Tanner Foust won both Red Bull GRC races in Phoenix this weekend! Tanner and his teammate, Scott Speed dominated their heats and semi-finals on both days and if it weren’t for a late race issue for Speed on Saturday, the two would have taken the top two spots all weekend in their VW’s.
“It’s going to be a great season—obviously it’s a great way to start the season for Volkswagen,” said the two-time Supercar champion Tanner Foust. “But different cars have different skills on different tracks, so it’s going to be a mix up. A lot of the new cars out there are extremely fast, and it’s going to be a great season!”
The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team dominated the preliminary rounds on Saturday, with Foust and Scott Speed winning two heats apiece. From there, Foust won the first semifinal over the brand new Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE entry of Joni Wiman, while Speed held off Sandell to win the second semifinal. In the main event, Foust led from flag to flag, withstanding early challenges from Sandell and Speed to establish a comfortable lead. A late-race issue ended Speed’s podium hopes, dropping him from second to fifth.
Red Bull Global Rallycross Phoenix I (Saturday) results are as follows:
- Tanner Foust, #34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Beetle
- Patrik Sandell, #18 Bryan Herta Rallysport Ford Fiesta ST
- Brian Deegan, #38 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford Fiesta ST
- Steve Arpin, #00 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford Fiesta ST
- Scott Speed, #41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Beetle
- Joni Wiman, #31 Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE Civic Coupe
- Jeff Ward, #07 SH Rallycross/DRR Ford Fiesta ST
- Rhys Millen, #67 Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Veloster
- Sebastian Eriksson, #93 Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE Civic Coupe
- Austin Dyne, #14 AD Racing Ford Fiesta ST
- Sebastian Saavedra, #77 AD Racing Ford Fiesta
On Sunday, the Beetles were dominant in the preliminary rounds, with both Foust and Speed sweeping their respective heats and semifinals. Brian Deegan, coming off a third place finish in Saturday’s main event, won the last chance qualifier but only made his way up to sixth in the main event. In the final, Foust beat Speed in a drag race off the line and never looked back with a dominant performance.
Full results from Red Bull Global Rallycross Phoenix II(Sunday) are as follows:
- Tanner Foust, #34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Beetle
- Scott Speed, #41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Beetle
- Sebastian Eriksson, #93 Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE Civic Coupe
- Patrik Sandell, #18 Bryan Herta Rallysport Ford Fiesta ST
- Steve Arpin, #00 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford Fiesta ST
- Brian Deegan, #38 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford Fiesta ST
- Austin Dyne, #14 AD Racing Ford Fiesta ST
- Jeff Ward, #07 SH Rallycross/DRR Ford Fiesta ST
- Rhys Millen, #67 Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Veloster
- Joni Wiman, #31 Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE Civic Coupe
- Sebastian Saavedra, #77 AD Racing Ford Fiesta
On another note, manufacturer Honda took the first podium of its foray into rallycross in only its second race, as Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE driver Sebastian Eriksson placed third. Eriksson, last year’s runner-up, held off Saturday runner-up Patrik Sandell in a thrilling battle that lasted for the entire 10-lap final.
Tanner’s ninth win in the Red Bull Global Rally championship makes him the most successful driver in the series. His teammate Scott Speed has 7 wins followed by Patrik Sandell and Rhys Millen who have two wins each.
The Red Bull GRC season will resume in two weeks at Fair Park in Dallas, TX. Tickets are still available at www.redbullglobalrallycross.com/tickets. Red Bull GRC Dallas can be seen live on Saturday, June 4 at 2:30PM ET on your local NBC affiliate or Saturday, June 4 at 3PM ET on Red Bull TV.
