Shane Summers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shane Summers

Born	(1936-06-23)23 June 1936 Rossett, Denbighshire, Wales, UK
Died	1 June 1961(1961-06-01) (aged 24) Brands Hatch, Kent, England, UK
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	British
Active years	1961
Teams	privateer Cooper
Entries	7 non-championship races (5 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1961 Lombank Trophy
Last entry	1961 Silver City Trophy

Shane Lister Summers (born June 23, 1936 – died June 1, 1961) was a British racing driver. He was born in Rossett, Wales. Shane loved car racing, especially in Formula One. Even though he raced in Formula One events, he never took part in a World Championship race. His father, Spencer Summers, was a politician in the Conservative Party.

Shane Summers: A Young Racing Star

In 1960, Shane Summers had a great year racing a Lotus 15 sports car. A person named Terry Bartram helped prepare his car. Because of his success, Shane and Terry decided to try racing in Formula One the next year. They chose a new Cooper T53 car for their adventure.

Shane's First Formula One Races

Shane's first race of the 1961 season was the Lombank Trophy. This was not a championship race. Shane, who was 24 years old, qualified in tenth place out of 14 drivers. He finished the race in eighth place.

The very next week, he raced in the Glover Trophy. He again qualified tenth but unfortunately crashed out of the race.

Racing in Europe

After racing in the UK, Shane traveled to Europe for more races.

• At the 1961 Brussels Grand Prix, he was very fast in qualifying. He posted the 12th fastest time. However, he was not allowed to start the main race.
• Next, he raced in the Vienna Grand Prix. Here, he started from the front row, in second place! He raced well near the front of the pack. Sadly, his car's suspension broke, and he had to stop racing.

Back in the UK and His Best Finish

Shane returned to the UK for more races.

• He entered the Aintree 200 race. He qualified 13th out of 28 drivers. He finished the race in 12th place.
• About a month later, Shane had his best result ever. He finished fourth in the London Trophy race!

A Tragic End

Sadly, Shane's racing career ended too soon. During practice for the Silver City Trophy race, it was raining. The race was at Brands Hatch. Shane spun his car at a turn called Paddock Hill Bend. He crashed into a concrete wall near the pit tunnel entrance. Shane Summers was killed in this accident on June 1, 1961.

Shane Summers' Formula One Race Results

Here are Shane Summers' results from the non-championship Formula One races he competed in during 1961. (key)