Amaduzzi, 39, is an eclectic professional who raced in many categories, from open-wheels formulas such as Barber Dodge and Australian Formula 3000, to Endurance GT races. In 2010 he took part in two ARCA Truck Series races for Wilson Motorsports, obtaining a 7th place on his second start at Salem Speedway, IN.
“I’ve always had a great passion for American motorsport and after my first experience, I couldn’t wait to try again,” said the driver from Bologna. “Whatever series I thought of entering in Europe, I didn’t find it stimulating. I had lost enthusiasm. The only thing that sparked my interest was thinking of stepping into NASCAR and start over to live a new phase of my career.”
Lee Faulk Racing, known for its coaching programs, is the ideal organization for Amaduzzi to learn and improve. He aims to continue his career in the United States and climb the NASCAR ladder. The European driver will also count on the advice of fellow italian Max Papis and legend Emerson Fittipaldi, who is following the career of his nephew Pietro, also running for Lee Faulk Racing.
“Everyone at Lee Faulk Racing is very excited to have Davide on the team,” said Michael Faulk, the team’s Vice President. “We believe his strong background, and Italian influence will have a strong positive effect on our team and he will be a great asset not only as a great driver but as a great person.”
“My goal is to learn. I won’t go there just to participate, but I know that I have to learn a lot of things, first of all a new mentality, and that’s the best part of it,” said Amaduzzi. “Now the United States are my future. We’ll see how it goes and what will be the best route to take. I want to go step by step. I want to do things right and I’m sure I have the right people around me to give me the best advice.” Davide Amaduzzi will leave for the U.S. on February 8 for his first test, scheduled on February 10 at the Hickory Speedway, NC.
Q&A with Davide Amaduzzi
How did you come to the radical decision to continue your career in the United States?
I made this decision for several reasons. One is that I always had a great passion for American motorsport. Then I wanted to enter a ‘phase two’ of my career and my life. I looked around in Europe and, even setting the economic aspect aside, I have not found anything exciting. Whatever series I thought of entering in Europe, it wasn’t stimulating. I had lost enthusiasm. The only thing that sparked my interest was thinking of stepping into
NASCAR and start over to live a new phase of my career.
How did you get in touch with Lee Faulk Racing?
I got in contact with Lee Faulk Racing through Max Papis. I knew Max since the days of karting, when he was in the top category and I was a child beginning to race and I saw him as one of the top drivers. I do not even know him very well, but I contacted him through friends to ask his advice on how to approach NASCAR, which category to begin with and who to talk to. It was he who mentioned Faulk. The thing that I will always thank Max for is
that he was really committed to help me. Lee Faulk Racing contacted me before I could contact them on Max indication. Faulk explained me the team structure and emphasized the presence of an important name in the team such as Emerson Fittipaldi. I especially his direct approach, a typically American one. We Italians are too accustomed to the frills, the superfluous, and I felt it was a good change
The fact that they are structured to give an overall assistance to the driver is one of the reasons why I had no doubts about my choice. The American racing world is so different that you can not deal with it using a European approach. It would be a huge mistake. Both in terms of driving, personal management, relationship with the sponsors and the media.
Lee Faulk Racing has everything I need to start with the right foot.
What is your programme for the season?
I have an agreement for a number of races and tests, but there are no major constraints. If we feel that we can do a little more, well’do it. If we want to skip a test to make one more race or vice versa, it can be done. It’s a very flexible arrangement, aimed at obtaining the best result, which is not intended as a race result, but as my global level, because this must be the first step towards a new future career. I want to learn everything I need to be a NASCAR driver, so doing 10 rather than 9 race is not my goal. It’s a whole new world, and even if I want to do things in a competitive way, it would be presumptuous and arrogant by me to think I can get in the top-10 right now. It will be difficult, but I’m surrounded by the
right people, ready to give me the advice I need.
Tell us about your first experience on ovals, back in 2010.
The oval tracks I have been able to drive were all short. Two had low banking, and one had a very high banking, that seemed to me like a wall. It was the track that I found more challenging, because driving with all that banking makes corners totally different from any corner I ever drove in my life. the end of the practice my lap times weren’t bad, but I was at the limit. At every corner I saw myself hitting the wall! I stopped 5 minutes before the end of the session. I said, ‘OK, that’s enough’ and the team ‘Look, you can do other laps in 5 minutes’ and I said ‘Thanks, but if we want to qualify and then race, I’d better stop here for now’. Another thing that took me a lot of time to learn was not to countersteer when the car got loose. It is a pretty difficult thing to do after 30 years spent countersteering!
What would you say to your European colleagues about NASCAR?
I raced in a lot of series, with a lot of different cars, and when my colleagues say that NASCAR is boring because ‘they only turn left and go around in circles’, well, I’d like to see them doing a bunch of laps in a NASCAR race. They would immediately understand that driving on an oval, at such a high speed, having always somebody a few inches from you, is very challenging. I’m very excited about this new adventure and I can’t wait to get in
the car and hit on the gas.
About Davide
Davide Amaduzzi was born in Bologna, where he actually lives, on August 4, 1972 and is engaged.
He’s a true, old-style professional racer, who has run wherever there was a chance to be competitive. He began in karting, which he still practices to keep himself trained and for the driving pleasure it gives.
Satisfying his passion for travel, he raced all over the world, from Canada to France to Australia, and in different categories, starting with open-wheelers such as Formula 3, Formula Renault, Formula Barber Dodge and Australian Formula 3000, before switching to GT racing and drive for brands like Porsche, BMW, Corvette, Lamborghini and Ferrari.
In 2010 he made his debut in the ARCA Truck Series, taking part in two races for Wilson Motorsports and achieving a seventh place at Salem, IN, on his second appearance.
Outside racing, Davide works as a sport driving instructor for former Formula 1 driver Sieghfried Stohr. He is also a sports enthusiast and train himself thoroughly by running (he completed the New York marathon twice), swimming and skiing. He loves the sea and if he should move to the U.S. he would want to live near the ocean. He loves to fly and in the future would like to earn a pilot’s license. He speaks English
French and is studying Spanish. He has a deep interest in psychology and would like to obtain a degree in the field.
- Lee Faulk Racing Press Release
