THOMPSON, Connecticut (June 5, 2017) -Tanner Foust put the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle on the top of the podium on Saturday, scoring a perfect first day of this weekend’s Global Rallycross New England doubleheader.
Foust qualified on top of the leaderboard and won every heat on his way to the
overall victory in Round 3.
“I’m thrilled to get a win here. This track was tough: it felt like every
lap was four or five different races all rolled into one,” said Foust.
“It might have looked smooth on the surface, but a doubleheader on such a
difficult track is more than double the work for the team and our Volkswagen
Andretti Rallycross crew killed it this weekend.”
It was a podium return for the driver this season. He finished second at the
Memphis season opener in late April.
Foust’s diverse competition background proved beneficial at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. The modified Global Rallycross configuration offered an unusual mix of features, incorporating a counter-clockwise run on part of a high-banked oval, a long dirt transition with an unusual kicker, the series’ traditional 70-foot jump, and a few turns of the facility’s permanent
road course.
Conditions changed constantly as the series’ 600-horsepower, all-wheel drive
machines tore into it with every lap.
“There was a lot of dirt and it got rougher and rougher the more we raced
it,” said Foust. “For drivers, the challenge was about trying to go
as fast as we could while still avoiding huge holes and ruts. It made me think
about racing Class 11 in Baja.”
The driver’s motorsport experience includes rally, rallycross and drifting, as
well as sports car, open-wheel and off-road competition. He is a two-time
champion in both Global Rallycross and Formula Drift. “I’m fortunate to
have a real mix of competition experience and that definitely helped to read
the conditions and find the pace in New England,” he said.
On Sunday, the second day of racing started much like the first for Foust. He
was the fastest in qualifying and took wins in every heat and semifinal race to
line up on pole position for the main event.
When the lights went green for the final, he darted off the
line and quickly built a lead. By Lap 7, he was more than four seconds ahead of
the rest of the field and it looked promising that the two-time series champion
would make it a weekend sweep.
But, while negotiating the roughest dirt section on the
track, he struck a hole and broke a wheel, causing him to spin into a tire
barrier and ending his day.
“I thought I had every pothole located but I missed one. Like a landmine, I hit it and it broke one of the wheels and damaged the car to the point where it caught on fire briefly,” said Foust. “The guys built a car that can handle a track like this heat after heat and I feel really bad for not giving them the win on Day 2.”
Foust remains second in the points, behind teammate Scott Speed.
Rallycross is a blend of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition.
The heat-based format promises intense crowd-pleasing action in a
fan-friendly track environment. Up to 10 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.
The next stop for the Global Rallycross Championship series is set for the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa June 17-18. Full coverage of every round of Global Rallycross Championship action airs live on NBC.
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, national championships and world records. He is a three-time U.S. rallycross champion (2012, 2011, 2010) who has also won four X Games gold medals (2013, 2010, 2007), and two Formula Drift championships (2008, 2007).
He has held multiple world records including for the astonishing Hot Wheels
Double Loop Dare, which saw Foust drive a car through a 66-foot loop-the-loop.
He scored the indoor speed record for TV’s Top Gear USA, and set a distance
jump record with Hot Wheels when he made a 332′ ramp-to-ramp leap in a truck at
the Indy 500.
His varied race experience also includes multiple years of open wheel
competition, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, rally racing, various types of sports car
racing and the SCORE Baja. He has represented the USA in the annual Race of
Champions three times, teaming with NASCAR star Carl Edwards in 2008, Travis
Pastrana in 2009, and Mick Doohan in 2010.
When he isn’t racing, the professional driver also performs
on television and handles stunt driving in popular films, TV shows and
commercials. He is featured as a stunt driver in Need 4 Speed, as well as other
major releases including the Bourne Legacy, Bourne Ultimatum, Fast and Furious:
Tokyo Drift, Dukes of Hazzard, Red Dawn and Iron Man 2.
ABOUT VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc., an operating
unit of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VWoA) is headquartered in Herndon,
Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg,
Germany. VWoA’s operations in the United States include research and
development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales,
marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state-of-the-art
manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Volkswagen Group is one
of the world’s largest producers of passenger cars and Europe’s largest
automaker. VWoA sells the Beetle, Beetle Convertible, CC, e-Golf, Golf, Golf
Alltrack, Golf GTI, Golf R, Golf SportWagen, Jetta, Passat, Tiguan and Touareg
vehicles through approximately 652 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen
of America online at www.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.
ABOUT ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT
Based in Indianapolis and led by racing legend Michael Andretti, Andretti Autosport boasts a wide racing portfolio rooted in tradition and designed for success. Together with Andretti Formula E and Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross, Andretti Autosport fields multiple entries in the IndyCar Series and Indy Lights, along with entries in the FIA Formula E Championship and Global
Rallycross. The company boasts four IndyCar Series championships (2004, 2005, 2007, 2012), two Indy Lights titles (2008, 2009), one Pro Mazda championship (2013) and one USF2000 championship (2010) and has captured victory at the famed Indianapolis 500 four times (2005, 2007, 2014, 2016). Additionally the team holds two X Games Gold Medals and one Global
Rallycross championship (2015). To share in the Andretti
story, please visit online at AndrettiAutosport.com and
follow along on Twitter via @FollowAndretti.
ABOUT ROCKSTAR
Rockstar Energy Drink is designed for those who lead active lifestyles — from athletes to rockstars. Available in over 25 flavors at convenience and grocery outlets in more than 30 countries, Rockstar supports the rockstar lifestyle across the globe through action sports, motor sports, and live music. More at www.RockstarEnergy.com
