Interviewer: Katia Indigne

Inerrviewee: Niki Lanik

Katia: You were 16 when you started to race. Why have you chosen for carsports?

Niki: I always liked speed and I always wanted to compete. As a kid I had the opportunity to drive old cars around a big field at the family farm house. This is were I learned how to drive, and wanted to do more and more of it. Originally I wanted to drive in the World Rally Championship like Colin McRae, but I was too young and so decided to take up circuit racing, which I have now grown very fond of.

Katia: What do you hope to reach in the future?

Niki: I want to work myself up the racing ladder to race in FIA GT in GT1, and win the famous Le Mans 24 Hour Race in an LMP1 race car. I want to be a recognised Austrian top-sports athlete.

Katia: What do you do when you aren’t at the track?

Niki: I run a business in the UK, but most of my time is taken up by volunteering for international Human Rights campaigns and events. I have been to Geneva this year to receive an award for all the work I do, and do many trips to assist Human Rights education and promotions in other countries, such as Barbados, Colombia, and next year Ghana and Sierra Leone. I usually never relax, I always am in other countries and spend much time on planes - I simple love it, and I love meeting other people from diverse cultures. Helping other people gives me a kick just like winning a race. It’s a motivating experience helping other people.

Katia: What do you think of the Belgian circuits?

Niki: So far I have only been to Spa and I absolutely loved it! I will race at Zolder later this month and I am really looking forward to it! The team I am with for 2009, Prospeed Competition, are a Liege-based race team and they have much experience at these tracks, so the car is always set up spot on.

Katia: What is your favourite track in the world?

Niki: Wow.. that’s a very hard question… I guess it would be Spa at the moment because it’s literally a perfect track. Though I also like Algarve in Portugal and Silverstone in the UK. I am looking forward to Monza though.. I have heard many crazy stories about it.

Katia: How and why did you get involved with Youth for Human Rights?

Niki: I met the film director of the “30 Rights, 30 Ads” DVD in London in 2006. There are 30 Human Rights which are protected by law by the United Nations for each person, and this guy, Taron Lexton, decided to make a short video for each Human Right. I watched them, and I liked them so much that I decided to help out and promote it to all the people I know. This was obviously a brilliant combination, as I could reach many people every year through the press, internet, and so on. Making people aware of their Rights is an important task, and this is also why I travel the world to spread the word. You can read more about Human Rights on http://www.humanrights.com, and Youth For Human Rights International on http://www.YHRI.org.

Katia: You are driving your first year in the GT3, what do you think about the Porsche you’re using?

Niki: Yes, this is my first year in GT3, and in fact it’s my first year in GT racing. The Porsche 997 Cup S is fantastic, and the European FIA GT3 championship is fantastic also. It’s a more difficult car to drive than I originally thought, but it really does bring out the best of you, and Porsche sure did a good job with the design of this car.

Katia: How did your parents react when you started to race when you were 16? Hadn’t they planned another future for you?

Niki: No - my parents saw me doing a lot of extreme sports like snowboarding, skateboarding, BMXing, and so on when I was younger, and the “dangerous” factor was no barrier. My parents have always decided to support what I wanted to do, and I want to thank them for that. They brought me up with a business-minded approach to life, so they believe in whatever I do and know that I will succeed.

Katia: You’re always on the road, racing or travelling for Human Rights. Don’t you get the feeling that you’ve missed part  of your youth and your friends? Don’t you want to live the life of an ordinary 22-year-old?

Niki: No, not at all. I do of course miss my friends, but it’s great to come home once in a while and see everybody and catch up. I think I am really living life, and I’m REALLY enjoying it and couldn’t ask for much more. I get to do what I love - race - and I get to travel, and help other people. One of my goals is to visit all countries in the world before the age of 30.

Find out more on http://www.nikilanik.com

The weekend got off to a poor start with Niki only getting eleven laps in the car on the unfamiliar Paul Ricard circuit during free practice on Friday due to technical problems.    He then qualified the car 14th out of 30 cars for the first of the two 60-minute races on Saturday afternoon.  A short rain storm on part of the circuit caused the race to be stopped on lap 2 after several cars crashed heavily, with Lanik classified as 14th in the final results but scoring one more than his Porsche Cup rival David Ashburn.  In the second race Mikhael Forsten drove the first part of the race handing the car over on lap 12 in 14th place.  Lanik then drove well to move up the order to finish 9th overall to secure the lead in the Porsche Manufacturers Cup with two races remaining.

