Foster guarding points lead at Toronto

Louis Foster will race in Canada for the first time this weekend as he looks to extend his 49-point Indy Pro 2000 Championship lead with three rounds remaining.

Foster, 18, is racing in the US for the first time this year, but after a two-year hiatus due to the covid pandemic the series makes a return to Toronto where Foster’s team Exclusive Autosport won a race the last time the series visited in 2019. After a win and a second place at Mid-Ohio last time out, Foster and Exclusive Autosport are on a good run of winning at least one race at the last four tracks the series has visited. The only other street race on the calendar was St Petersburg which was Foster’s first in the series, in America and on a street circuit.

“We learned a lot at the St Petersburg race, so I’m looking forward to applying that in Toronto where hopefully it’s a more even playing field,” says Foster, who is backed by Copart, a global leader in online auto auctions, and Florida-based luxury Italian garden umbrella brand Poggesi.

“We won’t be taking any risks with one eye on where we are in the championship, but the goal always remains the same, to take poles and race wins.

“It would be fantastic to do that first time out at Toronto, a track with so much history, but ultimately we need to race sensibly and take the points that are on the table without forcing anything.

“As everyone can see, Exclusive Autosport has been doing a fantastic job over the last few races and I’ve got to thank my partners for their role in what we’ve been able to achieve so far.

“We aren’t done yet, though.”

Whereas Foster’s rivals have competed at many of the tracks on the calendar before, the two year lack of racing in Toronto means Foster is on a more even playing field this weekend with other drivers also having to learn the circuit. The 1.8-mile track is incredibly bumpy and challenging like most of its US street circuit counterparts. You can watch Foster in action this weekend via the Road to Indy YouTube channel and on the Indy Pro 2000 website. https://www.youtube.com/user/RoadtoIndyTV, https://www.indypro2000.com/ Toronto schedule - Eastern Time (BST -5 hours) Friday Practice 1 0845-0915 (1345-1415) Qualifying 1 1355-1415 (1855-1915) Saturday Qualifying 2 0835-0855 (1335-1455) Race 1 1300-1345 (1800-1845) Sunday Race 2 1140-1220 (1640-1720)