Foster storms to Festival win
19.10.2003 by joeyfoster.co.uk
Cornwall's Joey Foster became just the fifth Englishman in two decades to win the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent at the weekend. With the previous four English winners being Johnny Herbert, Eddie Irvine, Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson, Joey is stepping into some very famous footsteps as all graduated to be Formula 1 Grand Prix drivers after winning the event.
The Festival attracts drivers from all over the world, and the title of Festival Champion is one of the most coveted in Motorsport.
Joey finished second in the UK Formula Ford Championship this year taking three wins and numerous podiums driving for Continental Racing, but that achievement is dwarfed by his Festival win. "Second in the Championship was ok, but this is fantastic" said Joey. "We weren't too quick in testing although I have some good race results from Brands this season, so I knew that when it was wheel to wheel for real I had a chance.
To whittle the huge international entry down to the twenty eight cars that would start the final a series of qualifiers, heats and eliminators were run on Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning, with the final on Sunday afternoon. "We got our qualifying strategy just right, and I was able to protect my tyres for racing. We only get two sets for the whole Festival, and it is vital to do as few laps as possible in qualifying. I was second quickest in my group so I had a front row start for the first heat".
Joey quickly converted that to lead the race by the first corner, and was able to lead the whole race without too much pressure, despite the quality of the field. With pole position secured for the semi final another faultless performance saw him lead again from lights to flag, and secure the valuable pole position for the biggest race of his career.
"I had won the last two races in the Championship, and now with these two wins I was on a bit of a roll. We had used the same tyres for most of the qualifying and the first two races, so my second set were in perfect condition for the final. I had Junior Champion Ben Clucas alongside me, Williams F1 test driver from Estonia, Marko Asmer, and UK Champion Tom Kimber-Smith behind me, so it was a pretty formidable front two rows, and behind them were race winners from all over Europe and Japan!"
Joeys start on the green light was flawless, and he took Paddock bend in first place, and held the lead for all 25 frenetic laps of the final, despite a safety car period adding to the total number of laps run. "No driver in the 33 years of this Festival has ever won all his races, and I led every lap of the sixty that I raced" said an ecstatic Joey. "The list of winners is impressive, and ten of them have gone on to Formula 1, but then you look at the people that didn't win, like Kimi Raikonnen, David Couthard, Damon Hill, plus seven or eight other Formula 1 drivers and the enormity of what I have achieved starts to sink in"
As well as the prestigious Champions title, Joey also received trophies for Most Outstanding British Driver, Fastest British Driver, and the John Nicol and Neil Shannahan Memorial Trophies, two of the most poignant awards in the sport. To cap it all he also won a trophy for clinching the World Cup for the England A Team. "It will be days before this really sinks in", beamed Joey. "but its back to reality on Wednesday when I start testing for the Formula Renault for the Winter Series which starts next weekend!" This in itself is a significant forward step as Joey races these Formula 1 look-alikes for the first time.
Joey is now considering offers of drives in both Formula Renault and Formula 3. "Doors have opened up now and I can make a big step towards my ultimate goal of driving in Formula 1. There are no guarantees in this sport, but most Festival winners get the chance to shine at the highest level within a season or two at the most. I have every intention of joining them".