By: Tanner Watkins
February 8, 2019 | 9:30 AM
The USF2000 grid continues to expand as the 2019 season draws nearer. Moving on from the U.S. Formula 4 Series, Christian Rasmussen will dip his toe in the Road to Indy waters driving a Tatuus USF-17 machine for Jay Howard Driver Development.
“I like it very much over here, and Jay (Howard) and his team is the right place for me to grow as a race driver. Both mentally and technically,” said Rasmussen. “Taking this next step will be very exciting. We (are looking) at eight race weekends with 15 rounds – and a lot of testing in between – so I should get to know the car very well.”
Rasmussen and company will hit the track in this new role for the first time on March 2 for an official Road to Indy test at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The two-day test will serve as a primer for the season-opening weekend on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida the next weekend.
Team owner and veteran Indianapolis 500 participant Jay Howard will oversee Rasmussen’s development and coach the young prospect through his first full season in the Road to Indy. Howard is excited to see what the young driver from Denmark can do.
“Christian has proven that he has what it takes to reach the top. First and foremost, he is a winner,” exclaims Howard. “Besides that, he has a great personality, and has proven to be a really good teammate.
“Christian is the kind of driver that always try hard to improve, and he drives the car to the limit to try and get the maximum out of the car. I mean, everyone that saw him drive last year, will agree to that.
While ending up in the NTT IndyCar Series would be a positive result for Rasmussen, it is clear he isn’t limiting his options.
“Of course I am thrilled to get this opportunity – taking the first step towards INDYCAR – but it is not my main goal. I will go as far as I can in the single seater series, and if it ends up in INDYCAR, that would be great, but if not, there are so many other directions to go to,” Rasmussen explained.
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“Whatever I end up in – GT cars, endurance racing or other series – doesn’t matter that much as long as I can make a living of it.”
For Howard, he is a little more confident in Rasmussen’s ability to reach the pinnacle of North American open-wheel racing before moving onto those other career options.
“Of course, there is a long way to the top, but he has the potential to get there, and I am very confident that we have the team to get him there,” says Howard.
“2018 was a year with great results, and if it had not been for mechanical issues on the car, Christian could have become the champion. He is that good! We look very much forward to have him driving with us in 2019.”
Header image courtesy of Baker/Christian Rasmussen Racing.