Niki Lanik said: “The weekend didn’t start well with very little time on track on Friday due to problems with the car. I qualified OK considering we hadn’t had much time to set up the car.  Some of the other Porsche’s had qualified faster, so I knew there was more to come in the car. We had a good race, especially from where we started and we finished in the top 10, ahead of David Ashburn.  The goal was to be in the lead of the Porsche Cup and we’ve achieved that.  We just need to do the same in Zolder in three weeks.  The Prospeed Competition team, which are Belgian, have plenty of experience at Zolder so I’m confident that we will get the job done.”

The final two rounds of the 2009 FIA GT3 European Championship will take place on 24/25 October at Zolder in Belgium.  Niki Lanik will once again be partnered by Mikael Forsten in the Prospeed Competition Porsche.  Live coverage of the two races can be seen on the championship website at www.fiagt3.com, with highlights shown in the UK and across Europe on Motors TV.

For further information visit  http://www.nikilanik.com or http://www.rapidman.co.uk
Niki Lanik is managed by Rapid Man Limited
Contact: Justin Keen, Director - jk@rapidman.co.uk

Three weeks ago in Portugal Niki Lanik, along with Marco Holzer, scored two Porsche Manufacturers Cup victories to cut David Ashburn’s lead in the #22 Trackspeed Porsche to just two points with four races remaining.  Lanik is confident that the change in driving partner wont affect his performances this weekend and he is sure teaming up with Mikael Forsten will help him move closer to his goal of becoming the top Porsche driver in the championship.

Niki Lanik said: “I am looking forward to racing with Mikael.  This will be the first time we’ve raced together but I’m very confident we’ll get the job done this weekend.  My goal is to leave Paul Ricard leading the Porsche Cup, but after getting two 4th place finishes in the previous races, an overall podium finish here would be a nice bonus.  This circuit at Paul Ricard is fantastic, a real driver’s circuit, and one that should suit the Porsche.”

Qualifying for Rounds 9 & 10 of the FIA GT3 European Championship will take place on Saturday 3 October at 12 Noon, with Round 9 the same day at 17:30.  The second of the two 60-minute races will get underway on Sunday 4 October at 16:45.  Live coverage of the two races can be seen on the championship website at www.fiagt3.com, with highlights shown in the UK and across Europe on Motors TV.

Read more on: http://fiagt3.com/newsitem.php?key=458

Q: How are you enjoying your first season in FIA GT3?

NL: “I’m enjoying it very much.  This is my first season in sportscars; I did a test at the beginning of the season in an Aston Martin and from this test I decided to go the sportscar route.  I’ve always wanted to race at Spa and Le Mans in the 24 Hour races.  I had been looking at Touring Cars but I wanted to make that step into faster and more unique sort of racing and I decided that the GT route was the correct one for me.  A few years ago I used to read about FIA GT in the magazines and I thought then that it would be cool to race in that championship and here I am.”

Q: “Why did you decide to race in GTs rather than single seaters?

NL: “To be honest at my age I thought I was already too old to race in single seaters and I’m only 22, but that isn’t really the thing.  The real reason is when I was young I was into rally driving.  I used to watch Colin McRae and the rest of the guys, I bought all the videos and DVDs from the 1980s and my goal was to do the WRC (World Rally Championship).  When I was 15 I wrote a letter to Brands Hatch asking to go on their rally course but they said no because I was too young but you can go to Silverstone and do a Formula Ford course.  So when I was 16 I did that with a friend, which got me my race licence which led to some normal races.  I looked around and found the 750 Motor Club Stock Hatch was cheap to run, so me and my friend raised a bit of money and we ran two cars.  So that put me into the circuit racing side.  I enjoyed the Formula Ford but I think we took Stock Hatch because it was cheaper; Formula Ford was around £40,000 at that time.”

Q: “What came after Stock Hatch?”

NL: “I then moved onto Clios and that came about after a Stock Hatch test at Snetterton. We ran into these guys with pink hats and we asked what this was all about, they said they were with Colin Stancombe and he’s the expert.  We found that our cars weren’t set up right, so we were racing in the mid field. We took the cars to Colin Stancombe and he fixed the faults and the next race I was challenging for the lead.  I was pushed off before the end but the point is I met Colin through that and I found out he was running cars in the Clio Cup.  A year after I tested the Clio, as it took me a while to get everything together and then I did some races for him.  I did the old Clio and then the Winter Championship, which I won, then the new Clio came out and it is a very competitive series with about 40 entries.  That was really mad but very competitive with some top drivers and was a big learning curve for me, I had some top 10 finishes but it was hard to get on the podium.  I followed this with another winter series in the new car, which I won, and then last year entered the full championship, scoring 4 podiums and 2 poles; ending the season in 5th place overall.”

