By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

Jonathan Summerton can pull away from just about any competitor on a race track, but he hasn’t been able to overcome a lethargic world economy that has reduced sponsorship money and driving opportunities.

But today, for the first time in nearly two years, Summerton will be competing at the 60th 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race.

Earlier this week, Summerton, an Osceola High graduate who has risen through the international road course ranks to become one of the United States’ most promising drivers, signed with Bobby Rahal’s BMW M3 GT team – Rahal LettermanLannigan. Summerton will drive in four races for the American Lemans Series team starting at Sebring, where he will co-drive the No. 56 car.

“I look forward to working with the team and my fellow drivers, Joey Hand and Dirk Muller. I will be learning as much as possible from these great drivers,” Summerton said.

Summerton, 23, began his driving career in 2004 as a participant in the Formula BMW USA program.

Since then, Summerton has driven, and won, in Europe, the USA and Asia on a variety of circuits

Rahal said, “I’m excited to add Jonathan for four races to substitute for Joey. Along with my son, Graham (Rahal), Jonathan was one of the first six Formula BMW USA scholarship winners. I believe Jonathan will do a good job for us.”

Summerton has been tantalizingly close to landing a seat on the F1 series, but opportunities in 2009 and 2010 disappeared when funding dried up.

Cypher Group, composed of a group of former F1 personnel, had selected Summerton to be one of its two drivers two years ago.

“Jonathan is capable of racing against the top Formula 1 drivers and we hope to give him a competitive car,” Cypher Group said in a prepared statement when it announced its plan to enter F1.

But, the team, competing with three other groups for the 13th spot on the F1 grid, had to withdraw for lack of startup funding.

In 2009, Summerton was the choice for a seat on the USF1 team based in North Carolina that had a berth for the 2010 F1campaign. It, too, was unable to develop enough sponsors and it folded.

Summerton has competed only once over the last two seasons, at the 2010 St. Petersburg Grand Prix, where he placed eighth in the Indy Lights race.

Despite the difficulties in landing a regular ride, Summerton, who lives in Kissimmee with his parents, has stayed busy training and meeting with sponsors and race team owners.

“I’ve met with some influential people in Orlando who have helped to steer me to contacts,” Summerton said in an interview last year. “It is a little frustrating to watch the races, but I’m not worried about being out so much. It’s like riding a bicycle, the skill is there when you get back in the car. I’ll be a little rusty at first, but after 10 laps it will all come back.”

Summerton was a sensation in the Atlantic Championship series in 2009, competing for Newman-Wachs racing. Summerton won four races and tied for the series championship, losing on a tie-breaker to teammate John Edwards.

He gave Team USA its only victory in 2008 at Shanghai, China, in the now-defunct A1GP circuit, then billed as the World Cup of auto racing.

Several of the drivers now on the F1 circuit are those that Summerton competed against on the F3 series in Europe five years ago.

Summerton became the youngest driver ever to win at Indianapolis in a 2004 Formula BMW race.