Nathan aims for the top in 2012 F2000 Championship Series
 part 1 - Nathan Morcom (DPO-Rondo RFR) low-res.jpg)
Nothing less than podiums will satisfy Nathan in his second F2000 Championship Series campaign.
Nathan Morcom has confirmed that he will contest this year’s F2000 Championship Series in the USA. It will be the 19 year-old Sydney driver’s second campaign in the ‘development’ openwheeler series, which will run over seven double-header rounds from April until October.
As in 2011, Nathan will team with Primus Racing with backing from building materials suppliers Direct Plasterboard Outlet and Rondo, and motorsport fashion brand Racer Inc. His car will be the current model Ralph Firman-designed RFR chassis that he drove in last year’s final round at Watkins Glen.
Nathan is aiming for the top in the 2012 series after placing eighth overall in his rookie season. He made a big first impression last year by winning the opening race, but after that a string of problems with Primus’s ageing Van Diemen chassis prevented him from repeating the performance. This year, with Primus boss Jon Baytos again engineering his car, he’s confident of being on the pace at every race weekend.
“It’s a whole new ball game this year as far as I’m concerned," he said. "Even though I didn’t get the opportunity to go for pole or win races a lot of the time last year, I drove enough laps to know that I can be competitive in the series.
"I already know five of the seven circuits from 2011, and the two new ones (Thunderbolt Raceway and Summit Point) will be new to most of the other drivers too. Ralph Firman has the best track record of anyone in Formula Ford/F2000, and Jon Baytos has forgotten more than most engineers will ever know about sorting a racing car.
"I’m sure that Jon's as determined as I am to put Primus Racing back on top in 2012."
Having watched experienced French-Canadian Remy Audette dominate last year’s F2000 Championship Series, Nathan is acutely aware that consistency is the key to finishing at the top of the pointscore.
"Remy finished high up in all 14 races, and after dropping his two worst results his lowest placing was fourth!” he said. "He did a great job, but he wasn’t under a lot of pressure because no-one challenged him all the way. I’m aiming for a podium result in every race – anything less will be disappointing."
Despite his lofty aspirations for the upcoming series, Nathan acknowledged that winning was likely to be even tougher than last year.
"The F2000 Championship Series is as competitive as any junior openwheel series around the world,” he said. “Last year there was an average of 26 cars in every race, but unlike a lot of ‘development’ series there are some fast experienced drivers who keep coming back every year. No-one will get an easy ride to the podium!"
Inbetween the 2011 and 2012 F2000 Championship Series, Nathan kept his hand in by winning the final round of the Australian Production Car Endurance Championship at Eastern Creek, NSW, in December. He and fellow young gun Chaz Mostert drove their Direct Plasterboard Outlet-Rondo Class B BMW 335i to an upset win over several Class A all-wheel drives in the six-hour enduro.
Last week Nathan flew to Primus Racing’s Ohio base to begin a thorough test program before the first F2000 Championship Series round at Virginia International Raceway on April 14-15.
BACKGROUND
F2000
F2000 is one of several 'junior development' openwheel motor racing categories that provide training for young drivers, like Nathan Morcom, who are aiming to make a career in top-level motorsport – Formula 1, IndyCars, Le Mans sports cars, GTs, NASCAR, V8 Supercars, etc. It's a development of Formula Ford (known in the USA as 'F1600' or 'Formula F'), which has been the mainstay of entry-level openwheeler competition worldwide for some 40 years.
The basic specifications of F2000 and Formula Ford are similar:
- Tubular steel ‘spaceframe’ chassis.
- Naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine.
- Four-speed 'H-pattern' manual gearbox.
- ‘Open’ differential.
But F2000s are significantly faster than Formula Fords:
- More power – 2.0 litre vs 1.6 litre engine.
- More aerodynamic downforce – front and rear aerofoil 'wings' and a rear undertray 'diffuser', which are banned in Formula Ford.
- More traction – wider tyres.
Over the years, F2000 has been a stepping-stone in the careers of countless motor racing champions, most notably Ayrton Senna, Johnny Herbert, Eddie Irvine (Formula 1), Jimmy Vasser, Dan Wheldon, Sam Hornish Jnr, Buddy Rice (IndyCars), Jason Bright and David Besnard (V8 Supercars). Currently the formula is strongest in the USA, where the strongest multi-State championship is the F2000 Championship Series that Nathan is contesting in 2012.
F2000 CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
The series runs exclusively on permanent road racing circuits in north-eastern USA, with sporadic forays into Canada. From year to year its itinerary ranges from ‘pro’ level car club race meetings up to high-profile fixtures headlined by IndyCars, American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am sports cars, and Trans Am touring cars.
Competitors turn up in consistently large numbers because the series is contained within a compact geographic region, has effective cost control measures, and allows a generous amount of track time.This year’s schedule includes classic venues such as Watkins Glen, Road Atlanta, Mid-Ohio and Virginia International Raceway (see details below).
2012 Calendar
1. Apr. 12-15 Virginia international Raceway (Virginia)
2. May 10-12 Road Atlanta (Georgia)
3. May 25-26 Lime Rock Park (Connecticut)
4. June 28-
July 1 Thunderbolt Raceway (New Jersey)
5. July 26-29 Mid-Ohio (Ohio)
6. Aug. 24-26 Summit point (West Virginia)
7. Oct. 12-14 Watkins Glen (New York)
