LOS ANGELES, California (October 11, 2016) — After a high-scoring year in the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle, driver Tanner Foust earned a runner-up result in the 2016 Global Rallycross championship.
The Volkswagen team already had something to celebrate before they arrived at the season ender: they locked up the manufacturer’s championship at the previous round. Foust narrowly missed the title on Sunday after a strong season that saw him take seven podiums in 12 rounds, including four wins, a second and two third-place results. He landed in the record books with an unbroken streak of 26 consecutive heat race wins.
Foust also received the series’ Fan Favorite prize at the year-end awards ceremony on Monday. He is a four-time recipient of the honor, which is selected annually by fan vote.
It was a tough final day of competition on Sunday that saw him end the season just six points behind Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross teammate Scott Speed. “I’m proud of the team and I’m happy for Scott,” said Foust. “I feel like we both did our jobs this year as drivers but it’s very much bittersweet for me. I really would have liked to follow through on the season and finish first.”
The Global Rallycross season wrapped up at the Port of Los Angeles with an intense doubleheader weekend. First round action saw Foust earn a pair of second-place finishes in heat racing and win his semifinal en route to a podium finish.
On Saturday, he qualified near the top of the leaderboard and led his heat race from wire to wire. But his luck turned during semifinal racing as he and rival Brian Deegan traded hits, making contact several times throughout the race.
Foust made a thrilling pass at the line to finish third and advance to the main event, but officials ruled him at fault for aggressive driving and demoted him into the LCQ. “Brian never went to the brakes into one corner and I went all the way to the wall,” said Foust. “When I paid him back, I got a penalty.”
Foust won the LCQ but had a tough third-row starting position for the most important race of the season. “When you start in eighth with a mess of a grid of 12 cars, you know it’s going to be mayhem,” said Foust.
With nothing to lose, Foust made an incredible outside move to pass through two rows of traffic and slot into third place by the first corner. He started to put the pressure on Speed, following his teammate into the joker and working to get a nose in to make the pass. But the opportunity never materialized and Foust finished fourth.
“I want to thank everyone on my team, my sponsors and fans, for supporting me all season long,” said Foust. “The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Team did an amazing job of putting together an incredible car for me this year and it’s game on for next season with Scott: the race is on for the first driver to get three championship titles.”
Live coverage of each championship round aired this season on NBC.
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.
Foust will wrap up his competition season overseas when he travels to Germany for a guest appearance in the World RX of Germany October 14-16.
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 in films and on television, most recently as host of the U.S. version of the seminal BBC auto show Top Gear.
Foust also handles stunt driving in numerous 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, Eos, e-Golf, Golf, 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 http://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
