Darren Manning signed with A.J. Foyt to drive the No 14 ABC Supply Dallara/Honda in what will be a comeback season for Manning and a signature season for Foyt who is celebrating his 50th anniversary in Indy Car racing.

“I’m excited about returning to the IRL with A.J.’s team,” said Manning, who hails from North Yorkshire, England but lives in Indianapolis. “Now everyone is running the same engines and mostly the same chassis so the playing field is more equal. Plus, I have a lot of respect for A.J., and his team is putting a lot of effort into making this year one of their best. I think I can bring some good things to this team.”

“I liked what I saw in him when he raced for Chip,” said Foyt. “Darren’s got talent and he’s got an upbeat personality. He reminds me of Kenny Brack and we had a lot of success with Kenny. I feel we can win with Darren too.”

Manning is looking forward to working with the man who still holds the Indy car records for winning the most races (67) and championships (7).

“I can hopefully speak to him—well, nowhere near ton the same level but somewhere close to it, because we’ve got things in common. I can see a lot of people being overawed by him—I could spend hours talking to him about his past and his history. I’ve got a lot of time for that because I can learn from him—little bits that I’ll glean. We can communicate which is what racing’s all about.”

Manning’s goals reflect a practical approach to the season: “Finish every race on the lead lap and get consistently in the top ten.”

He is confident that this year can be a good one for him and Foyt’s ABC Supply Racing team, especially with the addition of two more road courses.

“I’m really looking forward to the road courses,” said Manning. “There’s no reason why we can’t get a good set up on the car because that’s all road courses are, all set-up and driving and I know I can drive the thing if we can get a good car. I know what I want to go better, we just have to work it out…my aspirations are to win those babies.”

Manning caught Foyt’s eye while he was driving for Chip Ganassi in 2004. Manning had scored four top-five finishes and eight top-ten finishes in his rookie season with Ganassi. In 2005, the team had expanded to three cars and it went winless for the second straight year. But it was Manning who had shown brightest, managing to post five top-tens in what turned out to be an abbreviated season for the affable Briton.

Manning is focused clearly on the future but to understand his drive, one needs to understand his past.

The talent that earned Manning a seat with the defending IRL champions in 2004 and with Foyt’s team in 2007 was honed on road courses around the world.

Manning began his career racing go-karts for fun at age nine, but by age 14 he was traveling around Europe. His talent had quickly taken him from a hobby to a career. By 18 he was runner-up in the British Formula Vauxhall Series and a finalist for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Driver of the Year Award.

But it didn’t come without a price. To find the funding in those early years, his family sold their house. It is a debt which Manning plans to repay this year.
“I lived on the sofas of friends and friends of the family, and then in a spare room on a little put-me-up for a couple of years. I was instructing at Silverstone for a 100 pounds a day and all that money went straight into racing,” Manning revealed. “I’ve slept on floors and had no money for a long time so nothing can get me down, I’ve been everywhere—I’ve been down there.”

After two more years in the Formula Vauxhall series where he compiled 14 podium finishes and three poles, Manning moved up to the tough British Formula 3 Series. A good year in 1996 when he won his first race was followed by a year of struggles in 1997 when a different rules package made their cars obsolete. He was sitting on the sidelines going into 1998 and he earned money by continuing to instruct at the Silverstone Circuit. Midway through the season, he drove four races for the Speedsport team and won two races.

That performance earned him a full season ride in the All Japan Formula 3 Series in 1999. Manning seized that opportunity winning the six races and the championship. He capped off the season by winning the Macau F3 Grand Prix, an invitational race for all top performers in the Formula 3 Series from around the world.

Manning won the race, the pole and set the fastest lap in the race. The last driver to achieve that hat trick was Ayrton Senna in 1983. Manning won an extra $100,000 bonus when he swept the card again a week later at the inaugural Korean F3 Grand Prix.

“That was it, Formula 1 was knocking then,” Manning recalls. “I was talking to Frank Williams [title winning team owner of the Britain-based Williams team] and to BAR (British American Racing) Honda to be their test driver. And the Arden F-3000 team was talking to me as well. Everyone was after me.”

Manning decided to go with the BAR Honda team’s offer and he competed in the FIA International F3000 Series for Team Arden finishing in the top-10 in 2000 and 2001. Those heady times didn’t last however because in 2002, Manning was looking for a job once again.

It came towards the end of the season as a publicity stunt for the CART Champ Car Series race on the oval track in Rockingham, England. He drove for Team St. George in a car fielded by Dale Coyne. The plucky Brit led 18 laps and finished ninth in his oval track debut. That drive earned him a full season ride with Derrick Walker’s team in 2003. He finished ninth in the series with a best finish of second coming in the season finale in Australia.

Manning approaches this season with the same drive that saw him grow as kid racing go-karts in his hometown in northern England into a winning international race driver. His story is reminiscent of another kid who hailed from modest beginnings but grew up to become an American racing icon.

When asked what he admired most in others, he paused to reflect before saying, “It’s different things in different people. I admire A.J.’s passion and Scott’s [Dixon, former teammate] coolness. I think probably kindness. You know I’ve had a lot of cruelty—not through one person—motor racing is cruel a lot of the time. I love giving fans just a bit of time when you don’t have to. Compassion is probably what I mean. Doing something that you don’t have to do and giving somebody a bit of joy from it. I like that.”
 

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2006
● A1GP World Cup of Motorsport – Debuted for A1 Team GBR in Round 11 in China Scored second place podium finish in Sprint debut in April 2006

2005
● Made 10 starts for Target Chip Ganassi Racing with best finish of sixth at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
● Recorded five top-10 finishes.
● Matched career-best start of fifth at Kansas.
● Led three laps at inaugural races on streets of St. Petersburg (Fla.).

2004
● Finished 11th in IndyCar Series standings for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
● Led at least two laps in each of first three races. Led four races for a total of 12 laps.
● Recorded first of eight top-10 finishes at Phoenix.
● Recorded best finish of fourth at Motegi, Nashville and Pikes Peak.
● Missed final two races of season after crashing during qualifying at California.

2003
● Finished ninth in CART standings for Walker Racing.
● Recorded three top-five finishes, including season-best second in Australia.
● Announced as driver for Target Chip Ganassi Racing on Nov. 5.

2002
● Served as test driver for BAR Formula One team.
● Made CART debut at Rockingham, England. Led 18 laps en route to a ninth-place finish.

2001
● Finished 10^th in FIA International F3000 Championship with Team Arden.
● Served as test driver for BAR Formula One team.

2000
● Finished eighth in FIA International F3000 Championship with Team Arden.
● Served as test driver for BAR Formula One team.

1999
● Won All Japan F3 Championship, recording six consecutive victories.
● Led every lap en route to a victory in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix event.

1998
● Drove part-time in British F3, winning at Silverstone and Snetterton.

1997
● Participated in British F3 Championship.

1996
● Finished seventh in British F3 Championship and won at Silverstone.

1994-95
● Competed in Formula Vauxhall, earning 14 podium finishes and three pole positions.

1993
● Finished second in Formula Vauxhall Championship with two wins.
● Finalist for McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award.

Early Career
● Began at age 10 in karting, competing in British and International events. Moved to cars at 17 and finished second in Brands Hatch Formula First Winter Series, winning two races.