Q: “So this year is a step up from Clios, how are you finding the Porsche?”

NL: “It hasn’t been easy but we had a good race in the Spa 24-Hours, gaining a podium in the G3 Class.  I spent a lot of time at the gym with my trainer, doing weights and other exercises between the last GT3 race at Oschersleben and Spa, so I got a lot stronger, a lot fitter.  I also seemed to get on with the track well, I walked it two weeks before the race, I played on the video game, as you do, and the team gave me a 40-page analysis of a lap of Spa.  So by the time I got there I was as prepared as I could be.  Also my co-driver Markus Palttala had done about ten Spa 24-Hour races and we just got on really well.  I did a couple of laps and after some dry running I was 0.7 seconds off Markus, so I thought ‘OK’.  There wasn’t as much pressure because it was all about finishing the race.  I do operate under pressure but because there wasn’t much it went really well, I just drove and drove and drove and I put together some good laps.  It was my first 24 hour race, at Spa apparently one of the darkest tracks, which by the way I really liked.  The team made me start the race, which was a nerve wrecking experience and then we were on slicks in the rain.  At one point I said I was coming in for wets and they just ignored me, so I stayed out and I brought it in after an hour and a half and we were actually in first.  It was a great experience.”

Q: “So what do you enjoy doing when not behind the wheel of a race car?”

NL: “When I was young I was always into BMXing and other extreme sports.  I would watch the X Games, skateboarding and getting chased by the police!  I still enjoy all that stuff; I go skateboarding every few months in Crawley or London.  When I travel I definitely go snowboarding, I love going for a week or two outside of the race season and I’m going for New Year again.  I’ve just started wakeboarding, so anything on the extreme side of sports – anything with one board and two feet, that’s what I like.  I’d like to try base jumping but I haven’t found the time yet.  I like the gym, chilling out with friends, which is very important. My main focus is becoming a professional race driver and working for a manufacture at some point in the future, however i am as well as being a race driver getting fit, staying fit and working with Justin (Keen), I’m also a Director of a commercial property business, so I do keep busy.  I love working hard, getting up early, working the whole day and then getting to bed around midnight, then starting again the next day.  I am very much a career driven person.”

Q: “So where do you live in the UK?”

NL: “Near Gatwick airport so it is very easy fly to the places I need to be.

Q: “So how much time do you spend in the UK and how much at home in Austria?”

NL: “I only spend a few weeks a year in Austria, mainly to see family at Christmas, New Year, and to do some snowboarding.  I travel a lot for my racing and, with the testing, this takes up a lot of time.  I also travel for the Human Rights activities and since July I’ve been home in the UK for about 15 days, though I did manage to get a short holiday as well.  I don’t really like holidays because I usually get really, really bored; I need to have access to the internet to do something.  I’ve just come back from the Human Rights summit in Geneva, which was very important and interesting.”

Q: “How and why did you get involved with Youth for Human Rights?

NL: “I went to London three or four years ago with some friends, who introduced me to some other friends and one of them was a movie director from Los Angeles.  In 1948 the United Nations set out the 30 human rights and what he had done was to make a video for each single human right.  You show the video to anyone, it doesn’t matter what language you speak, it gets subtitled in every country and it’s for human rights education awareness campaign.  So I thought that’s cool so I emailed him to say I liked what they were doing and offered to help.  And that’s how I started with the Clio Cup races.  I got a few volunteers to give out booklets and DVDs and I started to go to some Human Rights events, mainly in England but more international now and in November I’m doing a Barbados, Columbia and Mexico City tour.  We’re doing a launch in Columbia, it’s very new there and they really need it.  I run the logo on the race car and I do fund raising as well, so I’m very active in that because I think people could live better a better life.”

Q: “And what about the other drivers in the Youth for Human Rights Race Team?”

NL: “Andrew Chalmers and I actually started the group, we have a website and the other guys I met through the internet or at races and they are all based in the UK except Kyle (Kosir) who is in Canada.  We have a party for about 100 people once a year to get together to discuss things and we play the 30 rights video playing on a home movie screen and then you have a race clip from one of the team and then another.  People just sit and watch it and two of the guys asked to have the sticker on their car after that.  We’re trying to get some more drivers because it is a lot of fun.”

Niki Lanik will be back on the race circuit in the Prospeed Competition Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S for Rounds 9 & 10 of the 2009 FIA GT3 European Championship at Paul Ricard HTT in the South of France on Saturday 3rd October and Sunday 4th October.

