Nathan aims for podium double in Georgia
 race - Nathan Morcom [Valet 2117; cropped; enhanced; 1000x680].jpg)
After his sensational debut win in Virginia,
Nathan Morcom is aiming for top-three results in the third and fourth rounds at
Road Atlanta.
Photo by Dennis Valet.
Nathan Morcom was an unknown quantity before the opening two rounds of the 2011 F2000 Championship Series at Virginia International Raceway last month – but it will be a different story at rounds three and four at Road Atlanta next weekend.
Nathan stunned everyone involved in the ultra-competitive American ‘development’ openwheel series by winning the rain-affected first round. It was the 19 year-old Sydney driver’s first F2000 race, and his first race meeting at the high-speed 5.3km VIR road course!
His decision to keep his Rondo Van Diemen on slick tyres after a thunderstorm arrived during an early safety car period raised eyebrows along the VIR pitlane, especially when several front runners changed to treaded wet-weather tyres. But his gamble paid off when officials red-flagged the race as a safety precaution before the wet-tyred drivers could recover their lost ground.
Nathan put in an equally impressive performance in the second round, when he charged from the tail of the field after a first-corner incident to finish eighth. He probably would have wound up several positions higher if not for an overheating engine that slowed his pace at half-distance.
“If anyone had told me before VIR that I would win one of the races, I’d have thought they were joking,” Nathan said. “I couldn’t do much pre-season testing because of the heavy snow in north-eastern America during the early months of the year, so I wasn’t expecting great things in a new car on a new circuit.
“I was relieved to be close to the pace during practice, but a podium looked unlikely after I couldn’t find a clear lap in qualifying. When it started raining during the first race, I decided that my best chance was to try to hang on with dry tyres – I’ve driven wet races in karts on slicks, so I it wasn’t a totally unfamiliar situation. I was lucky that the officials stopped the race when they did, though, because the guys on wet tyres would have caught me on the next lap for sure!“
"In the second race, another driver fed me a wheel in the first corner so there wasn’t much I could do except drive off the track. I was disappointed when my engine started overheating at half-distance, but happy with how I managed to come back through the field up to that point.”
Heading into Road Atlanta as the leading rookie and second overall in the pointscore, Nathan has his sights set firmly on top-three results in both races.
“I’m approaching next weekend with more confidence than at VIR, because at least now I have some experience racing an F2000,” he said. "Of course, driving at Road Atlanta for the first time, and with only one practice day instead of the two at VIR, puts more pressure on me to get on the pace quickly. But there’ll be no excuses – other drivers will be in the same situation.
“If I have better luck with traffic in qualifying than last time, I’m confident of starting on one of the first two rows in both races. My goal for the race meeting is two podium finishes, but I’ll go for wins if they’re possible,” he said.
F2000 CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES, ROUNDS 3 & 4
Road Atlanta (4.09km/2.54 miles) – Braselton, Georgia
PROVISIONAL TIMETABLE
Thursday, April May 5
11:00-11:45 USA Eastern Daylight Saving Time (01:00-01:45 Friday, Australian Eastern Standard Time) – test session
14:30-15:15 USA Eastern Daylight Saving Time (04:30-05:15 Friday, Australian Eastern Standard Time) – test session
17:20-17:50 USA Eastern Daylight Saving Time (07:20-07:50 Friday, Australian Eastern Standard Time) – test session
Friday, May 6
08:10-08:40 USA Eastern Daylight Saving Time (22:10-22:40 Friday, Australian Eastern Standard Time) – practice session
11:00-11:30 USA Eastern Daylight Saving Time (01:00-01:30 Saturday, Australian Eastern Standard Time) – Round 3 qualifying
14:15-14:45 USA Eastern Daylight Saving Time (04:15-04:45 Saturday, Australian Eastern Standard Time) – Round 3 race
Saturday, May 7
08:00-08:30 USA Eastern Daylight Saving Time (22:00-22:30 Saturday, Australian Eastern Standard Time) – practice session
10:30-11:00 USA Eastern Daylight Saving Time (00:30-01:00 Sunday, Australian Eastern Standard Time) – Round 4 qualifying
13:00-13:30 USA Eastern Daylight Saving Time (03:00-03:30 Sunday, Australian Eastern Standard Time) – Round 4 race
Follow Nathan's progress on Saturday and Sunday 'live' via the F2000 Championship Series Twitter page.
POINTSCORE AFTER 2 OF 14 ROUNDS
1. Reme Audette (CAN) 89
2. Nathan Morcom* (AUS) 75
3. Robert La Rocca* (VEN) 73
* Rookie
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