In 1960, Summers had a successful season racing a Lotus 15 sports car prepared by Terry Bartram,[2] and for the following season, he and Bartram decided to enter Formula One with a new Cooper T53, chassis number F1-8-61.

[3] At the season opener, the non-Championship Lombank Trophy, 24-year-old Summers qualified tenth of the 14 runners, and finished eighth and last.

Travelling to Europe for the next two races, he was refused a start at the 1961 Brussels Grand Prix despite posting the 12th fastest time in qualifying, but started from the front row at the Vienna Grand Prix.

Returning to the UK, Summers entered the Aintree 200, qualifying 13th of 28 starters, and finishing 12th.

However, during practice in the rain for the Silver City Trophy race at Brands Hatch, Summers was killed when he spun at Paddock Hill Bend and crashed into a concrete wall at the pit tunnel entrance.