The Ladder Report: Apr. 12 Edition

It's time to play catch-up on some of the latest junior formula news.  In this week's edition I will recap the latest driver signings, publish my F2000 Championship preview, and summarize all the rest.  As always, I hope you enjoy.

Make the jump for all the details...

Ashley Freiberg Becomes First Female to Win a Skip Barber Championship- Homer Glen, Illinois resident Ashley Freiberg became the first female driver to win a Skip Barber championship this past weekend by claiming the overall title in the Southern Regional Race Series.  For those wondering, you can also watch her in the National Championship where she is competing in her second full season. She has done a nice job developing her craft and has really taken her time doing so - which is nice to see for a change. 

USF2000 National Championship

USF2000 National Championship Adds Exhibition Round at Laguna Seca- The USF2000 National Championship officials have added an exhibition round (non-points) to the current schedule.  The event will be held in late-May with the competitors running in front of the ALMS teams and fans.  The Star Mazda Championship will also be competing that weekend, which should make for a pretty exciting weekend for anyone in Monterey, California.

F2000 Championship Series

Season Preview: F2000 Championship- As promised, here is the link to my F2000 Championship Series preview.  The 2010 championship got underway this past weekend at Virginia International Raceway with Brazilian Victor Carbone taking the win in Race 1 and American Cole Morgan claiming the top-spot in Race 2. In case you missed any of the other season previews and want to catch up, you can do so here.

Tim Kautz Signs with Liberty Motorsports- Multi-time SCCA Champion Tim Kautz signed with Liberty Motorsports just prior to the F2000 Championship season opener.  He finished 14th in Race 1 and 8th in Race 2.  He qualified inside to top-ten in a 30+ car field during both sessions. 

Daniel Erickson Signs with Primus Racing- Australian driver Daniel Erickson was another late addition to the VIR entry list.  The 22-year-old driver was originally planning to compete in Star Mazda but was unable to secure adequate funding prior to the start of the season.  Jon Baytos, of Primus Racing, decided to give Erickson a one-off opportunity in the F2000 Championship  this past weekend.  Erickson was extremely impressive in his debut, grabbing the pole position in both qualifying sessions.  A misfiring engine cost him a near 3-second lead in Sunday's race relegating him back to 10th.  It remains to be seen if he will return for the next round. 

Indy Lights

Joel Miller Planning a One-Off at Long Beach- American Joel Miller has signed with Andersen Racing for the Long Beach Indy Lights race.  It's great to see Joel back in a race car and I'm hopeful that he will be able to come up with enough funding to run some more races this season. 

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