Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust returns to Canada this weekend to compete in the Global Rallycross doubleheader in Ottawa. It is the first time the series has raced north of the border.
Foust has a record of strong performances in doubleheader rallycross competition. The driver has landed on the podium in all but two of the nine doubleheader weekends in series history, including seven outright race wins.
He won the opening race of the New England doubleheader two weeks ago. He qualified atop the leaderboard and then took every heat and semifinal race victory on the way to the main event, which he led wire-to-wire. He looked poised to make it a sweep the following day until he was sidelined with a broken wheel late in the final.
Foust says a focused outlook and strong teamwork are the keys to success for back-to-back races. "In doubleheader racing you're playing more of a long game: you walk a fine line between pushing hard enough to win and preserving the car," he said. "It's especially tough on a rallycross course where the track changes and gets harder on your equipment the more you drive on it."
The Ottawa race is the first Canadian stop for the Global Rallycross Championship, but not for Foust. He has competed in European and world rallycross events in Canada and says he is looking forward to what he knows will be a warm welcome north of the border.
"The fans up north are really enthusiastic," said Foust. "There is an incredibly strong racing heritage in Canada and I'm excited that we get to take Global Rallycross to the nation's capital."
Ottawa's Canada Aviation and Space Museum plays host to series racing this Friday through Sunday with a course that transforms airport runways into a rallycross track. The museum houses a wide variety of civilian and military aircraft, including a collection of vintage bushplanes, various aircraft flown by Canadians in the First World War, Second World War, and the Cold War, as well as the surviving components of the Avro Arrow interceptor from the late 1950s. Also in the collection is Space Shuttle Endeavour's Canadarm, a Canadian-built robotic arm used in the US space program.
For Foust, an amateur pilot, the venue is a special treat. "There's nothing better than when my passions come together in one place and I'm excited to see the aviation collection when I get a break in the racing action," he said.
The Global Rallycross event is one in a slate of activities celebrating Canada 150, the official campaign this summer to celebrate 150 years since the confederation of Canada.
Full coverage of this weekend's Global Rallycross Championship action airs Saturday at 10 p.m.(Eastern) on NBC Sports and Sunday live at 4 p.m. (Eastern) on NBC.
Rallycross is an action-packed blend of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally. Drivers line up in heats of up to 10 cars for hard-hitting competition over a challenging short course featuring jumps, unbanked turns, hills and transitions between pavement and gravel.
Header Photo by Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross