Dreyer and Reinbold Racing announced today that British driver, Darren Manning, will join the team’s IndyCar Series effort at the season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida this weekend.
“We are excited to be able to put a deal together, even though it is last minute, to run Darren Manning at St. Petersburg. He’s a really talented driver that will be a great teammate for Mike and can round out our two-car effort as we continue to build for the 2009 season,” commented Dennis Reinbold, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing co-owner.
Not only is Manning a fellow Englishman to the team’s driver Mike Conway, who will be piloting the No. 24 Dad’s Root Beer machine, but he also brings experience to the table that will aid in Conway’s learning curve as he visits St.Petersburg for the first time.
“I’m super excited. It was the Monday before the first race in St.Petersburg and I wasn’t going. I was organizing my plans for the weekend and set my mind that I wasn’t going to be driving in the 2009 IndyCar Series, and come Tuesday afternoon I get the call from Dennis to get me in the car, and it has all changed. It was a hectic afternoon, but I have been talking to these guys for a long time and saw what they did last year, and with what they did over the winter I could see them doing really well. Also, with Mike, he’s a good guy and I know his background in Europe and he’s a fellow Brit. He will be nice to work with. He’s a really quick driver and I think we will work well together. Hopefully with my experience and speed at St.Petersburg, it will help the team take those steps forward,” stated Darren Manning.
The 33 year-old native of North Yorkshire, England made his way up the racing ladder competing in various racing series in Europe from 1993-2002 driving in Formula Vauxhall, the British F3 Championship, the Japan F3 Championship, FIA International F3000 Championship, and served as the test driver for the BAR Formula One team. In 2003, Manning drove for Walker Racing in the CART Series finishing ninth, recording three top-five finishes and a season best second in Australia. He joined Target Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2004 IndyCar Series season , where he finished 11th overall, recording eight top-10 finishes. In 2005, he made ten starts for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, recording five top-10 finishes. Manning did not compete in the IndyCar Series in 2006, but came back in 2007 with AJ Foyt Enterprises, recording two top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes, with a career best fourth at Belle Isle. The Brit joined the team again in 2008 where he had seven top-10 finishes and led two races for a total of 11 laps. Manning has a total of 58 IndyCar race starts, seven top-five and 25 top-10 finishes, and 26 laps led to tuck behind his belt.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will be on track this weekend for the season opener in St.Petersburg, Florida with Mike Conway piloting the No. 24 Dad’s Root Beer entry, and Darren Manning behind the No. 23 Dreyer and Reinbold machine.
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