WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 31, 2016) — Tanner Foust edged the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle onto the podium on Saturday after an exciting weekend of rallycross in the nation’s capital. With four races remaining in the 2016 Global Rallycross season, Foust holds a six-point lead in the standings over Volkswagen teammate Scott Speed.
“There was nothing easy about this weekend,” said Foust, who finished third on Saturday. “The Volkswagen team did a fantastic job with our cars and a result like this feels great.”
Competition was tough on a fast new track on the grounds of RFK Stadium. Although it is the third year that the series has made the D.C. stop, this year’s .9-mile track configuration was all new. Its high-speed straightaway, a joker shortcut that shaved more than three seconds off the lap time, and a 70-foot dirt jump on the final turn made for exciting competition that brought fans to their feet.
Foust earned the holeshot in both of his heats and led wire to wire while other drivers battled behind him. In Semifinal competition, he fought off an aggressive challenge by Patrik Sandell, who used his joker-lap shortcut to briefly lead the race. But Foust was able to fight him back, reclaiming the lead to cross the line first and earn a front-row starting position for the final.
In the final, Foust found himself shuffled to mid-pack off the start. He battled back to the front of the field alongside Brian Deegan. The two former teammates put on the best show of the weekend as they ran door-to-door for most of the race. A misstep by Foust saw him over-rotate and spin out mid-race while trying to make a pass and fans roared as he recovered to charge back into podium contention. On the final lap, Foust found a way past and claimed the third step of the podium to hold his championship lead.
“That race with Brian was intense,” said Foust. “It was unreal to go from being backwards to back in the hunt for the podium. When I spun out, I thought it was all over but I just kept pushing.”
The D.C. race is close to home for manufacturer Volkswagen, which has its U.S. headquarters in nearby Herndon, Virginia. It was a homecoming for Foust, who spent some of his high school years in the region, and he stayed late on Friday to sign autographs and had many friends and family in the stands. The team also welcomed kids from the local children’s hospital, who braved the weather with their parents to visit with the drivers and see the cars.
Foust has led the championship for every race since his opening round victory in Phoenix. The two-time series champion holds the all-time podium record with 22. Next for Foust and the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle is the brand new Atlantic City stop August 28.
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.
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
