IRWINDALE, CA (October 11 2010, PAPADAKIS RACING) – Tanner Foust finished the 2010 Formula DRIFT season atop the podium this weekend in the Rockstar Energy Drink Scion tC at California’s Irwindale Speedway.
The victory moved Foust up a spot in the 2010 standings to finish the season in second-place. The win at Irwindale Speedway was the team’s fifth podium in seven rounds of competition.
“I’ve never been so pumped to win a drift event,” said Foust. “The speed, the risks taken behind the wheel, the crashes and the 15,000-plus fans all were over the top for one incredible night of battle!”
A sell-out crowd packed grandstands, with fans cheering wildly for some of the most competitive head-to-head drifting of the year as Foust moved through the elimination rounds. In the Final 4, an incredible one-more-time contest saw Foust edge past Darren McNamara and into the final, where he faced down Vaughn Gittin Jr.
The first set of tandem battles was too close to call and it took another one-more-time round to decide the event. Foust kept the pressure on and, after a precise, high-speed lead run and an aggressive follow, he took the win at the season-ender.
“”Those were two of the hardest-fought runs I have ever had and it’s a testament to the high level of competition this year,” said Foust, who campaigned the Formula DRIFT series in 2010 for a second season in the V8-powered Rockstar Energy Drink SCION tC.
With a record of five podiums in seven starts and victories at Washington’s Evergreen Speedway in July and this weekend in Irwindale, two-time Formula DRIFT champion Foust said he had to fight for every round.
“I beat the tar out of the car this season and the Rockstar Energy scion never skipped a beat,” said Foust.
The event win also secured Foust the Tires.com Triple Crown, a championship subseries that awards a $10,000 prize purse to the top points finisher in a select three rounds – Road Atlanta, Evergreen Speedway, and Irwindale Speedway. It is Foust’s first Tires.com Triple Crown victory.
“I can finally close the door on my hunt for the Triple Crown,” said Foust. “I’ve been chasing it for years and after being so close multiple times, I want to give it up to Tires.com for the opportunity.”
Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport with an emphasis on car control skill. Drivers compete in knockout heats on a closed course, sliding sideways at high speed in trials judged on speed and style. With origins in Japan, it is the fastest growing form of motorsport in the world.
“We put together an incredible 2010 Formula DRIFT campaign,” said team owner Stephan Papadakis. “Thanks to the whole team: Tanner, technicians Shawn Hillier and Aldo Villagran, and all of our sponsors. Five podiums – including two overall wins – in a seven-event season is definitely something we can all be proud of.”
ABOUT TANNER FOUST —
Versatile Tanner Foust is a two-time Formula Drift Formula DRIFT champion (2007, 2008). He has more X Games rally medals than any other competitor, with the Rockstar Energy Drink driver scoring double gold medals in 2010, another gold in 2007, silver in 2008 and bronze in 2009. He has twice represented Team USA in the annual Race of Champions, teaming with NASCAR star Carl Edwards in 2008 and Travis Pastrana in 2009.
His race experience also includes multiple seasons of open wheel competition, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, a Production Rally Championship title and the SCORE Baja.
Also a stunt driver, Foust was a lead driver in the Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, Bourne Ultimatum, Dukes of Hazzard, Red Dawn and Iron Man 2 movies, and can also be seen driving in numerous popular TV shows and commercials.
He is currently an on-air host for Battle of the Supercars, and was also picked as co-presenter for the US version of the seminal BBC auto show, Top Gear.
ABOUT PAPADAKIS RACING —
Team owner Stephan Papadakis is a legend of sport-compact racing who began building his reputation in the 1990s with the first front-wheel-drive, tube-chassis drag car in the U.S.
The team earned multiple records and championships in the discipline, turning in elapsed times and trap speeds previously thought unattainable in front-drive drag cars. Papadakis’ successes in front-wheel drive were matched by his efforts in rear-wheel drive when he campaigned a Civic that became only the fifth car to join the NHRA’s Sport Compact 200 MPH club.
The team began drifting in 2005, and invited Tanner Foust to join them a year later. Papadakis Racing has shown impressive results in five years of Formula DRIFT competition, earning two championship titles (2007, 2008). The Rockstar Energy Drink SCION tC is the team’s latest competition build.
PAPADAKIS RACING IS PARTNERED WITH:
Rockstar Energy Drink, Scion, Hankook Tire, AEM, Tokico Performance Shocks, Memphis Car Audio, ACT Clutch, Eneos Oil, Motegi Wheels, SPC Performance, Magnaflow Exhaust
FOR MORE INFORMATION: To arrange interviews or find out more, contact fred@beyondmg.com.
