April 10, 2011: F2000 Championship Series, rounds 1 & 2

Nathan is top rookie, second overall after USA series openers

A winner in his first USA race! Nathan stands on the top step of the podium after Round 1 of the F2000 Championship Series.
Photo by Dennis Valet.

Nathan Morcom is the top-placed rookie and second overall in the 2011 American F2000 Championship Series after the opening two rounds at Virginia International Raceway on April 9-10. Driving the Rondo Van Diemen, Nathan began in the best possible way with a sensational debut victory in Saturday's rain-affected race. He followed that with a remarkable charge from near the back of the field to finish eighth in Sunday's second round.

From being virtually unknown in American racing circles, Nathan emerged from the meeting as a serious contender in the county’s most competitive championship for up-and-coming openwheeler drivers.

ROUND 1

Nathan's first race on American soil was sensational, not only in terms of the result but how he achieved it. Like most of the 27 drivers in the field, he took the rollling start on dry 'slick' tyres despite the imminent threat of thunderstorms above the Alton venue.

The pivotal moment came during a full course caution period following a midfield pile-up at the first corner. Nathan, who started from third position, was ahead of the eight-car melee, but had to hold station behind the safety car while course workers cleared up the wreckage. When the rain inevitably began falling, the remaining drivers had two options: stay on dry tyres, and try to defend their high running positions against drivers who switched to 'wet' tyres until the finish; or change to ‘wet’ tyres, rejoin at the tail of the field, and try to catch and overtake the ‘dry’-tyred cars before the finish.

Several drivers took the 'wet' tyre option, and duly rejoined near the tail of the field, which was still cruising slowly behind the safety car. But Nathan resisted the temptation to change tyres, and quickly grabbed the lead when the race resumed on the now-saturated 5.3km racetrack.

With 'dry' tyres on his Rondo Van Diemen, Nathan Morcom splashes to victory at Virginia International Raceway. Photo by Dennis Valet.

With minimal traction at his disposal, he drove with skill and daring to open a gap to his immediate slick-shod rivals. The drivers on ‘wet’ tyres were clawing back the deficit hand-over-fist, but with lightning strikes in the vicinity race officials aborted the race after six laps to allow track marshals to seek refuge from the storm.

Nathan crossed the finish line just over four seconds clear of Venezuelan Robert La Rocca and American Chris Livengood, the first of the drivers using ‘wet’ tyres. It was surprise win in more ways than one, but a well-deserved one nonetheless.

“We took a gamble staying on slicks, and it was absolutely radical driving on them in the rain,” Nathan said after the race. “But winning at my first start in America is just awesome – I’m over the moon!”

ROUND 2

Nathan qualified a disappointing sixth for the second round after a slower driver baulked him badly during his quickest lap. His race prospects took a further dive when he was forced wide off the track at the first corner. Struggling for traction on the soggy outfield, he was among the backmarkers by the time he rejoined the circuit.

But he charged back into the top 10 by the halfway mark of the 14-lap, 74km race, and a top-three finish didn't look out of the question. Then his engine began to overheat, forcing him to short-shift to get the stricken car to the finish.

Despite the mechanical handicap, Nathan held onto eighth place station until the chequered flag, which had greeted Canadian race winner Remy Audette 37 seconds earlier.

Nathan's 75-point haul from the two rounds ranked him as the top rookie and and second outright in the F2000 Championship Series pointscore, only 14 points behind Audette.

“Another driver 'fed me a wheel' at the first corner, which left me no option but to run wide off the circuit," Nathan said. "The rain yesterday had made the grass so slippery that it took me forever to get back onto the track, which put me down to about 20th. After that I just concentrated on finishing the race and scoring as many points as possible.

“It was disappointing not to have a chance of going for a second win, but I’ve come away from the weekend as the top rookie and second in the pointscore, which isn’t too bad,” he said.

The next two rounds of the 14-round F2000 Championship Series will be on May 6-7 at Road Atlanta in Georgia.