Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross was in strong form again at the second race of the 2017 Red Bull Global Rallycross championship in Louisville, racking up multiple Heat and Semifinal race victories before taking home a third-place finish in Sunday’s final, courtesy of reigning series champion, Scott Speed. Tanner Foust finished directly behind his teammate in fourth, earning good points that set the two Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross drivers further ahead of the rest of the field in the championship battle.
Speed began the weekend in Louisville quickly, setting fast times in practice on Saturday morning. His early advantage would not last, however as Foust claimed pole position in Qualifying at the last moment, in the team’s second 1-2 Qualifying result of the season.
Speed won his first two Heat races, while Foust got his first win in Heat 2A and continued the trend in 3B. The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross drivers started at the front of the grid in each Semifinal, and earned a pair of victories, setting up front-row starting positions for Sunday afternoon’s Final.
As cars waited on the grid for the lights to go green, rain began to fall, setting up a treacherous and difficult track for the race.
Despite strong starts, the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross pair were shuffled to the middle of the pack in the dirt section of the course and were forced to jockey for position for much of the 10–lap, heavyweight battle. Racing close to teammates and protecting a growing lead in the championship points caused both drivers to err on the side of caution in the sloppy conditions, and the pair had to settle for third- and fourth-place finishes.
“Our race went according to plan until contact knocked me off the track and dropped us back to fourth,” said the driver of the No. 41 Oberto Circle K Beetle GRC after the race. “It was really, really fun racing, and I guess this weekend proved that we can fight back from the middle of the pack and don’t need to start up front to do well.”
Foust was disappointed in his fourth-place result after an especially strong performance in Qualifying and the preliminary races.
“It was certainly a crazy weekend with the weather changes, and it was just an absolute battle out there,” said the driver of the No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Beetle GRC said. “In the Final, I couldn’t see much and it felt a lot like bumper cars. It was honestly just mayhem in the mud.”
Speed’s third-place extended Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross’s streak of podium finishes to nine races, dating back to Daytona in 2016. After Louisville, Speed and Foust maintain their positions in the championship, with Speed leading the overall point standings ahead of Foust.
Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross will be back in action for the first doubleheader weekend of the 2017 season in Thompson, CT June 3-4. Both races will be broadcast live on NBC with Race 1 airing at 5:00PM (ET) on Saturday, June 3, and Race 2 at 5:00PM (ET) on Sunday, June 4.
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 Atlas, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, CC, e-Golf, Golf, Golf Alltrack, 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.
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This press release and images of the Beetle GRC and the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross drivers are available at media.vw.com. Follow us @VWNews
About Andretti Autosport
Based in Indianapolis and led by racing legend Michael Andretti, Andretti Autosport boasts a wide racing portfolio rooted in tradition and designed for success. Together with Andretti Formula E and Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross, Andretti Autosport fields multiple entries in the IndyCar Series and Indy Lights, along with entries in the FIA Formula E Championship and Global Rallycross. The company boasts four IndyCar Series championships (2004, 2005, 2007, 2012), two Indy Lights titles (2008, 2009), one Pro Mazda championship (2013) and one USF2000 championship (2010) and has captured victory at the famed Indianapolis 500 four times (2005, 2007, 2014, 2016). Additionally the team holds two X Games Gold Medals and one Global Rallycross championship (2015). To share in the Andretti story, please visit online at AndrettiAutosport.com and follow along on Twitter via @FollowAndretti.