Joey Foster has been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery at home from injuries sustained during the Recaro F3 Cup meeting at the Lausitzring back in July.
Foster lay second in the championship standings following four victories as the series headed to Lausitz, but a high speed accident – that saw him impact the wall at 120mph – left him hospitalised for two months with extensive back and neck injuries.
“I was going into exit turn one and there was a slower car higher up the banking,” he recalls. “It came back down ever so slightly and that distracted me. There was no collision but at the precise moment I glanced at it I went down lower and clipped the kerb on the inside. That turned the car around and I went back up the banking and hit the wall gearbox first.
“Everyone has had high speed spins before and you kind of try and work out at which angle you are going to hit at. I didn't expect it to be an especially large impact but obviously it was. I remember the bang and then I just felt really winded. Then I realised that my legs had been pushed up and were right up in the cockpit and I remember thinking that probably isn't a good thing!
“I had some pain but it wasn't too bad, I guess the adrenalin was overriding it. The marshals were terrific and once they came I relaxed a little. To be honest the car didn't look too badly damaged at all but it was just unlucky the angle that it hit at. Everyone knows that the Lola is a very fast car, but it is also bloody strong, considering the speed it hit the wall.”
After treatment in hospital, Foster is now recovering at home before he spends time with the same doctor who helped
Ralf Schumacher following his 2004 accident at Indianapolis, with the aim being to get back behind the wheel early next year.
“There are huge improvements almost every day now. I can just about do everything that I used to do before the shunt,” he said. “I can even put my own socks on now which is a huge relief to everyone!
