Daniel Erickson is taking an enforced break from the F2000 Championship Series – but he’s determined to return before the end of the season.
With his funds stretched to the limit, and his US race team in the throes of moving to new premises, the Sydney driver put his 2010 campaign on hold until everything is set for another fully professional effort.
Last month, Erickson stunned the F2000 Championship Series regulars by qualifying on pole position for the opening two rounds at Virginia International Raceway.
It was Erickson’s first drive of an F2000 ‘slicks and wings’ openwheeler, and his first visit to the challenging 5.3km VIR road course.
In the first round he finished second by 0.213s after miss-timing the rolling start, and he held a commanding lead in the second round until three laps from the finish, when a spark plug lead on his Primus Racing Van Diemen RF04 worked loose, dropping him to 10th place (see April 11 news release).
“Naturally I’m disappointed not to have been at Road Atlanta last weekend, but even though I had just enough money for the trip there were good reasons to stay in Australia for a while,” Erickson said.
“First and foremost, Jon Baytos, who owns Primus Racing, is relocating the team and his family at the moment.
“Under the circumstances it would have been unfair to ask Jon to prepare the car and get everything organised for Road Atlanta.
“It also would have meant another last-minute rush for me to get there in time.
“I didn’t want to start testing on an unfamiliar racetrack only a few hours after flying halfway around the world, like at VIR.”
Erickson is optimistic that he can still be a frontrunner when he eventually returns to the F2000 Championship Series.
“I’m sure that Primus Racing is as keen as I am to pick up where we left off, only this time winning races as well as taking pole positions.
“It won’t be easy in such a competitive series, but after what we achieved first time out at VIR anything’s possible.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Erickson’s supporters can still enter his fundraising prize draws for a Formula Ford track day, a Ferrari road driving tour and a holiday in the NSW Snowy Mountains.
Details about the three draws, which have just 100 $20 tickets each, are on Erickson’s website www.danielerickson.com.au.
