Damien Faulkner Q&A

"I had a two-year contract with the Dorricott team, but that was for Indy Lights. With the demise of the series, that agreement also came to an end. The team moved to Formula Atlantic and they did offer me a fantastic deal to do it. But it was still for a figure I couldn't meet. So I withdrew - my hands were tied. It was the only decision I could have made."



"It was definitely an experience. I won two races, and those two were both in my first five races in Lights. If I'd carried on like that it would have been an even better year. But away from the track it was more difficult. I ran out of money four times last year. I had absolutely nothing. The last time I had to borrow money from the bank. The team was high-profile, but not many people knew how difficult a year it was for me personally. I was living in a small place in a small city. It was no comparison to 2000 when I won the Formula Palmer Audi championship. That was the first year in my career that I knew I would be able to finish the season. I was much more comfortable and that showed in my results."



"The difference from 2000 and last year was that in FPA I was relaxed and confident. I couldn't be that way last year. That's why Formula 1 drivers employ people to take responsibility for them. You don't see anyone at the top of any sport handling their own affairs. So in one way I was happy to get last year over with, but it was still a great experience."



"Yes, I got lots of good feedback - e-mails, messages and so on. I was actually surprised by it. I think part of it was because I won my third Lights race, which was on an oval too, and part of it was because of the Kansas race where I finished second to Kristian Kolby by 1000th of a second."



"Well I haven't got a drive and I'd prefer to be racing, even in the circumstances I was in last year. I've shown I can perform even when life is not 100 percent perfect - although Dorricott were always fantastic for me. The future at the moment is very uncertain. The main thing is that I want to maintain the level I have already reached. I don't want to take a step backward. That's why I did the first Dallara-Nissan World Series race at Valencia two weeks ago. I want to maintain my career at that level."



"Well, there is another new series in the US this year: the Infiniti Pro Series [the Indy Racing League's new junior category]. I'm talking to a team over there. But having started in Dallara-Nissan, I would like to continue, but it will be difficult."



"It was not completely out of the blue. I made two trips to Spain; one for the series launch, and one for the first major test. I turned up with my helmet under my arm, although nothing came of that trip. Everyone was impressed with my CV, but the teams required money. The paid drives went to those with higher profiles. But a week before the first race the Zele team boss phoned me and said he needed a second driver for Valencia. The deal for me to drive wasn't finished until the Friday night."



"The first time I drove the car properly was in qualifying. I did a few laps on Friday night, but I had no seat in the car. I was sitting on bubble wrap, plastic and coats! It was hardly the time to go for it! So I just drove around to see which way the circuit goes. Then in qualifying, rain affected both sessions, so the first time I drove in the dry was the race warm-up..."



"Absolutely! I set the seventh fastest race lap in race one and was in the top 10 fastest in the second. I was very encouraged by that. I faced other difficulties too, like the lack of telemetry. The first time I had any data to look at was after the first race. I had no engineer either, so I only made one small set-up change all weekend."



"They are pumping it up as an alternative to Formula 3000. If they want to rubber stamp its future, they will have to continue to go down the road they have started on. That is, to pay the drivers or offer cheap deals. They need to make it a series for professionals. The promoters will have to do much of that work, although the teams will have to do their bit too."



"Well, I think there are too many drivers with too much money! That's not their fault, but it makes it harder for guys like me. You come across so many teams that have budgets in place and can look for a good driver to run, but they still want someone to pay them too. It's like going into a nighclub: once you are in, it's fine, but you always have to pay at the door. Something is not right there, but maybe it's not about sport anymore..."