“There was a misunderstanding about the USF2000 license requirements, which are aligned with the Indy Car rules and therefore different from the F2000 Championship Series that I contested last year.” a disappointed Erickson said.

“The USF2000 medical check includes a blood test as part of IndyCars’ Substance Abuse Policy. That takes a minimum of two weeks, which wouldn’t have given me enough time for me get a license in time for Sebring and possibly the next two rounds at St Petersburg the following weekend.

“Missing two rounds, let alone four, would have made achieving my aim of winning the series a tall order, because all USF2000 rounds count – unlike F2000CS, which allows you to drop your worst two rounds

“After discussing the issue with Jon Baytos of Primus Racing, which would have been my team again this year, we decided that it was in our best interests to withdraw from USF2000 and focus our time and energy elsewhere,” Erickson said.