LONG BEACH, California (April 18, 2010) – Racing and stunt driver Tanner Foust finished narrowly in second-place overall this weekend in a wild Pro/Celebrity contest, a popular highlight of the 36th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Foust followed veteran driver Jimmy Vasser across the line after working his way through the field of 18 drivers in the charity contest, stacked with media and entertainment personalities.
“It was an incredible event, and an amazing way to benefit children’s charities,” said Foust.
The pros gave the celebrities a sporting 30-second head start on the 10-lap race. Foust took a clean start and followed Vasser closely throughout the competition, with the handicapped professionals catching the celebrity field early on. As the contest continued, crazy on-track action meant stray parts and fluids became as much an obstacle to a good result as the other competitors.
While working his way past Academy Award winner Adrien Brody during the second-last lap, Foust himself hit an oil slick and bumped eventual celebrity winner Brian Austin Green into Vasser. It was a moment of excitement for all three competitors, but they firmed up their positions to the finish.
“The track was full of hazards by the end,” said Foust. “I hit that oil and couldn’t slow down.”
Brian Austin Green, the actor who achieved fame as a teen idol for his role as David Silver in the original “Beverly Hills, 90210,” finished in third-place overall — the top celebrity entrant.
The course followed the 1.97-mile Grand Prix street circuit through the downtown streets of Long Beach in Southern California, and was one of six featured events during the weekend. The field of identically prepared, race-ready Scion tCs were battered and worn after the contest Saturday (April 17).
The event has become the world’s longest-running, most prestigious celebrity racing event.
In addition to Foust, guests invited to compete in the event included actor and defending celebrity champion Keanu Reeves, skateboard pro Tony Hawk and radio personality Adam Corolla. Talented racers competing in this year’s running of the contest included Foust, Vasser, and STILLEN founder Steve Millen.
Toyota will donate $5,000 to “Racing for Kids” in the name of each celebrity racer and an additional $5,000 to the winning racer’s charity of choice. The organization for which Green raced is Cure Autism Now, an autism advocacy organization sponsoring research and spreading awareness of the disorder. “Racing for Kids” is a national nonprofit program benefiting children’s hospitals. Recipients of Toyota’s donations will be the children’s hospitals in Long Beach and Orange County, Calif. Toyota has donated $1.8 million on behalf of the race and its participants since 1991.
Additionally, a $15,000 donation was made in conjunction with the annual People Pole Award. Sponsored by People magazine, the award was given to Zachary Levi, this year’s pole-position winner of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race qualifying session. Levi selected Operation Smile, which works to transform the lives of children who suffer from cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities. Levi is hoping the funds generated by the People Pole Award will go a long way to improving the lives of children.
The Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race is scheduled for broadcast on the Speed Channel on Saturday, May 1, and will air repeatedly. (See local listings or http://www.speedtv.com/ for times.)
The event followed Foust’s 2010 debut in the Formula Drift championship. The two-time champion achieved a podium finish in his Rockstar Energy Scion tC, finishing the event in third-place overall.
In addition to running a full Formula Drift season, Foust’s 2010 competition calendar will also include a packed schedule of European Rallycross events, ESPN’s Summer X Games and select rally events. His next competition is the Portugal stop on the European Rallycross tour, May 1-2.
ABOUT TANNER FOUST
Tanner Foust is a versatile and multi-talented driver known for his supreme car control and a proven track record of podium placements and national championships. He is a two-time Formula Drift champion (2007, 2008), and one of just four drivers to have been invited to every X Games Rally competition, with the Rockstar driver scoring gold in 2007, silver in 2008 and bronze in 2009. He has twice represented Team USA in the annual Race of Champions, teaming with NASCAR star Carl Edwards in 2008 and Travis Pastrana in 2009.
His varied race experience also includes multiple seasons of open wheel competition, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, five Ice Racing championships, a Production Rally Championship title and the SCORE Baja. He also holds class lap records at numerous US road courses in Time Attack.
Also a stunt driver, Foust was a lead driver in the Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, Bourne Ultimatum, Dukes of Hazzard, Red Dawn and Iron Man 2, movies, and also handles stunt driving in numerous popular TV shows and commercials.
Foust is currently an on-air host for Supercars Exposed, and was also picked as co-presenter for the US version of the seminal BBC auto show, Top Gear.
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit www.tannerfoust.com. To arrange interviews or find out more, contact pr@galeandco.com or 647-500-2729; Follow Tanner on Twitter @tannerfoust or find him on Facebook under tannerfoustracing