In addition to its race activities in GT Open, British GT and GT Cup, Balfe Motorsport have also engaged in a testing and development programme for David Foster with a view to running him in the heat of competition next year.
David certainly has the competitive spirit within his DNA having played hockey at a high level in the past. From there he continued his involvement in the sport after retiring due to a knee injury at 27, coaching for nearly a decade before turning his attention to motorsport.
“It’s only in the last few years that I got a little more involved and went to a few British GT races,” he explained. “My personal networks had good contacts in the motorsport industry and that set the wheels in motion for me to get behind the wheel.”
Having got in contact with Adam Wilcox last June, David went up to Oulton Park for his first track day in a BMW 116 Trophy car. “It wasn’t too quick, and that was probably a good thing,” he continued. “I got to learn the circuit in very wet conditions, so it felt a little that I had dropped myself straight into the deep end!”
From there, David opted to continue his track-day experience, learn circuits such as Silverstone, Brands Hatch GP and Snetterton in the Trophy car and then, seeking a little more speed, stepped up to a Porsche Cayman GT4 car.
“At the end of last year, I had a chat with Adam and Piers Maserati who I am greatly thankful to for their help with a view to buying my own car for 2021 and how to make it as cost-effective as possible,” he said. “Naturally, we looked at a lot of options but ultimately we opted to buy a McLaren as it was deemed one of the best cars in the market, potentially attractive to rent out if I went down that route.”
Since then, David has been busy testing the 570S GT4 at circuits where he expects to race next year, adding in Donington and a revisit to Oulton Park in a quicker car. Also, where possible, joining the Balfe Motorsport squad in other tests and race events to further understand the sport both on and off the circuit. His next aim is to get the six signatures he needs to upgrade his licence.
“At the moment I am looking to race in championships that are very much at the beginner level, events where I can basically turn up and race and that is not easy with a GT4 car, So, I am looking at MSVR All-Comers later in the year and other opportunities, maybe in the Classic Sports Car Clubs Slick series. And then we’ll see where we are at, but I’ve always said that I have to be good enough - I’m 37 years old and have time on my side to get to the required level - I’m not interested in racing around and looking like a twit!”
To help mitigate this chance, David is working his way into the sport cautiously, ensuring that he gets the track time and building from there ahead of his first proper car race. In addition, he feels that his decision to join Balfe Motorsport for the programme has already paid dividends in terms of the step-by-step process.
“They’ve been great,” he said. “I’m coming in at a basic level and I didn’t – and don’t need – a team of engineers and mechanics. What I do need is a team to change the tyres and to simply keep me on the track initially.
“I feel extremely comfortable with them, and while I accept costs will go up as I progress, few teams really understood that at this early stage, it’s all about track time and keeping it as simple as possible. I’m looking forward to it being a longer-term relationship going forwards and to taking part in my first race!” |
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