INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (July 5, 2017) – Global Rallycross points leader Tanner Foust is heading to Indianapolis this weekend to compete for the first time in the city his Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team calls home. Foust said he is looking forward to being able to race for a crowd that includes his teammates’ friends and family members.
“I usually go to Indy for meetings and prep, but being able to race close to home for so many of our team members makes it a special weekend for everybody,” said Foust. “I’m looking forward to having the chance to finally meet the people I’ve heard so much about from my colleagues since I joined this team in 2014.”
The Rockstar Energy Drink driver is in the lead of the Global Rallycross Championship as the season rounds its mid-point. He has a record of two wins and two second-place finishes in six races so far this year. He heads into Round 7 with momentum on his side after a pair of podium results three weeks ago at the doubleheader race in Canada.
This weekend may mark Foust’s first rallycross competition in the city, but he is no stranger to local race fans. In 2011, Tanner Foust set a ramp-to-ramp distance jump world record in Indianapolis with a spectacular live stunt at the start of the Indy 500. He sped down a larger-than-life Hot Wheels V-Drop track set — a 90 ft. ramp, suspended on an enormous 100-foot tall door — in a modified truck, and flew 332 feet across the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The record stood for five years.
The city of Indianapolis is known as a motorsport hotspot, host to the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400. The Global Rallycross event takes place for the first time at Lucas Oil Raceway complex, a multi-purpose facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, which features a drag strip, oval and road course. The rallycross course configuration this weekend uses portions of the oval and infield, and features 30 per cent dirt as well as the series’ typical 70-foot jump.
Rallycross is an action-packed blend of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally. Drivers line up in heats of up to 10 cars for hard-hitting competition over a challenging short course featuring jumps, unbanked turns, hills and transitions between pavement and gravel.
Full coverage of this weekend’s Global Rallycross Championship race airs on NBC Sunday, July 9 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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 on television and handles stunt driving in 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, e-Golf, Golf, Golf Alltrack, 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 http://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 http://www.RockstarEnergy.com
