NYIRÁD, HUNGARY (June 4, 2012) — Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust scored another podium this weekend, earning a second-place finish in Hungary at the fourth round of the 2012 European Rallycross Championship.
From the practice sessions through to the final, Foust put in an impressive performance at his first visit to the Nyirádi Motorsport track. He consistently set top times, even as his team worked through an issue with the car’s transmission that cost him time early in the two-day event.
“I’m proud of our accomplishment, knowing we put together some of the best laps of the weekend,” said Foust. “The second-place finish is a little bitter-sweet. It’s hard knowing we had the tools, but didn’t convert them to a win.”
By the final race of the contest the car was performing flawlessly, and Foust logged the fastest time on his last lap. It was a nail-biter of a race that had the 10,000-strong capacity crowd on their feet as Foust battled back from a hard, first-corner hit by a rival driver that knocked him back in the field. He crossed the line in second place, just tenths of a second out of first.
It was the American’s first visit to the Hungarian track, which tested drivers’ technical skills and bravery with a mixed-surface challenge that included a flat-out, fifth-gear jump, elevation changes and technical turns. “It’s possibly the coolest rallycross track in the world,” said Foust.
The American driver has become a favorite since making his debut on the European series in 2010. Fans, including many enthusiastic kids, braved long line-ups for photographs with Foust during autograph sessions at the track.
The Hungarian event was the driver’s second stop in an intense five-week stretch of European and American rallycross competition that will culminate with X Games in downtown Los Angeles on July 1. Foust is racking up plenty of frequent flyer miles as he races on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean every weekend between now and then.
His next stop is the second round of the Global Rallycross Championship, “Hoon Kaboom,” slated to take place at Texas Motor Speedway June 9.
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 and changing track and surface conditions that can include dirt, gravel, and wet and dry tarmac.
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 and national championships.
He is a three-time X Games gold medalist (2007, 2010), and two-time Formula Drift champion (2007, 2008). He has twice represented Team USA in the annual Race of Champions, teaming with NASCAR star Carl Edwards in 2008 and Travis Pastrana in 2009. He returned to the event in 2010 as teammate to Mick Doohan on the All Star Team.
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.
When he isn’t racing, the professional driver also performs in films and on television. He is an on-air host for the US version of the seminal BBC auto show Top Gear, produced by BBC Worldwide Productions and airing on the HISTORY channel.
His stunt driving includes performing as a lead driver in the Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, Bourne Ultimatum, Dukes of Hazzard, Red Dawn and Iron Man 2 movies, and he also handles stunt driving in numerous popular TV shows and commercials.
TANNER FOUST’S RALLYCROSS PROGRAM IS MADE POSSIBLE BY:
Rockstar Energy Drink (www.rockstar69.com); Ford Racing (www.ford.com); Etnies (www.etnies.com) and Motegi (www.motegiracing.com).
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Visit www.TannerFoust.com.
To arrange interviews or find out more, contact fred@beyondmg.com.
PHOTO: Tanner Foust finishes second in the Rockstar Energy Drink Ford Fiesta at
the opening round of the 2012 Global Rallycross Championship at Charlotte Motor
Speedway.
CREDIT: Jakub Nitka/ERC24.com
