Brian Deegan was one of etnies’ early moto-x team riders in the 1990s when the brand first entered motorsports.  Deegan has been a leader on the team for many years, and in 2009, he introduced the brand to Rally Racing when he entered the X Games Rally Racing competition and took fourth place, despite major mechanical damage.  In addition to his 10 X Games medals and co-founding the Metal Mulisha, Deegan has been a driving force behind freestyle motocross since its inception.  He recently made a successful transition to four-wheel racing with a strong showing in X Games 15 Rally racing, and an Unlimited Lites Championship in LOORRS off-road truck racing.

“I am stoked to be back driving a rally car for X Games this year.  Rally cars are badass, they have so much horsepower and are really fun to drive,” said Brian Deegan.  “I have been with etnies for 14 years now and they always support me.  If I am doing Freestyle, Rally or Truck racing, they always have my back.”

“The Rally and SuperRally events are going to be amazing this year at X Games, and I’m excited to be part of etnies,” said Foust.  “It’s always a highlight of the season to compete in Los Angeles and the Ford Fiestas are the cars to beat this year.”

Known for his winning track record, Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust is one of only four drivers that have been invited to compete in every X Games Rally competition – scoring gold in 2007, silver in 2008 and bronze in 2009. Foust represented Team USA in the annual Race of Champions twice, has earned two Formula DRIFT championship titles, a Production Rally championship title and five Ice Racing championships.  He is also well-known for his driving off the track, with appearances as the lead stunt driver in the films Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, Bourne Ultimatum, Dukes of Hazzard, Red Dawn and Iron Man 2.  He is currently an on-air host for the TV show Supercars Exposed, and was also picked as co-presenter for the US version of the seminal BBC auto show, Top Gear.

Check out the new Tanner Foust feature on etnies.com, and stay tuned to etnies’ website for updates on the team.

Find Tanner on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/tannerfoustracing or follow him on Twitter: @tannerfoust.

About etnies:
Established in 1986, etnies is the first skateboarder-owned and operated global action sports footwear and apparel company. etnies not only pushed the envelope by creating the first pro model skate shoe, but it pioneered technological advances  and changed the face of skateboard footwear forever. Today etnies’ vision, led by owner and skateboarder Pierre-André Senizergues, is to remain the leading action sports company committed to creating innovative products that provide the most style, comfort and protection possible.  etnies stays true to its roots by sponsoring a world class team of skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, moto x and BMX riders and continues its dedication by giving back to each of these communities.  For additional information, visit etnies.com.

Press Contact:

Ashton Maxfield

etnies Public Relations

949.900.2884 or ashton.maxfield@soletechnology.com

Unusually hot weather in Washington brought out thousands of enthusiastic fans for two days of close competition. The action was so intense that Foust faced four one-more-time calls on his way to the win.

“I haven’t seen that level of commitment – and carnage – in a competition in a long time,” said Foust. “That was some of the hardest driving I’ve ever done.”

The die-hard Northwestern fans flock to this course for its banked, high-speed first corner before an infield section that includes a series of tight turns, a close trackside wall and no margin for error.

“The course is incredible, and to run it just inches from another driver’s door is just an insane feeling,” said Foust.

The Rockstar Energy Drink SCION tC, prepared by Papadakis Racing, proved reliable throughout the grueling event, where Foust faced two one-more-time calls from the judges in the Top 32 match-up against Forrest Wang and again in the Final Four against Darren McNamara.

“The Rockstar Energy Scion tC and our Hankook Tires took a beating out there and were excellent performers through a very long weekend of competition,” said team owner Stephan Papadakis. “We put more miles on the car here than usual and the car is still perfect at the end of the day.”

Foust is campaigning the series for a second year in the V8-powered Rockstar Energy Drink SCION tC. He is looking to become the first driver to earn three championship titles in the series.

“Winning one of these events is a huge accomplishment and we’re ecstatic to be that team this weekend,” said Papadakis. “But we’re not going to lose our focus: our goal is the championship.”

