LONG ISLAND, NY (July 20, 2014)
-- Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust scored his first Global Rallycross
win of the season on Sunday at Volkswagen Rallycross New York.
It was all about the starts for
the two-time champion, who blazed off the line to use the sub- two-second 0-60
launches of the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Polo to maximum effect.
"The starts were the
critical factor for me here," said Foust. "It can be very difficult
to make a pass on a tight rallycross course and getting out front early and
staying out of trouble is key to winning."
Foust also credits the Volkswagen
Andretti Rallycross team with nailing the car set-up to handle the New York
course. The six-turn, half-mile track layout featured five right-handers and
only one left. Foust and Volkswagen teammate Scott Speed were fast and
confident while many other drivers struggled to get the most out of their
competition cars as uneven tire wear became a factor.
"We were fastest in opening
practices and stayed up front all weekend long," said Foust. "Having
a car that was ready to win from the moment we hit the ground here in New York
shows the advantage of working with a team like Andretti."
Foust opened the weekend as one
of only four drivers to break through the 30-second mark in qualifying and
achieve a lap time in the 20s. In heat racing, he found his stride in the
second round, blazing off the line to lead wire-to-wire in his Rockstar Energy
Drink Volkswagen Polo. He took another lights-to-flag victory in the Semifinal
round to earn a front-row starting position in the 10-car Final.
Starting from the middle of the
front row, Foust kept his cool through two red-flag restarts as other drivers
tangled on the course. When the abbreviated six-lap Final got underway, he was
off the line first and never looked back as drivers jostled for position behind
him. Although teammate Speed passed nearly half the field on the way to a
second-place finish, he was demoted to ninth on a penalty assessed during the
first red-flagged race. Nelson Piquet Jr. and Ken Block claimed second and
third.
A regular top finisher, Foust has
earned a podium in more than half of his Global Rallycross Championship starts
since the series began in 2011.
"This year, the speed has
been there but the results haven't," said Foust. "It's nice to get
this monkey off my back this season and earn a win in GRC. It feels like I'm
headed in the right direction now."
The Volkswagen Rallycross New
York win was the second rallycross victory for Foust in less than a month. He
also stood atop the World RX podium in Finland three weeks ago. The driver is
making a full campaign on the Global Rallycross Championship in 2014, along
with a partial season of guest appearances in the World RX series.
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.
Foust and the Volkswagen Andretti
Rallycross team will bring the Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Polo
back to Global Rallycross competition in just a week's time for Round 5 at
the dirt track at Charlotte Motor Speedway, July 25-26.