Nick Foster is gearing up for the biggest race of the season this coming weekend as he returns to Eurasia Motorsport to compete in the 88th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The blue-riband event marks a continuation of a programme that has encompassed the most recent Asian Le Mans Series and FIA World Endurance Championship round at Spa-Francorchamps with the Asian-based team as well as drivers Nobuya Yamanaka and Roberto Merhi.
Nick last competed at Circuit de la Sarthe in 2017, competing for Gulf Racing in a Porsche 911 RSR, finishing tenth in the LMGTE Am class, culminating in sixth position in the championship as a whole. Since then the Australian racer has notched up further strong results and wins in the Blancpain GT Series Asia and Intercontinental GT Challenge before embarking on the prototype programme.
Most recently, Nick joined Eurasia Motorsport for the 2019-20 Asian Le Mans Series, securing three podium positions on his way to third in the standings. A change of power unit this summer saw him compete and secure a podium in the Jaguar I-PACE eTrophy before a return to the World Endurance Championship in Belgium in the LMP2 Ligier, alongside Nobuya and Roberto.
Nick, you know this team well, how have preparations gone to date with the Ligier JS P217?
“Following on from the WEC race at Spa-Francorchamps, the car went over to Ligier to be fully prepared for this week at Le Mans. We are comfortable in that car is well prepared, with all the components ‘lifed’ as they should be.”
The #35 entry is very much a traditional Pro-Am entry. You know both Nobuya and Roberto well, how do you approach this race in terms of both pace and strategy?
“This whole programme, over two years in the making, has been put together around Nobuya and is very much aimed in helping deliver his dream to race at Le Mans. He has also had a good run up to this race, considering his considerable business commitments, so we are happy as we can be heading into race week.
“This is Nobuya’s dream, so everyone in the team will do its utmost to make sure he is as comfortable as he can be in the car. We are not too concerned about qualifying pace; we will focus on our race performance and go from there.”
You have competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans previously, please tell us about that and the contrast between racing GTE equipment and LMP2 machinery?
“The 2017 race was similar to this year in that I was competing with alongside a Gentleman racer. Sure the car performance is very different between a GTE and a P2 car, but I have had a lot of prototype experience recently and I am probably now more comfortable with an LMP2 car than a GTE right now, simply because of that.”
Finally, a finish is always a good result. Team Principal Mark Goddard says he will be happy Sunday evening with a top ten result. What are your thoughts?
“Absolutely. A finish is the first target and always is at Le Mans and to see through to the finish Nobuya’s dream. Personally, it would be nice to get a little good fortune – maybe with safety cars and full course yellows – to get a surprise result. A podium is perhaps a stretch, but to be competitive and to run with strong pace in the top ten would be a good result.”