Andretti Autosport Indy NXT racer Louis Foster is looking forward to returning to a familiar road course this weekend at Road America, even if the track has been resurfaced and provides a new and interesting challenge.
Foster, 19, is sixth in the championship heading into this weekend’s race which is one before the Indy NXT season reaches its halfway point at Mid-Ohio.
He’s suffered multiple instances of bad luck in races but proven his supreme pace with three poles from five races, and a return to Road America where he won last year and is a more European style road course like Foster is familiar with should help in achieving his goals.
“Road America is a brilliant track, a real test for the drivers and there’s the added unknown this year of how the surface will race," says reigning Indy Pro 2000 champion Foster, who is backed by Copart, a global leader in online auto auctions.
“The track should be the same in terms of the layout, so we have to go in with confidence that we can be fast and replicate the performance we had in Indy Pro 2000 last year.
“The surface change evens the playing field a bit, but we know Andretti was strong here last year and I believe we can be again this year.”
Andretti won the race last year and took pole position and fastest lap. The change of surface and new Firestone tyres for this year does shake things up, but Foster is confident in his team to hit the ground running.
The 4.048 mile, 14-Turn Wisconsin circuit is one of the longest on the calendar and has a host of corners like the Carousel that demand ultimate commitment from the driver.
“That’s one of the best things about being a racing driver, being the one to go that little bit further and commit more than the competition,” adds Foster.
“The poles we’ve won this year show that we can replicate that, so the target for this weekend is a strong result to match.
“The fans are incredible at Road America, the campsites are usually full and the attendance has gone from strength to strength in the last few years. Hopefully we can put on a show for everyone that comes out."
Road America schedule - Eastern Time (BST -5)
Friday, June 16 Practice 1450-1535 (1950-2035) Saturday, June 17
Practice
0950-1035 (1450-1535)
Qualifying
1315-1335 (1815-1835)
Sunday, June 18 Race 1110-1210 (1610-1710) Indy NXT is available to watch on Peacock TV in the USA and on Sky Sports for certain sessions. The race on Sunday will be shown on Sky Sports Sports F1 channel at 1600. In countries where Indy NXT is not scheduled to be broadcast, it is available through the IndyCar Live streaming service.
Notes to editors
Louis Foster
Louis Foster is a 19-year-old British racing driver from Hampshire aiming to take the racing world by storm. He’s a member of the BRDC SuperStars and races for the Andretti Autosport team in Indy NXT by Firestone. Son of British Touring Car and GT racer Nick Foster, Louis has been around motorsport for the majority of his life. Foster had a successful karting career before making his debut in Ginetta Juniors where he won nine races and scored 19 podiums in his first season. A step up to the British F4 championship delivered six wins and 13 podiums in his first season of single-seater racing, while his debut BRDC British F3 campaign kept up a 100% winning record in his car racing career with three victories and six podiums. In 2021 Foster stepped up to racing in Europe and added three wins in Euroformula Open, took a further 10 podiums and two pole positions in a series which raced in front of Formula 1 on occasion this year. His performances led to a nomination for the prestigious Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, an honour which was repeated a year later. The following year he made his debut in America and won half of the races on the way to the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 championship. He won on all three types of tracks, including on street courses and ovals which he hadn’t raced on before. Outside of motorsport Louis is a keen rugby and hockey player as well as enjoying off-road mountain biking and training in the gym. Foster is sponsored by auction giant Copart, which sells more than 300,000 cars per years in the UK and more than 3M cars per year worldwide. He is also backed by Chambers Recycling Solutions, Novara Technologies, One Sports Management Group and Poggesi. For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact barry@onesmgroup.com
Indy NXT by Firestone
Indy NXT (formerly Indy Lights before a major rebrand for 2023) is the top level of junior racing in the United States. It is organised and promoted by Penske Entertainment - which also owns NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - and is the premier route for drivers hoping to reach INDYCAR. It races on road courses, street circuits and ovals, just like the stars of INDYCAR. The series races with cars made by Dallara, with the distinctive Halo device used to help protect the drivers. The cars feature turbocharged, 2-litre engines producing 450bhp, and are tricky to control which gives drivers a good learning curve ahead of reaching IndyCar. Winning the series awards a prize fund worth a reported $1.4 million, and includes tests at Texas and Indianapolis, an Indy 500 start and an entry into one additional IndyCar race. Past champions of the series include Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward.
Indy NXT by Firestone calendar
March 5 St Petersburg April 30 Barber May 13 Indianapolis road course June 3-4 Detroit (doubleheader) June 18 Road America July 2 Mid-Ohio July 22 Iowa Aug 6 Nashville Aug 11 Indianapolis road course Aug 26 Gateway September 3 Portland September 9-10 Laguna Seca (double header)