OTTAWA, Canada (June 15, 2017) – Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust returns to Canada this weekend to compete in the Global Rallycross doubleheader in Ottawa. It is the first time the series has raced north of the border.
Foust has a record of strong performances in doubleheader
rallycross competition. The driver has landed on the podium in all but two of
the nine doubleheader weekends in series history, including seven outright race
wins.
He won the opening race of the New England doubleheader two weeks ago. He
qualified atop the leaderboard and then took every heat and semifinal race
victory on the way to the main event, which he led wire-to-wire. He looked
poised to make it a sweep the following day until he was sidelined with a
broken wheel late in the final.
Foust says a focused outlook and strong teamwork are the keys to success for back-to-back races. “In doubleheader racing you’re playing more of a long game: you walk a fine line between pushing hard enough to win and preserving the car,” he said. “It’s especially tough on a rallycross course where the track changes and gets harder on your equipment the more you drive on it.”
The Ottawa race is the first Canadian stop for the Global Rallycross Championship, but not for Foust. He has competed in European and world rallycross events in Canada and says he is looking forward to what he knows will be a warm welcome north of the border.
“The fans up north are really enthusiastic,” said Foust. “There is an incredibly strong racing heritage in Canada and I’m excited that we get to take Global Rallycross to the nation’s capital.” Ottawa’s Canada Aviation and Space Museum plays host to series racing this Friday through Sunday with a course that transforms airport runways into a rallycross track. The museum houses a wide variety of civilian and military aircraft, including a collection of vintage bushplanes, various aircraft flown by Canadians in the First World War, Second World War, and the Cold War, as well as the surviving components of the Avro Arrow interceptor from the late 1950s. Also in the collection is Space Shuttle Endeavour’s Canadarm, a Canadian-built robotic arm used in the US space program.
For Foust, an amateur pilot, the venue is a special treat. “There’s nothing better than when my passions come together in one place and I’m excited to see the aviation collection when I get a break in the racing action,” he said.
The Global Rallycross event is one in a slate of activities
celebrating Canada 150, the official campaign this summer to celebrate 150
years since the confederation of Canada.
Full coverage of this weekend’s Global Rallycross Championship action airs
Saturday at 10 p.m. (Eastern) on NBC Sports and Sunday live at 4 p.m. (Eastern)
on NBC.
Rallycross is an action-packed blend of circuit racing, off-road racing and
rally. Drivers line up in heats of up to 10 cars for hard-hitting competition
over a challenging short course featuring jumps, unbanked turns, hills and
transitions between pavement and gravel.
SHARE IT: Driver @TannerFoust is chasing the @GRCSeries championship. Watch live on NBC this weekend. @rockstarenergy @VW
Tanner Foust flies high en route to a win in New England two weeks ago. Doubleheader series competition takes place in Ottawa, Canada, this Friday through Sunday.
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 http://www.RockstarEnergy.com
