Tanner Foust snapped a 12-race winless streak in Red Bull Global Rallycross competition with a thrilling victory in Volkswagen Rallycross NY, held on Sunday at Nassau Coliseum in New York. Foust, driving the #34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Polo, beat SH Racing Rallycross driver Nelson Piquet Jr. and Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block to the line in a mad dash to the finish.
“It’s been a tough year—the guys with the most finely tuned road racing skills have really dominated this year, and this was a course that road racing skill really played in,” said Foust. “Luckily, I was able to use a little bit of rallycross skill, focusing on starting, because the track was really hard to pass on in order to get the job done.”
After incidents eliminated Patrik Sandell and Sverre Isachsen and led to red flag periods, Foust took advantage of a two-car front row in the final to get a clean start and push out to the lead. Second place was hotly contested throughout the event, with Ken Block, Piquet Jr., and Scott Speed all holding the runner-up spot during the six-lap main event.
Speed crossed the line second, but was disqualified from the event for making unapproved adjustments to his vehicle during the first red flag under Article 7.7 of the series’ supplemental regulations. As a result, Speed was dropped to ninth position, elevating Piquet Jr. to second place and the points lead.
“Obviously, we want to take the points lead on the track, but regulations are regulations,” said Piquet. “Points-wise, it’s great, and it’s great for the team. I work great with my team, I love them, and we’re bonding all the time. We want to win a race, but we think about the championship and scoring as many points as we need to.”
In GRC Lites, Kevin Eriksson earned his first career victory just four days after his 18th birthday, winning over Olsbergs MSE teammate Mitchell DeJong and Pedro Piquet. Piquet, the 15-year-old brother of Nelson Piquet Jr., and fourth place finisher Oliver Eriksson were each making their GRC Lites race debuts in New York.
The results of Red Bull Global Rallycross Volkswagen Rallycross NY are as follows:
- Tanner Foust, #34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Polo
- Nelson Piquet Jr., #07 SH Racing Rallycross Ford Fiesta ST
- Ken Block, #43 Hoonigan Racing Division Ford Fiesta ST
- Joni Wiman, #31 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST
- Steve Arpin, #00 Royal Purple Racing/OMSE2 Ford Fiesta
- Austin Dyne, #14 Barracuda Racing Ford Fiesta
- Rhys Millen, #67 Hyundai/Rhys Millen Racing Veloster Turbo
- Sverre Isachsen, #11 Subaru Rally Team USA WRX STI
- Scott Speed, #77 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Polo
- Patrik Sandell, #18 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST
Provisional point standings after four rounds of the Red Bull Global Rallycross season are as follows:
- Nelson Piquet Jr., 184
- Scott Speed, 149
- Steve Arpin, 140
- Joni Wiman, 124
- Patrik Sandell, 116
About Red Bull Global Rallycross
Designed to produce the fastest and most exciting racing in motorsports, Red Bull Global Rallycross pits small production-based cars against each other in door-to-door racing featuring dirt, asphalt, and table-top jumps. With enhanced engineering and safety features, the cars produce 600 horsepower and can accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in less than two seconds, and can also withstand 70-foot jumps and other vehicle contact. For more information visit www.RedBullGlobalRallycross.com.
