Tanner Foust

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Tanner Foust
File:Tanner Foust at the 2009 Oregon Trail Rally 001.jpg
Foust at the 2009 Oregon Trail Rally
Born (1973-06-13) June 13, 1973 (age 51)
Los Angeles, California
Nationality American
Other names Tiny Dancer (Given on Top Gear)
Education Degree in molecular biology from University of Colorado
Alma mater University of Colorado
Occupation TV Show Host
Stunt Car Driver
Professional Drift Car Driver
Professional Rally Car Driver
Known for Rallycross and drift racing
Top Gear USA co-host
Formula D Drift Champion (2007, 2008)
X Games gold medallist:
Rally Car Racing (2007, 2010)
Rally Car Super Rally (2010)
Gymkhana Grid (2013)
Global RallyCross Champion (2011, 2012)

Television and film
Film Stunt Driver
SPEED's SuperCars Exposed host
SPEED's Redline TV host
ESPN's Import Tuners host
History Channel's Top Gear host
Home town Denver, Colorado
Weight 155 lb (72.5 kg)
Website http://tannerfoust.com/

Tanner Foust (born June 13, 1973) is a professional racing driver, stunt driver, and television host. He competes in rally, drift, ice racing, time attack and rallycross with multiple podium placements, national championships, and world records. He is a co-host on the American version of the motoring television series, Top Gear.

Background

Growing up in a naval family, Foust spent several years as a child in Scotland, where he discovered rally racing and learned to drive on the country roads near his home. He returned to the United States and went into a pre-med track at the University of Colorado, earning a biology degree. He spent his summers at the track, trading seat time in racecars for mechanic work and driver coaching jobs. After college, he began working as an ice driving coach, an instructor at automotive marketing events and competing in anything he could, including rally and drifting. He made the transition to professional racing in 2003, and soon moved to California to begin stunt driving for Hollywood films. With his passion for cars, he has rapidly became one of the busiest professional drivers in the United States. He considers himself fortunate that, in just over ten years of professional racing, he has had the opportunity to compete against the likes of Rod Millen, Colin McRae, Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel.[1]

Career

File:Tanner Foust Lydden Hill 2014 004.jpg
Foust in action during the 2014 World RX of Great Britain. Later that same year he won the World RX of Finland.

He was slated to become co-host for the original American version of the motoring television series, Top Gear, on NBC and filmed a pilot before the series was dropped. The series has since been picked up by the History Channel and Foust was the only pilot presenter to be picked up when the program finally made it on air in the U.S. in late 2010. He has also hosted other shows including SPEED Channel's SuperCars Exposed, SPEED Channel's Redline TV and ESPN's Import Tuners. On November 21, 2010, he made his debut for the History Channel series, Top Gear, the American version of the BBC hit series of the same name.

Foust has been a stunt driver for films such as The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift, Iron Man 2, Need For Speed (film) and The Dukes of Hazzard and set multiple world records with Hot Wheels and Top Gear. He was a prominent competitor in the Formula Drift series, winning the 2007 and 2008 championship. Foust is the first driver in Formula Drift history to win back-to-back series championships. He is the most decorated driver in X Games history with 9 medals. Foust first competed in X Games XIII in 2007 where he won the gold in the rally racing event. He also participated in Rally America in 2009. In 2010 at X Games XVI he won gold in Rally Car Racing and Rally Car Super Rally, driving the Rockstar Energy Ford Fiesta. He also competed in the European Rallycross Championship, becoming the first American to do so. After leaving the drifting scene in favor of RallyCross in 2011, Foust became a regular ERC competitor, taking part in all 10 rounds of the FIA recognized series as well as Global RallyCross - winning the championship. In 2012, Foust continued his success with another Global RallyCross championship.

For 2013, Foust medaled in both racing events at X Games XIX Los Angeles with a gold in Gymkhana Grid and silver in RallyCross. These marked his eighth and ninth X Games medals. He is currently in second place in points behind Ford Racing teammate Toomas Heikkinen. Foust will return for a fourth season as host of Top Gear at the end of the summer.

In Summer 2014 he started shooting the fifth season of Top Gear.[2]

At the Chicago Auto Show in February 2014, Foust announced a new partnership with Volkswagen and Andretti Autosport. He will be driving a Volkswagen New Beetle for the 2014 Global RallyCross season.

