A motor racing sensation swaps the country roads of the north Cornish coast for the world famous Mulsanne Straight this week, as he prepares to compete in a support race for the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Having burnt rubber since the age of six, Tommy Foster has progressed into the Michelin Le Mans Cup on the back of both English and British Open karting titles as well as drives in British Formula 4 and its American equivalent.
The now 22-year-old Newquay native switched from open wheel to sports car racing in 2021 and won on his debut in Barcelona – a feat he repeated at the very same track this season – despite minimal practice time in a drastically different vehicle.
Foster goes into the most prestigious week of his 2024 campaign behind the wheel of a High Class Racing prepared Ligier JS P320 for two 55-minute Le Mans Cup contests around the remarkable 13.6 km Circuit de la Sarthe this Thursday (June 13) and Saturday (June 15).
“Racing here this week is amazing,” he told CHAOS Radio from northwestern France, where a crowd of circa 300,000 is expected. “It is the crown jewel for endurance racing that everyone wants to win. It is such an iconic track with its lengthy straights that always provide non-stop action. This week is a lot more spaced out than our other race weekends.
“We arrived on Tuesday morning to do our track walk and driver’s briefing. On Wednesday we have two free practice sessions, each being one hour long, before we head into qualifying on Thursday. There is very limited track time before qualifying so every lap in practice matters.
“I will qualify the car during the first qualifying session so I am really looking forward to that, as it is the only time I get to qualify all year. After the first race on Thursday evening we have an off day on Friday, doing nothing but media and enjoying the atmosphere in a parade through the city of Le Mans. We then have the second race on Saturday morning, before the start of the 24 hour race.
“The amount of people here this week is mind blowing. It is far more than any other event and every grandstand and viewing area around the track is full of people. We currently sit third in the championship, only two points off the lead, so we are aiming for two solid point scoring races to carry on our championship campaign. As always, we believe we can win.”
The competition follows a format similar to that of a pro-am, with FIA classified professional gold drivers such as Foster partnered with amateur or semi-professional racers who share driving responsibility across each of the season’s seven rounds.
An established name in endurance circles, Danish based High Class Racing have pitted the profile of Foster, one of the grid’s most exciting talents, alongside veteran three-time Le Mans 24 entrant Jens Reno Møller.
Well into his fourth season of Le Mans Cup racing and in the midst of another battle for honours, Tommy Foster is determined to keep up the momentum and take the next step in his career – a desire which burns deeper at events such as the one he attends this week.
“Being around the World Endurance Championship and seeing the Hypercars in the pitlane gives me so much motivation to progress,” he said. “That is what I have always wanted. They are serious bits of engineering.
“The biggest limiting factor stopping me from progressing to the next level is a lack of financial support. I have the speed and experience to do so but I just don’t have the budget required.
“If I can secure this, I am very confident that I will continue my way up the motorsport ladder with a lot of success along the way.”
Tommy Foster is represented by Wollens. For more information on a range of sponsor and partnership packages, contact Head of Sports Law Division, Marco Floreale, via email to marco.floreale@wollens.co.uk or over the phone on 01803 396639.
Live streaming of Road To Le Mans will be available via the official Michelin Le Mans Cup website and is free to view.
Race one is due to start at 18.30 CEST on Thursday, June 13th, while race two will be at 10.35 CEST on Saturday, June 15.
Following this week’s action, the series moves on to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (August 24) and Mugello Circuit (September 28) before concluding at the Algarve International Circuit (October 19).
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