JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (July 4, 2016) — Despite a frustrating weekend in North
Carolina, Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust remains in the lead of the Global
Rallycross points as the 2016 season rounds its midpoint.
“We’ve had quite a bit of weather and variety in track surfaces this year and our team
has been really good at adapting to that.” said Foust, who won the first race of the
season and has not dropped out of the top spot of the
standings since then.
The two-time series champion put in a strong performance early in the weekend to win
both his opening heats and the semifinal and earn a pole position start in the first
scheduled final of this doubleheader weekend. In the process, Foust brought his tally
of heat and semifinal wins to 17 this season — a series
record.
As a band of storms swept through on Saturday, dousing the track, cars took to the
start under sloppy conditions. Foust got the early lead and continued to build a gap to
the field as drivers behind him fought to stay in control on
the slippery course.
“I had a little bit of luck, and I also feel comfortable in the mud and the slime because
of rally racing and ice driving,” said Foust, who competed in rally and spent winters
teaching ice driving early in his career.
But disaster struck on the fifth lap of the race when Foust’s engine began to show
signs of trouble. He opted to pull off course rather than risk damage that would follow
him to the second race of the doubleheader on Sunday, and scored eighth place
points.
In Sunday racing, Foust again looked strong, qualifying at the top of the leaderboard
and winning his semifinal race to start the main event from pole position. But another
line of thunderstorms tore through the region and forced officials to cancel the
remaining competition. It is not yet known how the series will award points earned on
Sunday or if another race will be added to the schedule, but Foust will be looking to
take advantage of the pole position he earned.
Drivers and teams had the opportunity to spend three days at MCAS New River to put
on a show for the service men and women stationed there, and their families. Despite
the rain for the Sunday main event, there was still plenty of time for autographs, photos
and on-track action.
“It really is a special vibe,” said Foust, who spent his childhood years moving from
place to place with his own military family. “You really want to pay a little extra attention
to every kid and every family: either their mom or dad isn’t standing with them because
they’re deployed somewhere fighting for our country.”
Next, the series travels to Washington, DC, for Round 8 at RFK Stadium July 30. The
event will be a homecoming for Foust, who spent some of his high school years in the
region. It is also near the home of Volkswagen of America’s in Herndon, Virginia,
headquarters.
“The DC track has been different each year that we’ve been there but it does tend to
be a tighter, more technical track,” said Foust “Our team has done an amazing job of
giving us cars that are easy to drive and so the more challenging the track, I think the
better it is for the Volkswagen Beetles.”
Full coverage of Global Rallycross Championship action airs live on NBC and is
available online live and on-demand.
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 as
host of the U.S. version of the seminal BBC auto show Top Gear, produced by BBC
Worldwide Productions for the HISTORY channel.
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 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
