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At this stage of his career, Foust would rather focus on one championship
Photography by Extreme E & Red Bull
Before 2022, there was one consistent in every US rallycross event: Tanner Foust.
Foust was something of a founding father of the discipline’s American incarnation. He competed in every race event from 2011-2021 (89 in total) and holds the records for championship (four across Rally America, Global Rallycross, and Americas Rallycross) and event wins (24).
But as rallycross entered a new dawn this year with all-electric cars and a return overseas for US-sanctioned events, the ever-present Foust has been nowhere to be seen.
“I think that I thought about that when I was trying to get the series going in the beginning and assessing whether or not I should do it,” he said of being the only driver to race in every US rallycross race before ‘22. “I knew I was going to be doing Extreme E with McLaren, but I wasn’t sure about signing on for a very hectic schedule.
“I sort of did my bit where I did 15 trips to Europe every summer, [a] full championship there and full championship in the US, and 150 days of Top Gear filming all in 365 days. So I was on the road more than 300 days for 10 years, so I would rather focus on one championship and come in as a guest driver every once in a while for now.”
Of course, rallycross Stateside is undergoing yet another rebuild under its fourth guise in little over a decade, and having played a part in the three years prior, Foust is content with waiting on the sidelines this time around.
“It really built up with GRC and when it was live on NBC it was incredible value for sponsors and for drivers and teams,” he said. “Now I think it’s starting to find some traction again, but that’s going to be a building process, and when it gets there I’ll definitely be in the mix.”
Foust had been in talks for a fleeting return earlier this month at ERX Motor Park, plans that ultimately fell through. Nevertheless, he’s left the door open to contest the Canadian rounds at the beginning of 2023, rounds that are set to be the first snow and ice races in US rallycross history.
“It’s difficult coming in for just one race, [it] doesn’t make too much sense. But I wouldn’t mind doing the ice races, doing them after the rest of the year.
“But that [calendar] format is different for the way a lot of my sponsors work – they work on a calendar year and they work in the United States. So when you have a series that rolls over both of those borders, it can be a challenge to justify.
“I like where the series is going,” he added. “Again, being a part of many start-ups, I’m sure they’re working out the kinks with both the cars and the tracks, but the future’s wide open for EV racing.”
In the meantime, Foust still has his records shored up.
“I don’t think they’ll be beaten for a while,” he said, adding that he could be tempted to return once if they come under threat.”
Tags: ERX Motorpark, Extreme E, Global Rallycross, McLaren, Tanner Foust
Publish Date October 15, 2022 DirtFish https://www-dirtfish.imgix.net/2022/10/1018996993-LAT-20220216-XP2201_073920_31I8651-2048x2048-1.jpg?fit=scale&fm=pjpg&h=520&ixlib=php-1.2.1&q=70&w=780&wpsize=entry-main October 15, 2022
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Copyright © 2022 DirtFish, LLC. All rights reserved.
Subaru Impreza STI Sedan & Hatchback Features
Roll Cage: Every rally car requires a welded-in safety cage. The roll cages in our cars are built in-house from scratch.
Racing Seats: Driver and co-driver need to be firmly mounted to the structure of the vehicle. The use of hinged-back seats in rally vehicles is prohibited in rally and most forms of racing.
Racing Harnesses: Safety first. A minimum of a 5-point harness is required by all American rally sanctioning bodies. The 5 points consist of 2 shoulder harness, 2 lap belts and a single anti-submarine belt (not shown).
Handbrake: Most rally cars use a hydraulic handbrake. The purpose of the handbrake maneuver is to turn a car around a very tight corner by locking up the rear wheels aiding in the rotation of the car around the corner.
Engine: Our Subaru STi’s use a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder Turbo-charged Boxer engine.
Drive train: The Subaru STi is equipped with an advanced all-wheel-drive system with an active center differential.
Gravel Rally Tires: Being a rally school, we spend most of our time on gravel roads. To maximize the learning experience, we outfit all of our cars with the latest gravel rally tires for maximum traction.
Method Rally Wheels: It is very important to have a durably strong, yet lightweight rally wheel that can hold up to constant abuse, rocks, rough roads and punctures. At DirtFish, we use and trust Method Race Wheels.
Suspension: Rally is rarely on a perfectly smooth roads, because of that rally cars require suspension that can take the abuse. We choose to use Reiger rally suspension on our cars.
Brakes: Rally cars commonly use a 15″ rally wheel. In order for the wheels to fit on our Subaru STi’s, we had to convert them to a Group N brake setup.
Underbody Protection: Driving at high speeds over variable surfaces can easily damage parts. With the constant spray of gravel that gets thrown at them, skid plates and urethane underbody protection help with the longevity of the underbody of the cars.
Roll Cage: Every rally car requires a welded-in safety cage. The roll cages in our cars are built in-house from scratch.
Racing Seats: Driver and co-driver need to be firmly mounted to the structure of the vehicle. The use of hinged-back seats in rally vehicles is prohibited in rally and most forms of racing.
Racing Harnesses: Safety first. A minimum of a 5-point harness is required by all American rally sanctioning bodies. The 5 points consist of 2 shoulder harness, 2 lap belts and a single anti-submarine belt (not shown).
Handbrake: Most rally cars use a hydraulic handbrake. The purpose of the handbrake maneuver is to turn a car around a very tight corner by locking up the rear wheels to aid the rotation of the car around the corner.
Engine: The Subary BRZ is powered by a 2.0 liter naturally aspirated Boxer engine.
Drive train: The Subaru BRZ is rear-wheel-drive and equipped with a limited slip differential.
Gravel Rally Tires: Being a rally school, we spend most of our time on gravel roads. To maximize the learning experience, we outfit all of our cars with the latest gravel rally tires for maximum traction.
Method Rally Wheels: It is very important to have a durably strong, yet lightweight rally wheel that can hold up to constant abuse, rocks, rough roads and punctures. At DirtFish, we use and trust Method Race Wheels.
Suspension: Rally is rarely on a perfectly smooth roads, because of that rally cars require suspension that can take the abuse. We choose to use Reiger rally suspension on our cars.
Brakes: Rally cars commonly use a 15″ rally wheel. Luckily with the Subaru BRZ’s, the stock brake system is more than adequate for our programs.
Underbody Protection: Driving at high speeds over variable surfaces can easily damage parts. With the constant spray of gravel that gets thrown at them, skid plates and urethane underbody protection help with the longevity of the underbody of the cars.
Below you will find an aerial view of the DirtFish property. Go through and check out the courses you’ll be driving on during your driving program! View everything from The Slalom all the way up to our longest course, the Advanced Mill Run!