ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (August 29, 2016) – Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust finished fourth in Atlantic City after a tire puncture in Sunday’s Global Rallycross Championship race cost him the lead.
Foust started strong this weekend and, heading into the main event, looked set to add to his all-time wins record. He qualified well and won both his heats, but misfortune struck in his semifinal race when several cars stacked together through a tight corner and Foust found himself turned backwards and sliding off course. The race was red flagged.
“The hit was so hard that I thought I was going to wind up in the ocean,” said Foust, laughing. “We got debriefed this weekend on what you were supposed to do in the unlikely event that you wound up in the water and believe me, I was starting to review my emergency procedures.”
Fortunately, the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle came to a halt on the grassy run-out, well short of the water, and wasn’t damaged. On the restart, Foust took the hole shot and never looked back to earn a front-row starting position for the final. The driver has won every heat and semifinal race he has started this season.
In the main event, he slotted into second off the start and chased Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross teammate Scott Speed through the first corner, then made thrilling mid-air pass over the 70-foot dirt jump to take the lead. “It wasn’t my intention to pass there but when an opportunity presents itself, you take it,” said Foust, whose fearlessness in the air means fans can count on him to make some of the biggest jumps in the series.
Out front and looking confident for his fourth win of the season, his luck ran out. With less than two laps to go, he suffered a flat tire in the rough dirt section. He battled to remain in control as his car swung wildly through the turns, but he couldn’t keep the lead. Even so, he managed to hold on and finish fourth to score valuable championship points.
“It wasn’t the result I wanted but I’ll take every point I can get,” said Foust. With three races remaining in the 2016 season, the two-time series champion is second in the standings, a slim nine points behind his teammate.
At the end of the race, fans stayed late as drivers signed posters and posed for photos in a post-race autograph session. Foust said he was surprised by how many familiar faces he met in the crowd.
“I’m always amazed at how many loyal, longtime fans show up to a place the series has never been before,” said Foust. “We met people who had been to the DC race, and even some fans who watched us way back in 2010 at a track in New Jersey when we first started racing rallycross in the U.S. It’s always a great feeling to reconnect.”
Foust will next have the opportunity to reunite with fans in the Pacific Northwest when the series moves to Evergreen Speedway for Round 10 September 16-17. The Seattle area track is a new venue for Global Rallycross but one that Foust has visited many times before. Most recently, Foust finished in the Top Eight of the Formula Drift championship event there earlier this month as a series guest driver in his 800 horsepower Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Passat.
“Whether I’m up there drifting, driving stage rally, or competing in rallycross, the fans are always very supportive and enthusiastic,” said Foust. “As a driver, you can feel that energy when you line up on the start grid and I can’t wait to get back.”
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
