It’s not altogether unusual for drivers to make a single appearance in a series and then disappear off to try their luck elsewhere. But it’s far less common to see a driver make a series of one-off appearances over a number of years, sufficiently talented to be repeatedly asked back, but without it ever leading to anything more.
Such a scenario befell Fredrik Ekblom in IndyCar, although his thwarted efforts to become a fixture on the grid weren’t for a lack of trying. The Swede made three appearances in as many years between 1994 and 1996, each time for a different team, before heading back to Europe for a successful career in touring cars that yielded three domestic titles and four further runner-up finishes.
