Tanner Foust scores double podiums at Southern California
rallycross doubleheader
Global Rallycross races draw packed crowd to Port of Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, California (September 16, 2015) – Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust scored a pair of podiums at the Global Rallycross doubleheader at the Port of Los Angeles.
“A big thanks to the whole Volkswagen Andretti team, our Beetles were super strong out here in Los Angeles and this is huge for all of us,” said Foust, who scored second and third this weekend, on the one-year anniversary of the Beetle’s debut in Los Angeles.
The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross squad was the team to beat all weekend, dominating the top of the leaderboard from the opening sessions on the track. Foust qualified first for the opening race of the weekend and a close second behind teammate Scott Speed the following day.
In Saturday’ s Final, top qualifier Foust stormed off the start and held fast behind Speed to the checkered flag for a one-two result.
In the second race of the doubleheader, Foust qualified a fraction of a second behind his teammate and won both heat races to find himself in the tricky middle starting spot on the front row for the final. He played it safe to avoid the first-corner crunch off the start, only to find himself mid-pack on the tight course. He battled back and by the end of a tough, 10-lap race he had fought back to a third-place result, joining teammate Speed and fellow Rockstar Energy Drink driver Brian Deegan on the podium.
“There were bumpers and wheels everywhere in that first turn and I thought things were under control until a train of cars pushed me outside in the dirt,” said Foust. “I fought to reclaim positions and was ultimately happy to climb back on the podium with my two teammates.”
The series returned this year to Pier 46 at the Port of Los Angeles. The picturesque course, surrounded on three sides by water, was tight and technical and featured a new crossover bridge feature.
The packed crowd was particularly welcoming to Foust, who calls Southern California home. He said he was happy to see familiar faces from diverse areas of his career including X Games, drifting, and Hollywood stunt driving. “It’s such a great mix of a lot of different lives I’ve been lucky to lead,” said Foust.
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 emerging as the top youth-market motorsport in the world.
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 also 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 also 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.
A dominant driver in the sport of rallycross, Foust is the only American driver ever to win a round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. He made his rallycross debut overseas in 2010 with a select campaign and finished both 2011 and 2012 ranked in the top three. At home, Foust has been a leading driver in the sport since it was first introduced to the United States in 2010, and in 2014 won the New York round of the Global Rallycross Championship for the new Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team.
His varied competition experience includes multiple years of open wheel racing, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, rally racing, off-road truck competition, 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. He is an on-air host for the U.S. version of the seminal BBC auto show Top Gear, produced by BBC Worldwide Productions and airing on the HISTORY channel. Episodes of his online documentary series, Life in the Foust Lane, are available on the Rockstar Energy Drink YouTube channel.
Foust also handles stunt driving in numerous popular films, TV shows and commercials. He is featured as a stunt driver in the Need 4 Speed film, 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 movies.
ABOUT ROCKSTAR
Rockstar Energy Drink is designed for those who lead active lifestyles — from athletes to Rockstars. Available in over 20 flavors at convenience and grocery outlets in over 30 countries, Rockstar supports the Rockstar lifestyle across the globe through action sports, motor sports, and live music. For more information visit: http://www.RockstarEnergy.com
