Volkswagen And Andretti Rallycross Announce Drivers For The 2019 Americas Rallycross (ARX) Series

•Tanner Foust and Cabot Bigham will compete in Volkswagen Beetle supercars

•Two-car team to be run by Andretti Rallycross, supported by Volkswagen R

New York — Volkswagen and Andretti Rallycross today announced that its two drivers in the 2019 America's Rallycross series will be Tanner Foust and Cabot Bigham. Two Beetle supercars will be entered under the Andretti Rallycross banner, with support from Volkswagen R, Volkswagen's performance division.

Foust is a three-time U.S. rallycross champion and has driven for Andretti Rallycross and Volkswagen since 2014. Campaigning the Beetle since 2015, Foust has three second-place American rallycross championship finishes, being pipped to the title in the inaugural Americas Rallycross title in 2018.

'I can't express how excited I am to compete in this second season of ARX,' said, Foust, driver of the No. 34 Rockstar Beetle. 'I am glad that we are back with what I think are the quickest and most capable Beetles ever built. I am proud to be working with Andretti Rallycross again this year to send the Beetle off in epic fashion in its last year of sales.'

Bigham, 'The Big Ham', will compete in the 02 machine. He is one of rallycross's most promising young drivers, having won a GRC Lites title in 2016, his debut season. The young American then graduated into Global Rallycross in 2017 with Bryan Herta Rallysport, where he competed in 10 rounds. Cabot also got some valuable experience in 2018, driving in the ARX2 series at Circuit of the Americas, where he scored 51 points and a second-place finish in his semi-final.

'Working with Andretti is going to be massive,' said Bigham. 'It's a huge opportunity for me, specifically because of the amount of power, dedication and momentum they have amassed throughout the past four years of winning Rallycross races. Being able to align myself with this team and see what they can do in the future is not only very exciting for me but an amazing opportunity to advance my career and eventually obtain an Americas Rallycross championship.'

The season begins June 8-9 at historic Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, where a brand-new 0.7-mile circuit will be built around the 'Keyhole' section of the track. After Mid-Ohio, the ARX series will consist of the following events:

•July 13-14: Madison, IL — Gateway Motorsports Park

•August 3-4: Quebec, Canada – Circuit Trois-Rivières

•September 28: Austin, TX – Circuit of the Americas

•October 5: Lexington, Ohio — Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

The team will continue to race the Beetle Rallycross vehicles, built by Volkswagen Motorsport in Europe, and developed by Andretti Rallycross in the U.S. The cars will run with the same 2.0-liter 560-horsepower turbocharged engines that propelled the team to success in 2017 and 2018.

About Volkswagen

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is an operating unit of Volkswagen Group of America and a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, with headquarters in Herndon, Virginia. Volkswagen'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. Volkswagen sells the Atlas, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, e-Golf, Golf, Golf Alltrack, Golf GTI, Golf R, Golf SportWagen, Jetta, Passat, and Tiguan vehicles through more than 600 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen online at www.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.

About Andretti Autosport

Led by racing legend Michael Andretti, Andretti Autosport boasts a wide racing portfolio rooted in tradition and designed for success.

Under the banners of Andretti Autosport, Andretti Rallycross and Andretti Formula E, the Indianapolis-based team fields multiple entries across the IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, the FIA Formula E Championship, the GT4 America Series and Americas Rallycross. Additionally, the team competes as Walkinshaw Andretti United in the Australian Supercars category through partnership with Walkinshaw Racing and United Autosports.

The global racing enterprise boasts four IndyCar Series championships, three Indy Lights titles, one Pro Mazda championship and one USF2000 championship, and has captured victory five times at the famed Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. Additionally, the team holds two X Games Gold Medals and four U.S. rallycross championships.

To share in the Andretti story, please visit online at AndrettiAutosport.com and follow along on Twitter via @FollowAndretti.

About Volkswagen R

Our automobiles exhibit it proudly, and we include it just as proudly in our company name. While the letter 'R' stood for 'Racing' on the first R-model in 2002, it has meanwhile evolved into a unique success story with a wide range of individually customized vehicles that thrill their drivers again every day. The passion of motor sports is developed further and made fit for road use by designers and engineers at Volkswagen R, for people with a taste for the extraordinary.

Photo credit: Volkswagen
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