Following on from my recent FF1600 piece, this weeks Video Of The week is some coverage of FF1600 action from the Dundalk Road Races and the Phoenix Park, with the late great Fionn Murray on top form!    

View post:
Classic FF1600 Action

I’ve been promising Leo that I’d write this piece for some time now – sorry Leo, but here goes.. I’m somewhere above Greenland on the way to Daytona Beach to kick off the 2013 season with the legendary Rolex Daytona 24. This will be my third attempt of this event. The first opportunity came in 2008 through a team called Synergy via my Porsche Supercup engineer Mario Prezel. A guy called Cole Scrogham owned the team. And, it’s funny how live works – all three of us worked together again in the American Le Mans Series last season with Green Hornet Racing. My second chance at Daytona came last year with TRG. Co-incidentally, this year I will drive in the American Le Mans Series with them. And, if you’re not already confused, I’m driving for Alex Job Racing at this weekend’s event! I enjoy racing in the US. I first came over here over ten years ago to race Indy Lights in 2001. Back then; I was still harbouring hopes of ultimate success in single-seaters. Despite a very successful season during which I finished third in the championship with two race victories my career stumbled. I eventually found my way into sportscar racing thanks to Fergus Brennan organising for me to drive the “guest” car for Porsche Cars GB in the first round of the British Carrera Cup Series. I won both races. One year later an Irishman by the name of Eddie Mc Elhinney hired me to drive for him in the same series. Eddie’s company SAS; was the largest sponsor in the category. We enjoyed tremendous success winning two championships (‘04/’05). This success propelled me towards the Porsche Supercup with the help of personal sponsors; Gerard Kelly and Derek Mc Mahon. This is one of the most hotly contested championships on the planet and it has a great platform with all races supporting Formula One around Europe, Bahrain, Turkey and Abu Dhabi. I did three seasons with the Lechner Team finishing as championship runner-up twice and winning four races. It was a great experience hearing the Irish National Anthem ring out from the F1 podium two hours before the Grand Prix. In 2011 I got a call from Jeroen Bleekemolen – my old nemesis from Supercup. He was in the US and asked if I could fill in for him for four races in the ALMS with Black Swan Racing. I duly took him up on his offer. My first race was the Sebring 12-hour. We had a great race and won it. My performances in 2011 lead to a full time seat last year with Green Hornet. That’s one of the beauties of racing in the US – merit still has some weight. I’ve moved on a bit from Greenland! Hopefully Orlando isn’t too far away now. I’m arriving a day early, as I like to acclimatise to the time difference. It’s still relatively cool for Florida so the heat isn’t too much of an issue. 24-hour races are physically tough and it’s imperative as a professional driver to be appropriately fit and healthy. Well fuelled and well watered. We have a great chance, on paper at least. You never know with 24-hour races how they will pan out, but I’m confident. I’m also looking forward to sharing the car with Jeroen Bleekemolen (who’s now a friend!), Porsche work’s driver Marco Holzer and Cooper Mac Neil. We are in the GT class in the number 23 WeatherTech sponsored white Porsche. Daytona is a great event and getting more competitive by the year. You can keep up to date by following me on Twitter @DamienFaulkner and/or Facebook. I hope to upload some short videos to my new website too: www.damienfaulkner.com

Here is the original post:
Damien Faulkner: The American Dream

In 2012 for the second year we were going to be driving the NI Radiator Services Mondiale 89s in the Northern Ireland Formula Ford 1600 Championship! From a very good end to the 2011 season we went into the new season feeling confident about the year ahead! It started well and in March at the first round we started the new season with a bang winning the opening race and breaking the Open outright Formula Ford lap record and the pre ’90 lap record. The second race off the day was a tight race but contact on last lap had me spinning off but came out finishing fourth and lowering the lap record again! April saw the first round of the James Beckett Superseries coming to Kirkistown and it was a great showing. Again our pace was there all weekend and in the final myself and Ivor McCullough got away from the pack but contact on the last lap through Debtors unfortunately ended both of our races that day.. May was a tough weekend with engine problems the whole weekend which made us unfortunately getting only three laps in qualifying put us a bit down the field. Fortunately we changed engine for the races and got third and a fourth place finishes bringing us out leading the championship. June was another good points weekend with two podiums taking us into the penultimate round at Mondello Park with a 16 point lead from Ivor McCullough! Mondello was the turning point when getting hit off in both the races when lying in podium finishing positions! From a decent points gap we then went into the final round at Kirkistown 14 points behind Noel Dunne and Ivor McCullough! Martin Donnelly was the next race in October and we had a poor run there finishing a distant second behind the dominant Mccullough.. We had major engine issues that weekend which we needed to get sorted for the festival! Jonny flies through the Chicane at Kirkistown. Photo: Raceline Photography Fortunately for us we got loan of an engine for the Walter Hayes and Festival and it paid off.. Festival started very well with an Irish 1-2-3 in the heat with me second- three thousands off pole! The heat started well and got off to a good start but unfortunately a backmarker got in the way and I hit him forcing my steering arm to bend and I went off at paddock! Nightmare! Everything sorted for the Sunday we started 22nd and by lap 6 we were up to 6th passing for 5th and contact happened between myself and a Canadian driver unfortunately ending both our weekends! Very frustrating weekend when the pace was most certainly there! Walter Hayes next and our luck continued after qualifying third in my heat and after lap four the crank broke inside and the engine blew! Engine change for Sunday and progression race we started 22nd and finished 4th, this got me into last chance starting 36th finishing 5th which got me into the semi final starting 36th and finished 18th and the final started 36th and finished 21st! Turned out to be an interesting weekend for us but very frustrating! Looking back now, it was a very frustrating year but we were fast enough to win the championship, but I just got to say a massive thanks for this year to my Dad, Mum, NI Radiator Services, the Dark Horse and John Harris. For now it’s not long to the start of the 2013 season and plenty of work is around the corner because a massive opportunity has came about for me to race in America for next year. Money is tight for everyone but I will be trying everything to get a seat next year out there. Jonny

Continue reading here:
Jonny McMullan: Hoping To Cross The Pond for 2013!

Bernie Ecclestone tells European F1 races to wake up and work hard to keep their places on the calendar in future

Crash.Net Formula One Newsfeed

Bernie Ecclestone tells European F1 races to wake up and work hard to keep their places on the calendar in future

Crash.Net Motorsports Newsfeed