We continue our series of interviews with 14-year old Lola Lovinfosse, one of the French hopefuls making her way up the ranks of karting. Find out more about the young Ward Team member as we discover the most promising lady racers of the next generation.
After last week's launch of our new series of exclusive interviews dedicated to the next generation of female racers currently making their way up the ranks of karting competitions, it is now time to discover a bit more about another European young lady that aims to become a future star of formula car racing. Meet French driver Lola Lovinfosse. France always played a central role in motorsport's history: a country that gave birth to many important racing drivers, as well as a nation with some of the most iconic race circuits and that hosts every year one of the world's most legendary events, the Le Mans 24 Hours. France also deserves a special mention when speaking about women's progresses in motorsport: not only Paris is the home to the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, which includes the FIA Women in Motorsport commission since 2009 - a crucial initiative for the development of female racing drivers and for improving gender equality in our sport; but France has also been the birthplace of one of the pioneers and most successful female drivers to date - an inspirational figure for the growing number of young ladies now approaching motor racing - Michéle Mouton, now President of the above mentioned FIA Women in Motorsport commission. Lola Lovinfosse is the youngest driver of our series so far - she was born on 17th October 2005 and lives in Rouen. Despite her young age, Lola has already competed in some of the most prestigious karting championships, such as the French IAME Series, the 2018 Championnat de France, as well as several WSK-sanctioned competions in 2019. Add to that an appearance to the World Karting Championship in the OKJ category class in Alaharma, Finland, and you'll get an idea of Lovinfosse's racing resumé. She's serious about racing. For 14-year old Lola, racing is in her family's DNA. "My passion for motorsport comes from my father, he was driving in France long time ago." - she says.
"At around 9 years old I sat for the first time in a go-kart, and since that day I'm living the most rewarding years of my life.", she adds.
Despite that big dream, it's not always easy to combine a 'teenager life' to the training and track time required to become a professional racing driver. Even more so when you have to constantly travel around Europe, spending time away from family and friends unlike your typical 14-year old girl. At the same time, these are the common experiences that shape today's racing drivers, often forging very mature young athletes. "This opportunity to do International races teaches me a lot about life. It makes me grow very quickly and I understand that I don't have the same life as a normal teenager". Competing in many important international karting events, Lola Lovinfosse often had the opportunity to drive in Italy, which hosts some of the most prestigious karting venues and racing teams of the karting scene. It's where most of the big names in motor racing moved their first steps towards success. "I'm really grateful to race on the most beatiful go-kart tracks in the world". A role model is certainly important for a young driver - someone able to inspire you to work hard and to overcome the difficult moments that you will likely find on your way. Lola looks with admiration to one of the highest-ranked female figures of today's motorsport, a lady that with her courage, perseverance and passion has become a common role model for many motorsport fans. "Of course, like every driver, I have an idol and she's a woman: Sophia Floersch". Another essential aspect to keep such a dream alive is the role of the driver's family and its support: not an issue for the young French lady, as she says that she could always count on her parent's unquestioned support. "In my career my parents have a really big job, they help me every day. They always support me, I'm really lucky to have them on my side". These are also the years when school education plays a major role and where it's important to find a healthy balance: "Outside the tracks I'm a simple teenager, I'm going to school at Le Mans, I've been in sports studies for 2 years now in the FFSA Academy. In a typical day I'm going to school and I'm doing a lot of training". As the entire world of motorsport is currently on hold due to the pandemic, there still is not a clear vision of when our sport will finally return to its normal pace. "After this difficult time I think that we will go back to the racetracks around August." We ended our chat with Lola Lovinfosse asking her about her main goal for the future and she replied mentioning a champioship only born last year, proving that without a doubt it already changed the vision of motor racing for young girls. A revolutionary project that in the coming years will hopefully keep providing opportunities and facilitate the access of passionate young females to the world of motorsports.
"My goal for the future is to join the W Series. I'm doing everything I can in order to reach my goal"
