Exuberant and confident about 2008, Darren Manning returns to drive A.J. Foyt’s No 14 ABC Supply Dallara/Honda in the IndyCar Series. Manning is capitalizing on what was learned in his first season of driving for the open wheel legend.

“Last year we came away most weekends wishing we could start the weekend over because we had learned so much about the car and what I want in a car,” said Manning. “With the compressed schedule, we were doing most of our development work on race weekends.

“We now have a baseline to work from for all of the tracks which will help tremendously. Last year was my first year working with A.J. and driving the Dallara chassis with Honda power. There was a lot that had to be learned: A.J. learning what I want, me learning how the Dallara reacts to changes and then the overall communication within the crew. We did learn but the process affected our consistency. I look for all of that to change for the better this year.”

In 2007, Manning and the ABC Supply team earned five top-10 finishes and two top-5 finishes with a best finish of fourth in the Series’ penultimate race of the season at Detroit. That performance matched Manning’s IRL career best as did his fifth place start in the Honda Grand Prix at St. Petersburg.

Manning’s upbeat personality was a hit with the team’s primary sponsor, ABC Supply Co. inc. which entertains anywhere from 60 to 1500 guests on a race weekend.

For his part, Manning appreciated having a sponsor who knew their way around the track, literally and figuratively.

“ABC Supply was great to work with because they really seem to have fun at the track,” said Manning. “As a company, they are very knowledgeable about racing and they understand how to make race weekends a memorable experience for their guests. At the same time, they understand the driver’s commitments and focus on a race weekend. When I did show my face, we all enjoyed the time together. They have figured out how to stay close to the action but also give the driver the space he needs so he can focus on the race. As a driver, I can’t tell you how important that is.”

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 championship team 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 weekend hobby to a life-changing 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 repaid in 2007.

“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.”