For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
Cell: (317) 201-0729
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
RLR/Andersen Racing Signs Summerton
For Firestone Indy Lights
PALMETTO, Fla., March 21 - RLR/Andersen Racing is pleased to announce that it
has signed rising star Jonathan Summerton to drive its No. 9 car in the
Firestone Indy Lights series.
Summerton, 20, of Kissimmee, Fla., is one of the drivers rumored to be in
contention to join the United States' new Formula 1 team in 2010.
Summerton's first event with RLR/Andersen Racing will be the season-opening
doubleheader on the street course at St. Petersburg, Fla. April 4-5. The team
hopes to continue to field a car for Summerton in the remaining 13 races,
pending the signing of some additional marketing partners it is pursuing.
Summerton won the pole and then finished third in the Atlantic Championship
season opener yesterday at Sebring, Fla. driving for Genoa Racing. He finished
third in the Atlantic series last year in his rookie season.
In 2007 Summerton competed in the A1GP for Team USA, winning at Shanghai,
China. He honed his skills in the Formula 3 Euro series, the European Formula BMW
series and the Formula BMW USA series. He became the youngest driver ever to
win a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he won a Formula BMW USA
race at the Brickyard in 2004 at the age of 16. He began his career competing
in karting events at the Ocala (Fla.) Gran Prix. Andersen Racing's karting team
is competing there this weekend, while its Star Mazda squad was racing at
Sebring on Friday too.
Andersen Racing offers one of the most comprehensive driver development
programs available anywhere, with programs in karting, Formula BMW Americas, Star
Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights. It is the development team of Rahal Letterman
Racing.
"We are very pleased to enter into a driver development deal with one of
America's brightest open-wheel stars, Jonathan Summerton," said RLR/Andersen
Racing co-owner Dan Andersen. "His talent is recognized by many of us in the
open-wheel community, and it is our great pleasure to have him as part of our 2009
Firestone Indy Lights lineup. We expect great things from him, beginning at
St. Pete."
"We have had Jonathan on our radar for the last few years, as he has not only
shown talent behind the wheel, but also the desire to continue improving and
learning," said Bobby Rahal of Rahal Letterman Racing. "We believe Jonathan
has the talent to continue progressing toward the top of the sport, and we are
pleased to have him as part of RLR/Andersen Racing."
Summerton has already tested with RLR/Andersen Racing twice; once at Sebring
and once on the road course at Homestead, Fla. He'll participate in a private
test at Kentucky Speedway on Monday in preparation for his Firestone Indy
Lights oval test at that track on Tuesday.
Summerton's teammate on the RLR/Andersen squad is Mario Romancini, a native
of Sao Paulo, Brazil currently living in Miami.
"I'm very excited!" Summerton said. "I've tested with the team twice now,
and I know it's a very good, very professional team. I appreciate all the faith
that Dan Andersen has given me.
"I'm really looking forward to St. Pete," he continued. "Street circuits are
always fun. You have to push the limit when racing on a street circuit. If
you push too far you're done, but I like the risk.
"I unofficially broke the road course track record at the Homestead test, but
I've never driven on an oval before so I'm looking forward to testing at
Kentucky," he added. "I was also impressed with Mario, my new teammate. He was
friendly and he's a talented driver. At the oval test at Homestead he was in
the top five even though he'd never driven on an oval before either, which gave
me even more confidence in Mario as a driver and in the whole team in
general. I really hope I'll be able to do the entire Firestone Indy Lights season
with RLR/Andersen Racing."
All Firestone Indy Lights races are scheduled to be broadcast on the VERSUS
network this year.
Andersen Racing's Web site is located at andersenracingteam.com. Information
on the team's 1-mile road course test track at its headquarters in Palmetto,
Fla. can be found on line at andersenracepark.com. Summerton's Web site is at
jonathansummerton.com. Information on Firestone Indy Lights can be found on
line at indycar.com/lights.
RLR/Andersen Racing is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp. and
Lafarge North America.
About Allied Building Products Corp.:
Allied Building Products Corp., headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J., is
one of the largest roofing and siding distributors in the United States. Founded
in 1950 with five employees and two trucks, today it is a $1.8 billion
building material distribution company with over 3,500 employees, more than 200
branches in 30 states, well over one million square feet of office and warehouse
space, and an inventory of approximately 85,000 products, from residential
roofing and siding to doors, windows, waterproofing, manufactured stone, interior
products and commercial roofing systems. For more information see
alliedbuilding.com.
About the Lafarge Group:
The Lafarge Group is the world leader in building materials, with top-ranking
positions in all of its businesses: cement, aggregates, and concrete and
gypsum. With 90,000 employees in 76 countries, the Group posted sales of 17.6
billion Euros and net income of 1.9 billion Euros in 2007. Lafarge North America
Inc. ("Lafarge North America" or "Lafarge"), a Lafarge Group company, is the
largest diversified supplier of construction materials in the United States and
Canada.
The Lafarge Group is the only company in the construction materials sector to
be listed in the 2008 "Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the
World." With the world's leading building materials research facility, the Lafarge
Group places innovation at the heart of its priorities, working for sustainable
construction and architectural creativity. For more information about Lafarge
North America, go to lafarge-na.com.
About Andersen Racing:
Andersen Racing strives to provide the best and most comprehensive training
possible for future open-wheel superstars while giving its marketing partners
media exposure and hospitality opportunities at some of the most prestigious
events in North America. It provides a unique, four-step program utilizing
multiple entries in four different platforms: karting, Formula BMW Americas, Star
Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights (televised on VERSUS). In 2008 it fielded
multiple entries in 42 races in 18 states and provinces at some of the best
facilities on the continent, including the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Andersen Racing won the team championship for 2008 for both the F2000
Championship Series presented by Hoosier Racing Tire and the Star Mazda Championship
presented by Goodyear. Two of its drivers finished first and second in the
F2000 driver point standings, while another was sixth. Three of its Star Mazda
drivers placed third, fifth and sixth in that series' driver standings.
RLR/Andersen Racing finished sixth in the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights team standings,
while one of its drivers placed fifth in that series' driver point standings.
Andersen Racing's principals, brothers Dan and John Andersen, have extensive
experience in series administration as well as team management. They've worked
with many of today's top open-wheel stars, including several Indy 500
winners.
Andersen Racing is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp. and Lafarge
North America. It is the official development team of Rahal Letterman Racing,
which competes in the IndyCar Series and the American Le Mans Series. The team
is headquartered at Andersen RacePark, an 18-acre facility in Palmetto, Fla.
that includes a 1-mile road course test track. For more information see
andersenracingteam.com and andersenracepark.com.