Louka’s path to becoming a co-driver is perhaps not the most conventional. It all started quite simply when the Belgian teenager had such a burning desire for rallying that he sent dozens of emails to local teams offering his services.
At first, he was given the task of cleaning car windscreens, but little by little he was drawn deeper into the world of rallying. In 2012, Louka read pace notes for the first time in local rallies. Six years later, Grégoire Munster took Louka alongside him, marking the beginning of their journey towards the top tier of the World Rally Championship.
For the first time, the pair got behind the wheel of M-Sport Ford’s Rally1 car last season.
“I contacted some people, not in big teams because I felt like they wouldn’t take me seriously, but to small teams in Belgium,” Louka talks about the beginning of his career on Dirtfish’s Stage Mode podcast.
“Actually I had nothing to lose, so I just tried every solution just to get close to the cars – to know how it was inside, not just outside spectating it.”
Munster and Louka have not yet celebrated top results in the World Championship. Munster enjoys the backing of Greek-Belgian businessman Jourdan Serderidis. Despite everything, Louka has now reached the very pinnacle of the sport through his persistent effort.
“Honestly, you have to be a bit mad. When you are cleaning a windshield you are like ‘is this really the way to become a co-driver? But I showed to myself that I was ready to do anything to achieve this goal,” Louka says.
“Actually what you do is not very important, the thing is to do it. As long as it’s related to what you want to do, that’s the key.”
