Tanner Foust to charge for Global Rallycross title
Diverse 2016 competition calendar includes three international championships
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (May 10, 2016) — Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust today unveils a new look for the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle that he will drive during his 2016 Global Rallycross Championship campaign.
The two-time Global Rallycross champion finished third in the 2015 championship points and this year returns to the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team. He and teammate Scott Speed dominated the second half of the 2015 season with Foust finishing on the podium at five of the series’ 12 rounds, including three outright wins.
“I’m excited to start the racing season with a packed month of May where I can reconnect with fans around the world,” said Foust. “My last race was six months ago and it feels like I’ve been away from the track for way too long.”
The versatile American driver takes on four championship races in three international series this month. Following his 2016 Formula Drift debut at Road Atlanta in the 900-horsepower Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Passat this past weekend, he travels to Phoenix to open the Global Rallycross season with a doubleheader May 22-25. He next appears at World RX of Great Britain for the first of two World Rallycross Championship races on his schedule this year with Volkswagen RX Sweden in the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Polo. The American driver won the Lydden Hill race in 2012 and 2013.
“I feel very lucky to be able to compete at Lydden Hill again this year,” said Foust. “As the birthplace of rallycross, the track has a lot of history to it and I jumped at the chance to add the World RX of Great Britain to my competition schedule.”
The multi-time champion is the first American ever to win a round of the World Rallycross Championship, has a pair of Global Rallycross titles, and is the only driver with back-to-back Formula Drift championships.
In addition to his racing career, Foust is also a stunt driver and television personality who has been busy in the off-season filming Top Gear, now airing its eighth season on the HISTORY channel.
TANNER FOUST: 2016 COMPETITION SCHEDULE
Global Rallycross Championship (Full season):
GRC Phoenix (I): May 21
GRC Phoenix (II): May 22
GRC Dallas: June 4
GRC Daytona (I): June 18
GRC Daytona (II): June 19
GRC The Base (I): July 2
GRC The Base (II): July 3
GRC Washington, D.C.: July 30
GRC Atlantic City: August 28
GRC Seattle: September 17
GRC Los Angeles (I): October 8
GRC Los Angeles (II): October 9
FIA World Rallycross Championship (Select appearances):
World RX of Great Britain: May 27
World RX of Germany: October 14
Formula Drift (Select appearances):
Road to the Championship (Braselton, Georgia): May 6-7
Throwdown (Monroe, Washington): August 5-6
Showdown (Fort Worth, Texas): September 9-10
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. 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.
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 at www.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
SHARELINE
Driver @TannerFoust unveils 2016 @RockstarEnergyDrink @VW Beetle for rallycross campaign with @FollowAndretti. #GRC
