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TANNER
FOUST WINS EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS SEASON OPENER
American
driver dominates in wet conditions
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| LONDON,
England (April 9, 2012) -- Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust
dominated in wet conditions to win the opening round of the FIA European
Rallycross Championship this weekend in southeast England.
"The season can't start
much better than this," said Foust at the end of the race. "The
team and I worked all weekend to set up the Rockstar Energy Drink Ford Fiesta
for the wet conditions and it paid off."
The American driver was
competitive from the start, setting the pace in timed practice sessions and
charging through the heats to claim the pole position for the A-Main final
race at the Lydden Hill circuit Monday.
In front of an enthusiastic
crowd at the home of rallycross -- the track where the very first rallycross
races took place more than 40 years ago -- Foust got a fast start and led to
the finish. He was so far out front at the end of the five-lap race that he
crossed the finish line alone while his competitors continued to battle it
out behind him.
"As the only American out
here, winning in this series is amazing," said Foust. "To win at
the track where the sport was invented feels even better."
The victory sets the stage for
a strong season for Foust. The three-time X Games Rally gold medal winner
finished the 2011 season as the runner-up in the FIA European Rallycross
Championship, and took home the first-ever Global Rallycross Championship
title. He now leads the points in the 10-round European championship.
This weekend's victory was Foust's
third in the highly competitive European series. He became the first American
ever to win a race in the championship a year ago, at the Portugal round, and
repeated in Sweden last July.
The Ford Fiesta rallycross car,
prepared by the Olsbergs MSE team, proved class-of-the-field and performed
flawlessly. The veteran OMSE team continued to develop the Rockstar Energy
Drink Ford Fiesta in the off-season and emerged at the first race of the year
with a competitive package. The 600-plus horsepower machine is virtually
identical to the vehicle Foust runs in the United States at X Games and
Global Rallycross contests.
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 six
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. Foust is
the first American to compete in the European Rallycross Championship.
This season marks Foust's
second full season in the championship. He made his debut with a select
series of events in 2010 and finished the 2011 season in 2nd-place
overall.
In addition to rallycross
competition in Europe and the United States, Foust's 2012 competition
schedule also includes a return to X Games Rally Car Racing events this
June. His next event is the French round of the FIA European Rallycross
Championship at Circuit de l'Ouest Parisien in Dreux, France, April
28-29.
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TANNER FOUST'S RALLYCROSS
PROGRAM IS MADE POSSIBLE BY:
Rockstar Energy Drink (www.rockstar69.com); Ford Racing (www.ford.com); Etnies (www.etnies.com) and Motegi (www.motegiracing.com)
PHOTO: Tanner Foust wins European rallycross
season opener in the Rockstar Energy Drink Ford Fiesta. (CREDIT: Jan Kare
Rafoss)
PHOTO: Tanner Foust takes his first 2012 rallycross win in the Rockstar Energy Drink Ford Fiesta. (CREDIT: Jan Kare Rafoss)
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