The Rockstar Energy team put in a strong performance at the opening three rounds of the series, with Foust securing third-place points in front of a sell-out crowd at the season opener in Long Beach. Round 2 saw Foust knocked out during the Top 16 in a surprising upset, while he climbed into the top three in the standings after another podium at Round 3.

Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport with an emphasis on car control skill. Drivers compete in knock-out heats on a closed course, sliding sideways at high speed in trials judged on speed and style. With origins in Japan, it is the fastest growing form of motorsport in the world.

Foust and the Rockstar Energy Drink SCION tC return to Formula DRIFT competition August 20-21 when Formula DRIFT Slides into Sin City’s Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

ABOUT TANNER FOUST —

Versatile Tanner Foust is a two-time Formula Drift Formula DRIFT champion (2007, 2008). He has been invited to every X Games Rally competition, with the Rockstar Energy Drink 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 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 can also be seen driving in numerous popular TV shows and commercials.

He 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.

ABOUT PAPADAKIS RACING —

Team owner Stephan Papadakis is a legend of sport-compact racing who began building his reputation in the 1990s with the first front-wheel-drive, tube-chassis drag car in the U.S.

The team earned multiple records and championships in the discipline, turning in elapsed times and trap speeds previously thought unattainable in front-drive drag cars. Papadakis’ successes in front-wheel drive were matched by his efforts in rear-wheel drive when he campaigned a Civic that became only the fifth car to join the NHRA’s Sport Compact 200 MPH club.

The team began drifting in 2005, and invited Tanner Foust to join them a year later. Papadakis Racing has shown impressive results in five years of Formula DRIFT competition, earning two championship titles (2007, 2008). The Rockstar Energy Drink SCION tC is the team’s latest competition build.

PAPADAKIS RACING IS PARTNERED WITH:

Rockstar Energy Drink, Scion, Hankook Tire, AEM, Tokico Performance Shocks, Memphis Car Audio, ACT Clutch, Eneos Oil, Motegi Wheels, SPC Performance, Magnaflow Exhaust

MORE INFORMATION/MEDIA IMAGES/INQUIRIES:

pr@galeandco.com

www.tannerfoust.com

But the driver emerged from the contest with sixth-place in the standings after he drew a black flag during the fiercely competitive main event. Officials declared a knock into teammate Andreas Eriksson too aggressive and, even though Eriksson insisted the incident wasn’t Foust’s fault, the rallycross newcomer wound up with a penalty.

“The sport is wild and race contact is part of the game,” said Foust. “But there’s a fine line between aggression and being deemed too aggressive and that’s part of my learning curve.”

The event in Höljes, Sweden, was the rookie Foust’s third round of the European Rallycross Championship. He has qualified for the A-Final main event twice this season, and is rapidly becoming a threat in the series. The versatile driver is the first American to compete in the FIA European Rallycross Championship.

The rallycross in Höljes, about 300 miles northwest of Stockholm, is a season highlight, with a course featuring massive jumps and blind corners. The event draws more than 30,000 enthusiastic fans to take in the action.

“This is an incredible event,” said Foust. “These hoards of people camp in the woods for the entire week and overrun a town that normally only has a population of 100.  The enthusiasm for the racing is absolutely fierce!”

Foust took on a tough field at the hotly contested Lydden Hill round last month to emerge with his first top-five result. In what was only his second event, he battled through a tough field to advance to the final heat before a driveshaft failure took him out of podium contention.

Foust is scheduled to contest five European Rallycross events this season in a 600-horsepower, all-wheel drive Rockstar Energy Rallycross Ford Fiesta prepared by champion Eriksson’s Olsbergs MSE Ford team.

“Mechanically, the Fiestas were perfect.  We made small changes to set-up for weather but otherwise had no issues,” said Foust. “It was really a great weekend for the team getting their two cars into one of the most difficult A-Finals in the series.”

He got his first feel for the vehicle at X Games in 2009 when he drove one of the team cars to a bronze medal. This summer’s X Games contest in Los Angeles will feature an American version of the rallycross discipline, known as SuperRally. Foust will compete both in the traditional rally event, as well as the SuperRally contest, where it is hoped his European Rallycross experience will give him the edge on the competition.

