SUMMERTON: Third At Three Rivers

IndyCar

SUMMERTON: Third At Three Rivers

American open-wheel ace Jonathan Summerton checks in with his post-Trois Rivieres Atlantic column and answers reader mail.

Jonathan Summerton | http://www.formulajon.com/ | Posted August 27, 2009 Kissimmee, FL

Jonathan Summerton maintained his championship standing after claiming 3rd at Trois Rivieres. Now he heads back to Canada for the Mosport race. (Phil Sedgwick/Atlantic Championship)

Hi there everyone,

Thanks for all your questions (answers below). Please keep them coming as it gives me an insight to what fans want to know.

The last race was in Canada at Trois Rivieres where I finished the race 3rd after we made a mistake in qualifying setup. But, it is a great place to be with some of the most dedicated fans around.

Since returning I have chilled out a little, still working out, running and eating healthy each day. I had some friends come to stay for a few days. One day we went to Universal Studios and had a day riding every roller coaster thrill ride in the park (gives you stronger neck muscles!). The new ride Rip Ride Rocket was great and getting soaked in the water rides made the heat bearable.

Other times we spent playing on PS3 both F1 and Call of Duty. One evening I met Peter Hillebrand who was in Orlando. Peter was the owner of HBR USA and friend who I raced with in 2004 Formula BMW, which was a memory jolt of the fun we had in '04. Now I am back to work, working on a line of t shirts, caps and stuff for my website. These will be coming soon and studying the track data for Mosport this next weekend.

Again, thanks for the questions.

Q&A

From James: Jonathan, how were you able to drive in FBMW, Euro F3 and move into Atlantics and Indy lights if you haven't had any sponsorship? The budgets for those series are huge.

JS: For Formula BMW I won a scholarship from BMW and my parents thought that would cover it. It didn't, so they have really paid for my racing by saving and working very hard. In fact they paid until they ran out of money. The following year I was hired by Volkswagen to be the development driver for their new Formula 3 engine program, this allowed me to still race and earn a little. With A1GP everything was paid for which was really good. Then I had to come back to America for 08. I have had a few small sponsors who have helped with uniforms, helmets, website www.JonathanSummerton.com and money, which are all really appreciated.

Europe is really expensive. If we had sponsors I would have done F3 Euro series for a second year with the knowledge I could win the championship or I would have gone to GP2. This series is roughly $1.5 million for a decent seat so sponsors are definitely necessary.

From Linda: You are in the starting field of 33 and are on the last lap of the Indy 500 and you are going for the win--which driver would you most like to pass for the checkered flag? I've watched you race Indy Lights--and I like your driving style!

Linda Willareth, Bettendorf, Iowa

JS: Thanks, Linda. Helio has to be the one as he has won it many times and I know he would fight till the checkered.

From Chris: With all the talk of new regulations in ALMS, new teams in F1 and new seats available in IRL can you tell us a little bit about what you hope your next steps are? I have been following your career and it would be great to see you take a step up soon.

Cheers,

Chris Chou

JS: My dream and focus have always being in Formula 1. Hopefully I will get the opportunity and honor to drive for the USF1 American team which would be really cool. I believe that we could go from strength to strength. As for Indy Car it would be neat to do the Indy 500. ALMS is a great series which has some exciting racing. Again, F1 is where I want to be but to do a Le Mans or Daytona 24 hour race would be fun.

From Alan: Lap times are very close, within a few tenths, especially during qualifying. Surely a driver can find an extra tenth or two just by driving faster?

JS: Most of the time drivers are on the limit for qualifying. A driver will drive to the limit of the car. If it has a good set up and feels good then you will go faster than a nervous car that may be snappy with its back end as you don't want to crash as it puts a lot of work and cost onto the team. The difference in drivers is a good driver will take an average car and work around its problems to improve its position..

Part of the charm of 'Three rivers' comes from the historic aspects of the street circuit. (Phil Sedgwick/Atlantic Championship)

From Paul: Jonathan, what was it like to drive at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this May and are you more likely to be in Formula One or Indy Car in the future? If you go the F1 route would you still be interested in driving in the Indy 500 someday? (Please don't say NASCAR!)

Paul, Indianapolis

JS: Paul, Indianapolis is a great track. The nostalgia of who has raced there and to see the museum there was good. I won my first race at Indy in Formula BMW in 2004 on the infield track when the F1 race was there. I think that was what gave me the momentum and goal to get to Formula 1. The cars are awesome! To race the oval this year in Indy Lights was good fun. unfortunately my cover on the car came loose and then I lost radio contact forcing me to pit for safety reasons. But, yes, I would love to do the Indy 500.

See you next week -- email your questions to .

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, SPEED, FOX, or NewsCorp.

Learn more about Jonathan at JonathanSummerton.com, his web team at www.TangledSpider.com, and his racing team at newmanwachsracing.com

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonathan Summerton

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