VOLKSWAGEN SWEEPS RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS OPENING ROUND IN PHOENIX

May 23, 2016 by Volkswagen

• Tanner Foust takes his Beetle GRC to wins in both races at the series opener for the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team

Herndon, VA — No one could touch Tanner Foust in Phoenix this weekend, as the two-time Global Rallycross champion completed a perfect weekend, setting the quickest time in each qualifying session, winning each heat and semifinal, and both main events in the season-opening doubleheader. His Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross teammate and defending champion, Scott Speed, played his part in the near-perfect weekend for the team, winning all his heat races and semifinals, as well as claiming a second-place finish on Sunday. This enabled him to earn enough points to take second place in the provisional points standings behind Foust.

The team's incredible results belied the hard work of the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team to keep both cars at the front of the pack throughout the weekend. 'It's great that our weekend looked pretty straightforward from the outside,' said Foust on the podium. 'Behind the scenes, however, the team absolutely worked their hardest before the semifinal. They did an hour-twenty-minute job in under an hour to change the transmission—we used literally every single minute and still won. That was all Volkswagen Andretti right there, so thank you—that was an epic thrash.'

Scott Speed battled similar issues during the doubleheader, but managed to make the most of his opportunities, hanging on for a fifth-place finish in Saturday's final, and making it to the second step of the podium on Sunday. 'It's been a great weekend actually,' said Speed. 'We just had some gremlins we needed to work through—we missed qualifying and broke in the first final, but to come away with a fifth and second with all the small issues we've had is really good.'

The dominance of the Beetle GRC in Phoenix validated the hard work from Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross and their German colleagues at Volkswagen Motorsport during the offseason. 'Tanner had a relatively smooth weekend and really showed the field what we had,' enthused Speed. 'I think that as the season goes on, you're looking at the guys who are going to be up on the podium a lot, hopefully.' Foust also heaped praise on the team's work during the offseason, saying, 'A weekend like this is the perfect validation for everyone's efforts. We've made a winning car right off the bat, and I'm extremely proud of the hard work from everyone at Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross to give us such an incredible car to start the season.'

Foust's two wins make him the winningest driver in series history, breaking a tie he held with teammate Speed before this weekend. The victories add to Volkswagen's Red Bull Global Rallycross tally, bringing the manufacturer's total race triumphs to 11 of 24 events entered and the Beetle GRC's seventh overall victory in only its second full season of service.

The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team will be back in action at another new race venue in two weeks' time at Dallas. The single race will are live on NBC Sports on Saturday, June 4 at 2:30PM (ET).

About Volkswagen of America, Inc.

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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 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 three times (2005, 2007, 2014). 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.