Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust fastest in GRC New England doubleheader Two-time series champion wins Round 3

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

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