Foust is a two-time Formula Drift champion and X Games Rally gold medalist who has twice represented Team USA at the international Race of Champions.

Rallycross is a blend of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition. It promises intense crowd-pleasing action in a fan-friendly track environment. Six drivers line up to start at once, piloting high-horsepower compact cars through race traffic over a challenging short course that features jumps, unbanked turns, hills and transitions between pavement and gravel.

Foust’s 2010 competition schedule also includes a return to the Formula Drift series in his Rockstar Energy Drink Scion TC, ESPN’s Summer X Games and select rally events.
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.

Even if you haven’t seen Foust on the track you’ve likely witnessed his precision car control on TV or the big screen. He 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.

TANNER FOUST’S RALLYCROSS PROGRAM IS MADE POSSIBLE BY:

Rockstar Energy Drink (www.rockstar69.com); Ford Racing (www.ford.com); Etnies (www.etnies.com); Memphis Car Audio (www.memphiscaraudio.com); Fulmer Helmets (www.fulmerhelmets.com); Motegi (www.motegiracing.com); Alpinestars (www.alpinestars.com); Lucas Oil (ww.lucasoil.com); Olsbergs/MSE (www.olsbergs.se); AEM (www.aempower.com); Öhlins (www.ohlins.com; Teknines (www. teknines.com)

FOR MORE INFORMATION visit www.tannerfoust.com. To arrange interviews or find out more, contact pr@galeandco.com . Photos by Jan Tore Brustad.

The event in Höljes, Sweden, is a season highlight for the European Rallycross Championship, with more than 30,000 to pack into stands to take in the action.

“Rallycross is an exciting and ridiculously aggressive sport, which makes it ideal for spectators,” said Foust. “This round of the championship in Sweden is incredibly popular with fans – it’s really a cultural event with racing at its center — and I’m really glad we were able to make Sweden part of this year’s season.”

The driver, who is running his rookie season in the series, took on a tough field at the hotly contested Lydden Hill round last month to emerge with his first top-five result. In what was only his second event, he battled through a tough field to advance to the final heat before a driveshaft failure took him out of podium contention.

“Imagine strapping yourself into an angry little 600 hp car in a real-life video game and you’ll get an idea of what European rallycross is like.” said Foust, who will be among more than 40 drivers set to contest the top Division 1 category at the event.

Foust is scheduled to contest five European Rallycross events this season in a 600-horsepower, all-wheel drive Rockstar Energy Rallycross Ford Fiesta prepared by champion Andreas Eriksson’s Olsbergs MSE Ford team. The versatile driver is the first American to compete in the FIA European Rallycross Championship.

He got his first feel for the vehicle at X Games in 2009 when he drove one of the team cars to a bronze medal. This summer’s X Games contest in Los Angeles will feature an American version of the rallycross discipline, known as SuperRally. Foust will compete both in the traditional rally event, as well as the SuperRally contest, where it is hoped his European Rallycross experience will give him the edge on the competition.

Foust is a two-time Formula Drift champion and X Games Rally gold medalist who has twice represented Team USA at the international Race of Champions.

The sport is a blend of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition. It promises intense crowd-pleasing action in a fan-friendly track environment. Six drivers line up to start at once, piloting high-horsepower compact cars through race traffic over a challenging short course that features jumps, unbanked turns, hills and transitions between pavement and gravel.

Foust’s 2010 competition schedule also includes a return to the Formula Drift series in his Rockstar Energy Drink Scion TC, ESPN’s Summer X Games and select rally events.
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.

Even if you haven’t seen Foust on the track you’ve likely witnessed his precision car control on TV or the big screen. He 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.

TANNER FOUST’S RALLYCROSS PROGRAM IS MADE POSSIBLE BY:

Rockstar Energy Drink (www.rockstar69.com); Ford Racing (www.ford.com); Etnies (www.etnies.com); Memphis Car Audio (www.memphiscaraudio.com); Fulmer Helmets (www.fulmerhelmets.com); Motegi (www.motegiracing.com); Alpinestars (www.alpinestars.com); Lucas Oil (ww.lucasoil.com); Olsbergs/MSE (www.olsbergs.se); AEM (www.aempower.com); Öhlins (www.ohlins.com; Teknines (www. teknines.com)

FOR MORE INFORMATION visit www.tannerfoust.com. To arrange interviews or find out more, contact pr@galeandco.com .

