Damien Faulkner (born 15 February 1977) is an Irish race car driver from
Moville
Moville (; ) is a coastal town located on the Inishowen Peninsula of County Donegal, Ireland, close to the northern tip of the island of Ireland. It is the first coastal town of the Wild Atlantic Way when starting on the northern end.
Location
...
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...
. Beginning his professional career in
Formula Vauxhall
In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwee ...
Junior in 1995, he competed in the
Formula Ford
Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula For ...
Festival in 1996 and finished 11th. He finished in 3rd place in Vauxhall Junior in 1997 and moved to
Formula Palmer Audi
Formula Palmer Audi, officially abbreviated to FPA, and sometimes informally abbreviated to Palmer Audi, was a one-make class of open wheel Formula racing founded in 1998 by former Formula One driver, Jonathan Palmer. It was based in the United ...
in 1998 where he finished sixth and third in series points in his first two seasons. At the end of 1999 he had his first taste of F3000 when he tested for Arden as part of his prize for finishing third in Palmer Audi.
In 2000 Faulkner dominated the new European Formula Palmer Audi series taking 6 wins on his way to the title. His prize for winning the series assisted him in finding a seat in the American Champ Car feeder series
Indy Lights
Indy NXT, previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as Firestone Indy NXT Series for sponsorship reasons. Indy Lights is the highest step on the Road to Indy, a program ...
for 2001. In the series' final season he drove for Dorricott Racing, capturing 2 wins on his way to third place in series points. A return home to
Mondello Park
Mondello Park is Ireland's only international motorsport venue and is located in Caragh, County Kildare off the R409 regional road, approximately from Dublin city centre.
History
The Mondello Park short circuit was designed on farmland ne ...
during the season also saw him win his class in a one-off FIA Sportscar Championship race.
Faulkner returned to Europe in 2002 and competed in a partial season in the
Formula Nissan
In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwee ...
World Series. With nothing on the horizon for 2003 Faulkner's career was rescued by a dominant performance as a guest driver in the BTCC supporting Porsche Carrera Cup GB, again at his home circuit, Mondello Park. This drive led to a
Porsche Supercup
The Porsche Supercup (officially known as Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, known as Porsche Michelin Supercup prior to 2007) is an international one-make sports car racing series supporting the FIA Formula One World Championship organized by Porsche ...
guest appearance and an invite to again compete at Mondello in 2004. A further strong drive secured a seat for the remainder of the season with Team SAS and Faulkner went on to take the team's first race win before the season's end. Two more years with the team brought two championship victories and a graduation in 2007 to the Porsche Supercup.
A successful debut Supercup season yielded two wins and second in the championship with the title fight going right down to the final race of the season. 2007's performances have put Faulkner firmly back on the map as he heads into a second season in the Supercup with Walter Lechner Racing and has also received invites to two of the biggest pre-season events on the calendar, the Dubai 24hrs and
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layou ...
.
He drove the
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
medical car at the
2002 Malaysian Grand Prix
The 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 17 March 2002 at the Sepang International Circuit and was the second round of the 2002 Formula One season. The Grand Prix is notable for the first lap collision between William ...
and the
safety car at the
2002 United States Grand Prix
The 2002 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 29 September 2002 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.
Background
The race was noted as one of the rare times in which Bernd Mayländer was unable to drive th ...
.
Racing record
Complete Porsche Supercup results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position – 2 points awarded 2008 onwards in all races) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
† — Did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
‡ — Guest driver – Not eligible for points.
References
External links
Damien Faulkner official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faulkner, Damien
1977 births
Irish racing drivers
Sportspeople from County Donegal
Indy Lights drivers
Living people
Formula Palmer Audi drivers
American Le Mans Series drivers
24 Hours of Daytona drivers
Rolex Sports Car Series drivers
Porsche Supercup drivers
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers
Porsche Carrera Cup GB drivers
24H Series drivers
Walter Lechner Racing drivers
Murphy Prototypes drivers
European Le Mans Series drivers
Michelin Pilot Challenge drivers