One of Europe’s most talented up and coming racing talents, Copart-sponsored driver Louis Foster talks us through a whirlwind and ultra-successful year behind the wheel across a season, the likes of which we will never see again!
In this first of two posts, Louis looks back on his British F3 debut.
Firstly, I hope you and your families are all keeping safe and well. I’d also like to start by saying a huge thank you to everyone at Copart for supporting me on my journey this year. To have all of you believing in me and cheering me on each weekend is truly humbling and it really does mean the world to me.
We’ve all had to endure a very challenging year, something none of us have ever had to live through and hopefully we never will again. While many have not been able to continue their passions and interests, it’s been a real privilege to be able to get back to racing and enjoy one of my most successful seasons to date. I know how lucky I am to have been able to this year.
From not knowing if we’d be able to race at all this season with the pandemic bringing everything to a halt, I could never have imagined I would end the year as a multiple race winner in my first year of British F3 let alone winning at Spa-Francorchamps in Euroformula Open on my European debut.
It felt like a lifetime waiting for the first lockdown to end and for our season to finally start in August. I hadn’t raced since February when I won in the MRF Challenge in Chennai so I was itching to get back behind the wheel.
Turning up at Oulton Park felt like the first day back at school – seeing people I hadn’t seen since the start of the year and catching up with them. But it felt very different at the same time with all the new rules we must follow to keep everyone safe. The only thing that hadn’t changed was our determination to get out on track and race.
None of us really knew what to expect as we got the weekend underway as it had been so long but I certainly didn’t expect to get a double pole position on my first attempt after stepping up to the UK’s premier single-seater championship!
It was the best possible way to start the season and was a huge confidence boost, knowing that I had the speed to be at the front. The first two races didn’t go entirely our way with a few issues but I ended the weekend with my first podium in the series. Holding the trophy felt great and from there I knew we’d be in for a good year.
To come away from Oulton Park with a couple of pole positions and a podium was a dream start and I felt really confident heading to Donington Park, which is a track I absolutely love to drive. I’d won there in both Ginetta Juniors and British F4 and it’s a circuit that just really suits me.
Another two front-row starts in qualifying put me in a great position for the rest of the weekend. As we sat on the grid for the first race, I noticed a few raindrops falling on my visor which was like all my Christmases coming at once – I love it when the weather mixes things up!
The track was slippery on the first lap so I was just feeling my way around the conditions. Heading through the Fogarty Esses, Kaylen Frederick slid off the road ahead of me which meant I was now leading a British F3 race for the very first time.
I felt good in the car and started to pull away from those behind me but a safety car decided to spoil that particular party! Leading behind the safety car gives you an awful lot to think about as you effectively become the safety car when the race gets back underway. You have to work out how fast or slow you should go, whereabouts on the track should you get back to full throttle and the best way to keep everyone behind you.
Fortunately, I was able to hold off a charge from behind and began to pull away again to my first win of the season, and my first in British F3. I was over the moon, it felt amazing to step out of the car and see the team and my parents all celebrating.
Coming soon: In Part 2, Louis reflects on his experiences at the Euroformula Open.
Article produced in association with M B Partners. All images courtesy of Jakob Ebrey Photography.
Copart first teamed up with Louis Foster in 2019, marking the start of a winning partnership! Find out more about Louis Foster and his amazing achievements at: markblundellpartners.com/louis-foster.