For more information on Niki Lanik and Youth for Human Rights visit http://www.nikilanik.com

Niki Lanik is managed by Rapid Man Limited, for more information visit http://www.rapidman.co.uk

My family history is 100% Austrian. I am born in Vienna and am now 22 years of age. Extreme Sports is what I live for - I am an adrenaline junky and love speed and competition. Travelling and meeting new people and cultures is also a passion of mine. I have also lived in Florida for 3 years in the 90s, and now have been living in Sussex in England since 10 years. Even though I speak better English than German, I still consider myself Austrian. Though I must say, I really like Great Britain.

1. When did you first become aware of human rights as a subject?

This was a very random coincidence… I was in London with some friends in November 2006, and we met some friends of theirs who happened to bring along another friend called Taron Lexton. After speaking with him he mentioned Human Rights and the 30 Rights that are entitled to every one on this planet. I was like “ok..”. I then found out that Taron directed the “30 Rights, 30 Ads” DVD and the award winning “UNITED” music video, and after watching them I decided I wanted to use my career as a professional GT race driver to promote Human Rights to the rest of the world. After all, I did not even know what my Rights were, and I believe everybody has the right to know what their own rights are. In fact, after having asked many people, most can only mention about three to five Rights out of 30.

2. How did you find out about YHRI?

After I met Taron Lexton, I also found out that his mother, Dr Mary Shuttleworth was the president of Youth For Human Rights International (http://www.YHRI.org) - a global campaign to implement Human Rights education through out all schools and governments. Because having seen the DVD I instantly decided to promote YHRI on my race car, through my websites, press releases, etc. I have always wanted to help on a big scale, and this was a perfect combination.

3. What human rights issues were you personally aware of when you were growing up?

Discrimination. I have been around a lot of this. But to be very honest, I feel I grew up in a safer environment than most, but nevertheless have heard quite a few stories from friends from other countries which were simply unbelievable. These stories were in regards to human trafficking, parents being enslaved, and even worse discrimination, not having the right to education, not being able to trial or to express oneself freely, and so on. I want my kids to grow up in a safe environment which follows the Universal Deceleration of Human Rights, because they and also all other kids have that Right and Freedom.

4. How did your awareness of human rights issues change as a result of your involvement with YHRI?

A LOT! I realised that there were a lot more countries and people that struggled in life and constantly have their rights taken away. You can literally talk to anyone, whether it’s a poor person or a rich person, old or young, irrespective of nationality, and you will find that somewhere along the line in their life somebody went against the Human Rights of that person. It’s unbelievable.

5. How has your involvement in YHRI affected you personally?

This is hard to say… every time I do some actions to increase the awareness of others, or hand out booklets, I get replies via email and phone, and the thing that gives me a kick is that people are happy about the booklet, or the DVD, or even about all these youngster promoting Human Rights Awareness, and this is what makes me feel like I need to do more, and more, and more, so that I can reach everybody in every country. It is so important. The more I do, the more important it becomes for me. I literally try to be active 24/7 on my career and the promotion of Human Rights awareness. Why? Because I love it when people’s lives change into something better and makes their families and friends happier. That’s what I live for - to help others lead a quarrel-free and enjoyable life.

6. Which of your personal contributions to human rights are you most proud of?

Seeing people’s lives change, and people asking ME “Can I also promote Human Rights to help you?”. Getting other people involved is a fantastic experience - people love it, because people love helping others. It’s so simple.

7. Tell me about your experience at the YHRI summit in Geneva.

It was amazing! I met around 25 Youth Delegates which represent YHRI, and never ever have I bonded so closely so fast with other people. We are all like-minded and smart individuals who’s purpose is to make the world a safer place to live in and be a fair free world for all; people abiding by the Human Rights Deceleration signed by the United Nations in 1948. There are a lot of people to reach, but the amazing thing is that our group of YHRI delegates is so powerful and have so much respect for each other, that we help each other every day to become more active and able to promote Human Rights in their areas, cities, countries and continents. I love you guys! You all have such great personalities and have your unique and amazing qualities in how you decided to promote Human Rights. I love it!

8. Why is it important to promote human rights internationally?

People are killing each other, discriminating each other, there are more slaves than in the 18th century, 1 billion people cannot read, and so on … I think I have stated just a fraction of why it is important to promote Human Rights internationally…

9. How has your participation in YHRI affected your personal ideas?

I have met a lot of people, and I have a lot more people to meet and countries to visit. So far I have become much more united and fond of foreign cultures. I treat all people like Human Beings. I do not care if they are 80 years old or 5, or black or white, or male or female, I simply do not care. I treat them with respect and with affinity. I respect people, I help people, I am there for people. That’s what I do - and I love it.

