Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust fights in
Spanish final
Next: driver heads to Barbados with hopes of extending GRC podium streak
BARCELONA, Spain (September 20, 2015) — Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust wrapped up his select season of events in the FIA World Rallycross Championship with a fifth place result at the historic Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
A stacked field of more than 40 Supercars made for an exciting two days of racing in front of the 25,000 spectators that packed into the venue. Foust said the energy was incredible. “It is great to see new fans come to an F1 track and see the excitement of rallycross in a new city,” said Foust.
For the American driver’s fourth World RX appearance of the season, he returned to the Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo that he drove to a podium result in Canada last month. But he had a slow start to the weekend when he found himself struggling for visibility and clipped a wall in his first heat.
“I got in some dust and I thought I was in the right spot, but I wasn’t,” said Foust. “The crew got the car back into shape for the second heat but with so many fast cars shooting for just six spots in the final, it is very tough to recover from a problem like that early in the weekend.”
Strong results in the remaining heat races — including posting the second-fastest time in the third round — saw him take one of 12 semifinal positions. From there, he went on to set a fastest lap in his semifinal race and secure a spot in the main event.
The World RX course ran a modified track configuration that made for tight racing, with exciting elevation changes, a big jump, and little room for passing. In the final, Foust battled off the start and into a first-corner pile-up. He emerged with his Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Polo intact and fought door-to-door with Davy Jeanney throughout the race but couldn’t find a way past him to the podium; they crossed the line together in a near photo finish.
Foust said it has been an amazing five years in rallycross since he ran his first partial season in the European championship in 2010, and became the first American driver ever to win a round in 2011.
“It is great to see the sport grow so much so fast,” said Foust. “The consistency of the racing, the speed of the cars and the drivers… It’s really incredible how the level has changed.”
It was a first visit for the championship to Barcelona and marked the return of rallycross to Spain for the first time since 1989. Foust was invited to join the X Games field in Barcelona for X Games in 2013 but the race, set for the city’s Olympic Stadium, was rained out.
Also this weekend, Foust accepted the title of international ambassador of Drive for Life, the official charity partner of the FIA European Rallycross Championship. The Norwegian charity aims to help underprivileged children by providing support to individuals and their communities through an automotive focused program. Foust met more than 100 young people in attendance with the charity, inviting them into his paddock area to sign autographs and take pictures.
Next, Foust returns to the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle to race a critical Global Rallycross doubleheader weekend in Barbados October 3 and 4. He hopes to continue the momentum built earlier this month when he scored double podium results with the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team in Los Angeles.
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. As many as 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. It is sometimes described as an action motorsport and is emerging as the top youth-market motorsport in the world.
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 also 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 also 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.
A dominant driver in the sport of rallycross, Foust is the only American driver ever to win a round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. He made his rallycross debut overseas in 2010 with a select campaign and finished both 2011 and 2012 ranked in the top three. At home, Foust has been a leading driver in the sport since it was first introduced to the United States in 2010, and in 2014 won the New York round of the Global Rallycross Championship for the new Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team.
His varied competition experience includes multiple years of open wheel racing, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, rally racing, off-road truck competition, 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 in films and on television. He is an on-air host for the U.S. version of the seminal BBC auto show Top Gear, produced by BBC Worldwide Productions and airing on the HISTORY channel. Episodes of his online documentary series, Life in the Foust Lane, are available on the Rockstar Energy Drink YouTube channel.
Foust also handles stunt driving in numerous popular films, TV shows and commercials. He is featured as a stunt driver in the Need 4 Speed film, 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 movies.
ABOUT ROCKSTAR
Rockstar Energy Drink is designed for those who lead active lifestyles — from athletes to Rockstars. Available in over 20 flavors at convenience and grocery outlets in over 30 countries, Rockstar supports the Rockstar lifestyle across the globe through action sports, motor sports, and live music. For more information visit: http://www.RockstarEnergy.com
