| WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 23, 2014) – Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust overcame mechanical issues to finish fifth this weekend at Volkswagen Rallycross D.C. “Fifth wasn’t the result we wanted heading into this weekend but it still feels like a victory for the team after a crazy two days,” said Foust. Foust faced an uphill battle after engine trouble sidelined both him and teammate Scott Speed from the first day of competition. The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross squad worked overnight Saturday to make repairs and return both drivers to competition for Day 2. The sport follows a progressive heats format, with drivers advancing through the rounds based on finish position. After missing the early heats, Foust had to settle for a back row starting position in Sunday’s Semifinal and, after barely missing out on a transfer spot, he won the Last Chance Qualifier to land a spot in the Final. From there, he shot through the pack off the start and was up to third place at the critical first turn. But, a few laps into the race, his engine again began to flag. The two-time Global Rallycross Champion held on to finish fifth. “I’m extremely impressed and proud of the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team this weekend. They were faced with two engine swaps and a gearbox replacement within an hour of each other,” said Foust. “With one spare engine in the truck, they had to get creative in order to get the car back on the track for Sunday: they machined a bearing out of the head of a brass hammer and still the car made it all the way into the Top 5.” While the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team prepares to launch its brand-new Volkswagen Beetle Rallycross car for the series, they are currently campaigning a Polo. It was originally prepared for European competition and a limited supply of spare parts are available. “The team has done an amazing job with our cars this season and they’re very competitive,” said Foust. “But having had a chance to test our new Beetle I can say it’s really a major milestone in development and I can’t wait to bring it into the series.” D.C. fans got a sneak preview of the team’s new Volkswagen Beetle at the event when the car took to the track for a demonstration lap. Foust’s Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle is expected to produce 544 horsepower from a 1.6-liter engine. it is set for debut in Global Rallycross later this 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. Next weekend, Foust will make his second guest appearance of the year with Marklund Motorsport in the World Rallycross Championship round in Kuovola, Finland. He returns to Global Rallycross competition for the next round in New York, July 19 and 20. 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. His varied race experience 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. A year after making his overseas debut in the European Rallycross Championship in 2010 with a select campaign, Foust became the first American driver to win a round of that championship and finished both 2011 and 2012 ranked in the top three; he won two of the three rounds he entered last year. At home, Foust has been a dominant driver in rallycross since it was first introduced to the United States 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. |
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