Darren Manning

Manning was born in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. He began his racing career at the age of ten in British and International karting events. In 1992, he participated in the Brands Hatch Formula First Winter Series, finishing second with two wins. His SpeedSport team entered him in the Formula Vauxhall championship in 1993, where he again recorded two victories on his way to a second-place finish. He was also a finalist for the McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year award. Manning continued in Formula Vauxhall in 1994 and 1995 before moving up to Formula 3 in 1996 and 1997. Due to budget constraints, he raced a limited Formula 3 schedule in 1998, but achieved two wins, including a support race victory at Silverstone Circuit for the British Grand Prix.

In 1999, Manning won the All-Japan Formula Three championship. He achieved a "perfect victory" at the Macau Grand Prix, winning from pole position, leading every lap, and setting a lap record, an achievement previously credited only to Ayrton Senna at that event. He also tested with the Williams F1 team. In 2000, he worked for the BAR Honda F1 team as a test driver while competing in the FIA International Formula 3000 championship for Arden Team Russia.

In 2002, Manning competed in the ASCAR championship. He made a one-off appearance in the FIA Sportscar Championship at Magny-Cours and had a single drive in the CART series at Rockingham, where he led eighteen laps and finished ninth. This led to a full-time drive with Walker Racing in 2003, securing one top-three finish and ninth overall in the championship.

Manning joined Chip Ganassi Racing's IRL IndyCar Series team in 2004, replacing Tony Renna following Renna's fatal testing accident. He finished eleventh in the championship with eight top-ten finishes. He was released from his contract in mid-2005 after 24 starts, including the 2004 and 2005 Indianapolis 500.

Manning returned to the IndyCar Series with A. J. Foyt Enterprises for the 2007 season, finishing thirteenth in the standings with five top-ten finishes. This performance was considered a significant step forward for the Foyt team. In 2008, he finished fourteenth overall, highlighted by a second-place finish at Watkins Glen International and six further top-ten finishes. In 2009, Manning raced for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing at the start of the season but departed after two races.

Manning drove for the Great Britain team in A1 Grand Prix from 2005 to 2007, alongside Robbie Kerr and Oliver Jarvis. He also competed in Super GT, the FIA GT Championship, and the American Le Mans Series. In the 2007 24 Hours of Daytona, he led overnight rain stints, contributing to his team's second-place finish. He also drove for Spirit of Daytona Racing in the 2010 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

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