10. What plans do you have to promote human rights in the future?

MANY! I will promote Human Rights even further this upcoming year through out my car racing career to millions of people. I also have a yearly VIP event at my home to celebrate my racing successes and I do a lot of YHRI promotion there, which includes showing the “30 Rights, 30 Ads” DVDs and a speech about Human Rights. After this event I always sign up more people to help out. I also meet people from all walks of life, from a stranger at the supermarket or airport to my local bank business manager, and I tell them about what I do with Human Rights and they feel like they are missing out on this adventure. I am also coordinating events and YHRI promotional activities in other countries such as Barbados, Columbia, Mexico City, Belgium, and so on. In fact, after the 2009 Summit I have decided to visit (and attend and event) in every one of the countries (which the 25 delegates are from) before the 2010 Summit, so basically this is a quick summary of some actions I am doing and have planned to promote Human Rights for the upcoming 12 months.

FIND OUT MORE ON HTTP://WWW.YHRI.ORG

JOIN YHRI’S social network on HTTP://YHRIBARBADOS.NING.COM

My name is Niki Lanik, I was born in Austria but now live in the UK and I am 22 years old. I have been promoting and raising awareness about the subject of Human Rights since December 2006. My website is www.nikilanik.com.

I’m a professional race car driver, racing Porsches around Europe. I decided I want to be able to use my position as a winning athlete to make the world a better place. For an athlete or musician I find this perfect as we have fans and followers, and many read about us, see us on TV etc. Therefore it’s a perfect combination - youngsters live their teens looking at role models - this is what we athletes, artists and musicians live for.

I decided to promote Human Rights awareness & education after having met LA-based film director Taron Lexton in London. He directed the “30 Rights, 30 Ads” DVD and “United”, which won many awards, one award coming from the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. These were in connection with the campaign Youth for Human Rights International.

I loved the videos so much as the message was so clear and easy to understand that I wanted more people, especially kids, to know about it. I personally had NO IDEA what “Human Rights” meant, and I even had less of an idea of what my 30 Rights were… until of course I read the booklet and watched the DVD. It struck me that it was an important and international problem and that many countries need this data. And so I got involved in promoting the Youth For Human Rights International logo on my race car and started handing out booklets and DVDs to fans and sponsors as well as playing the PSA’s at the race tracks. This of course created interest from the crowd as I was the only race driver who also promoted a good cause.

My races get aired to around 18,000,000 people per year through TV. As an athlete, the pressure is on. The more I win, the more my sponsors and the promotion for Human Rights benefit. “If you’re not first, you’re last!” is the slogan I go with, and yes that is from a racing movie called Talladega Nights with the comedian Will Ferrell…

I promote Human Rights because; I strongly believe every kid has the right to education; I believe that slavery should not exist and that everybody should have the same opportunities; I insist on a fair world were people of all races can unite and work together, live together and have no quarrels and wars; and much more. Every time I get asked that question I come up with a different answer, but the similarity is always that they reflect “peace and wellbeing of mankind”.

Human Rights education works, and changes countries and cultures; these are amazing results that I want to see every village, city and state around the world, poor or rich, black or white, to have Human Rights education as part of their educational curriculums.

The 2009 Youth for Human Rights International Summit, held in Geneva Switzerland, was the most amazing event I have ever attended. I have never ever in my whole life made such good friends within three days. There were around 25 youth delegates from 25 other countries ranging from Mexico to Congo, Vietnam to Jordan, Sri lanka to Austria, Morocco to Denmark, as well as the UK. I consider this group of excellent youth delegates literally my brothers and sisters, and it was one of the most amazing experiences in my life. Thinking about them makes me get tears of joy in my eyes of how much I miss every single one of them already only after five days. The way I feel cannot be explained in words - you needed to be there. I am now arranging sponsored flights so I can visit each one of them around the world before the 2010 Summit and attend an event in each country as a guest speaker and help promote Human Rights together with them. I am extremely keen to see everybody’s home country! When I think of the summit and all my new amazing friends, it inspires me to do more and to get others to come onboard and like wise promote Human Rights. We will do it with everyone standing shoulder to shoulder in a coordinated push. Once you are onboard you carry a big responsibility.

All the youth delegates have now networked on Facebook and several other sites (such as http://yhribarbados.ning.com) so we can keep in touch, coordinate events, and help each other get through difficult times. We are now a team, an unstoppable team.

We have many ideas on how to promote and implement human rights education, and believe us, we are young, persistent, optimistic and tough, and most importantly a TEAM, and we will change this world into a better and safer place for us all, and more importantly our children and grandchildren.

See photos on Face Book: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=146387&id=530444501&l=2b5a839cbf

Read more: http://prospeed.be/index.php?page=news064