The result moves Foust into third-place in the series standings, with four rounds remaining in the season.

Fans packed the stands in the clear, 90-degree-plus weather to watch the action on the challenging banked-oval track, while Formula DRIFT’s live webcast saw hundreds of thousands of hits over the course of the two-day contest. The enthusiastic crowd was treated to plenty of action, multiple crashes and tough competition.

“Consistency is obviously the key with such a short season and, with drifting, the only thing you can count on is chaos,” said Foust. “I was surprised at how much carnage there was this weekend; in one round, I almost had a car flip over right in front of me.”

The team saw one of the closest calls of the contest when a competitor lost a wheel and launched over it just inches from Foust’s front bumper during the Top 16 round. A quick reaction on Foust’s part allowed him to avert disaster and he moved ahead to the next round.

The Rockstar Energy Drink SCION tC, prepared by Papadakis Racing, proved sturdy when Foust had a brush with a notoriously treacherous trackside barrier later in the contest. The incident knocked off some bodywork, but did no further damage.

The podium finish was a redemption of sorts for the driver, who found himself knocked out in the Top 32 round at this contest in 2009.

“Last year, two podiums in three starts would have put me in the lead in the championship,” said Foust. “Everybody still has work to do but we’re feeling good about our chances.”

The team is looking forward to the next rounds where, team owner Stephan Papadakis said, the higher-speed tracks will favor the NASCAR V-8 power in the Rockstar Energy SCION tC.

“The car is handling well, and we’ve got the power to excel at the next rounds,” said Papadakis. “We’re happy with where the development is going during our second season with the car.”

The two-time Formula DRIFT champion is campaigning the series for a second year in the V8-powered Rockstar Energy Drink SCION tC. Foust is looking to become the first driver to earn three championship titles in the series.

The Rockstar Energy team put in a strong performance at the opening two rounds of the series, with Foust securing third-place points in front of a sell-out crowd at the season opener in Long Beach. Round 2 saw Foust knocked out during the Top 16 in a surprising upset.

Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport with an emphasis on car control skill. Drivers compete in knock-out heats on a closed course, sliding sideways at high speed in trials judged on speed and style. With origins in Japan, it is the fastest growing form of motorsport in the world.

Foust and the Rockstar Energy Drink SCION tC return to Formula DRIFT competition July 9-10 when the action continues at Round 4: Throwdown at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington.

ABOUT TANNER FOUST —

Versatile Tanner Foust is a two-time Formula Drift Formula DRIFT champion (2007, 2008). He has been invited to every X Games Rally competition, with the Rockstar Energy Drink 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 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 can also be seen driving in numerous popular TV shows and commercials.

He 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.

ABOUT PAPADAKIS RACING —

Team owner Stephan Papadakis is a legend of sport-compact racing who began building his reputation in the 1990s with the first front-wheel-drive, tube-chassis drag car in the U.S.

The team earned multiple records and championships in the discipline, turning in elapsed times and trap speeds previously thought unattainable in front-drive drag cars. Papadakis’ successes in front-wheel drive were matched by his efforts in rear-wheel drive when he campaigned a Civic that became only the fifth car to join the NHRA’s Sport Compact 200 MPH club.

The team began drifting in 2005, and invited Tanner Foust to join them a year later. Papadakis Racing has shown impressive results in five years of Formula DRIFT competition, earning two championship titles (2007, 2008). The Rockstar Energy Drink SCION tC is the team’s latest competition build.

PAPADAKIS RACING IS PARTNERED WITH:

Rockstar Energy Drink, Scion, Hankook Tire, AEM, Tokico Performance Shocks, Memphis Car Audio, ACT Clutch, Eneos Oil, Motegi Wheels, SPC Performance, Magnaflow Exhaust

MORE INFORMATION/MEDIA IMAGES/INQUIRIES:

pr@galeandco.com

www.tannerfoust.com