on the water.  “We’ve all grown up together in the industry, and after a race, we all high five each other on the docks.  I get so much support – they all just want to see me succeed.”
This season, Team Swoop is gearing up for their shoot-out event at the end of August at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, one of the most recognized events in performance boating shoot-outs.  But Summer is upping her driving game, too.  Summer spent last season driving her F32 DCB powered by twin Teague custom marine 1025 HP engines.  She ran a speed of 147 mph in the shoot-out, naming her Shoot-Out Queen.  This season she will be running the Dial 911 388 skater powered by twin 1,800 HP Carson Brummett engines.  She hopes to hit speeds in the high 170s.
“It’s a beast,” Summer said of the Dial 911.  “It feels like a dragon that’s been let out of its cage, except it’s fricken angry!
“Most guys can’t drive this boat,” she said with a laugh.
To follow Swoop Motorsports and Summer’s current season, please visit www.swoopmotorsports.com, or follow Mrs. Swoop on Instagram and Facebook.  

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