#BrickyardGP #DamienFaulkner #IMSA #Porsche
After finishing 4th in Canada’s Mosport Grand Prix this month, Donegal Porsche driver, Damien Faulkner is confident about his team’s performance in this Friday’s Brickyard Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, in the US.
“We’re obviously looking forward to Indy coming off a strong result in Canada,” says Faulkner, speaking also on behalf of his team Global Barista (GB) Autosport. “We made the breakthrough there that we were striving for. Believe it or not, we now know mentally, as a team, how to achieve a good result. That will make a big difference to us as a new team…..and I should point out that we had no yellows in Canada – that was pure pace.”
The Brickyard Grand Prix is a 2 hours 45 minute race, which starts at 5.30pm (EDT) – that’s 10.30pm Irish time this Friday 25th July – on a 2.435 mile circuit. “Indy is a different circuit – more smooth, maybe a little less challenging, but still technical,” says Faulkner.
“I drove here first when I was the F1 Safety Car driver in the US Grand Prix of 2002. And last year I did a Grand-Am event, but didn’t physically race when the car was crashed before my stint. So, I know it well. We have a new driver in the team in Matt Bell so I’m looking forward to working with him. The podium is our next target, our next objective and I believe we have the tools in place to make it happen”
Faulkner knows what he’s talking about when it comes to winning, with a string of achievements over a career of almost 20 years. One of the world’s finest Porsche drivers, Faulkner is a two-time Porsche Carrera GB Champion (2005-2006), two-time Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Vice-Champion (2007-2008) and the winner of his first American Le Mans race at the 2011 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Practice for all classes in USC Championship starts in Indianapolis on the morning of Thursday 24th July, with qualifying that afternoon. The 165-minute race is set to go green on Friday 25th July at 10.30pm Irish time. Viewers at home can catch live coverage on Motors Sports TV UK (Sky 447) and the race will also be streamed live on imsa.com <http://imsa.com> . Look out for GB Autosport in car No. 81, the Tully’s Coffee Porsche 911 GT America competing in the GT Daytona class.