DALLAS, Texas (September 12, 2016) – Versatile racer Tanner Foust wrapped up a select season of three Formula Drift events this weekend in Texas and is now preparing to resume his Global Rallycross championship charge in the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle.
“I love that I get the chance to go from competing for judges one weekend — sliding side-by-side, inches from somebody’s door — to racing against the clock and tackling 70-foot jumps a week later,” said Foust. “Any day I can get behind the wheel of a race car is a good day.”
The two-time Formula Drift champion left fulltime drift competition after 2010 to focus on rallycross but has made a return to the series in a select schedule of events over the past two years. This season saw the visiting driver score strong Top 8 results in two of the three rounds he contested in his 800-horsepower Rockstar Energy Drink / Nexen Tire Volkswagen Passat.
Foust makes a return to Evergreen Speedway for GRC Seattle September 16-17. For the upcoming rallycross competition, the oval track will be transformed into a mixed-surface challenge featuring dirt and jumps.
The Rockstar Energy Drink driver is a two-time Global Rallycross series champion who currently holds the all-time podiums record with 22. He enters Round 10 of the 2016 GRC season narrowly in second place in the standings, a slim nine points behind teammate Scott Speed.
It is the second time this year that Foust will make a stop at the Pacific Northwest venue. He contested a Formula Drift round there last month on the modified oval course. He said he’s excited to have another chance to connect with fans in the region.
“Every competition season of my career has taken me to Washington State and whether I’m competing in rally, rallycross or drifting, the fans there are incredible,” said Foust. “They’re always enthusiastic and that kind of energy is contagious.”
Evergreen Speedway is a longtime host to Formula Drift events and local fans are strong supporters of action motorsport. It is expected to be one of the most popular fan events of the 2016 Global Rallycross season.
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. Online voting is now open for the series’ Driver of the Year contest http://bit.ly/Vote-Tanner-GRC16.
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 atwww.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.
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
