Damien Faulkner
Encyclopedia
Damien Faulkner is an Irish
race car driver from County Donegal
. Beginning his professional career in Formula Vauxhall Junior in 1995, he competed in the Formula Ford
Festival in 1996 and finished 11th. He finished in 3rd place in Vauxhall Junior in 1997 and moved to Formula Palmer Audi
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 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
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 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
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 teams first race win before the seasons 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
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
race car driver from County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
. Beginning his professional career in Formula Vauxhall Junior in 1995, he competed in the Formula Ford
Formula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
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
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 Kingdom , and was organised and operated by MotorSport...
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 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
Mondello Park is Ireland's only international motorsport venue located in Caragh, County Kildare off the R409 regional road. It is owned by Martin Birrane, and in the past hosted the Irish round of the British Superbike Championship, Pickup Truck Racing and international GT and rallycross events...
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 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
Porsche Supercup
The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is the international motor racing series supporting the FIA Formula One World Championship organized by Porsche AG....
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 teams first race win before the seasons 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
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 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 a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
.