Achievements

  • 2005 Rally America PGT Champion [Flatirons Tuning 429 WRX]
  • 2006 Summer X Games Rally Third fastest time in the Stadium Super Special
  • 2006 Rally America PGT Class Championship Second place overall [Flatirons Tuning 429 WRX]
  • 2006 Formula Drift Championship third place overall [McKinney Nissan Silvia]
  • 2007 Rally America Series Fourth Place (with 6 podium placements)[3]
  • 2007 Formula Drift Pro Drift Champion [Rockstar-AEM 350z][4]
  • 2007 X Games Rally Gold Medalist [Rockstar Subaru STI]
  • 2008 X Games Rally Silver Medalist [Rockstar Subaru STI]
  • 2008 Race of Champions Competitor
  • 2008 Formula Drift Pro Drift Champion [Rockstar-AEM 350z][5]
  • 2009 Formula Drift Sixth Place (with 3 podium placements) [Rockstar-Scion Scion TC][6]
  • 2009 Race of Champions Competitor
  • 2009 X Games Rally Bronze Medalist [Rockstar-Etnies Ford Fiesta]
  • 2010 Formula Drift Silver Medalist [Rockstar-Scion Scion TC][7]
  • 2010 X Games Super Rally Gold Medalist [Rockstar-Etnies Ford Fiesta][8]
  • 2010 X Games Rally Gold Medalist [Rockstar-Etnies Ford Fiesta][9]
  • 2010 Race of Champions Competitor
  • 2010 Gymkhana Grid Gold Medalist AWD Division [Rockstar-Etnies Ford Fiesta][10]
  • 2011 World Record for Longest Jump in a four-wheeled vehicle (332 feet)[11]
  • 2011 World Indoor Speed Record till 24.2.2013, new Record holder 25.2.2013 Mikko Hirvonen Finland (Speedcar XTREME)
  • 2011 European Rallycross Championship Silver Medalist [Rockstar-Etnies Ford Fiesta][12]
  • 2011 Global RallyCross Champion [Rockstar-Etnies Ford Fiesta][13]
  • 2011 X Games RallyCross Silver Medal [Rockstar-Etnies Ford Fiesta] [14]
  • 2012 World Record for Largest Loop the Loop in a car (60 feet in diameter)[15]
  • 2012 Global RallyCross Champion [Rockstar-Etnies Ford Fiesta][16]
  • 2013 X Games Munich RallyCross Bronze Medalist [Rockstar Energy Ford Fiesta ST] [17]
  • 2013 X Games Los Angeles Gymkhana Grid Gold Medalist [Rockstar Energy Ford Fiesta ST][18]
  • 2013 X Games Los Angeles RallyCross SIlver Medalist [Rockstar Energy Ford Fiesta ST] [19]

Racing record

Complete FIA European Rallycross Championship results

Division 1

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ERX Points
2010 Tanner Foust Ford Fiesta POR
8
FRA GBR
6
HUN SWE
6
FIN BEL GER
0
POL CZE
8
11th 40

Supercar

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ERX Points
2011 Tanner Foust Ford Fiesta GBR
(8)
POR
1
FRA
6
NOR
6
SWE
1
BEL
8
NED
(NC)
AUT
3
POL
3
CZE
3
2nd 116
2012 Tanner Foust Ford Fiesta ST GBR
1
FRA
13
AUT HUN
2
NOR
1
SWE BEL
2
NED
6
FIN
6
GER 3rd 100
2013 Ford Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST GBR
1
POR HUN FIN
1
NOR SWE FRA
6
AUT GER 9th 68

Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results

Supercar

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WRX Points
2014 Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo R POR
GBR
5
NOR
FIN
1
SWE
BEL
CAN
NC
FRA
GER
ITA
TUR
ARG
13th 42
2015 Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo R POR
HOC
9
BEL
GBR
16
GER
SWE
CAN
3
NOR
FRA
BAR
5
TUR
ITA
ARG
15th 44

Complete Global RallyCross Championship results

Supercar

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 GRC Points
2011 Olsbergs MSE Ford Racing Ford Fiesta IRW1
3
IRW2
2
SEA1
2
SEA2
1
PIK1
1
PIK2
6
LA1
4
LA2
2
1st 134
2012 Olsbergs MSE Ford Racing Ford Fiesta CHA
2
TEX
2
LA
5
LOU
4
LV
1
LVC
1
1st 94
2013 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST BRA
8
MUN1
6
MUN2
3
LOU
4
BRI
7
IRW
2
ATL
2
CHA
10
LV
2
2nd 123
2014 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Volkswagen Polo BAR
11
AUS
18
DC
5
NY
1
CHA
8
DAY
6
9th 209
Volkswagen Beetle LA1
8
LA2
13
SEA
10
LV
6
2015 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Volkswagen Beetle FTA
5
DAY1
1
DAY2
5
MCAS
12
DET1
10
DET2
10
DC
5
LA1
2
LA2
3
BAR1
1
BAR2
1
LV
9
3rd 388

TV and film

Tanner Foust for Team Hot Wheels jumping across the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's infield at the fourth turn.

References

External links

Preceded by Formula D Champion
2007 and 2008
Succeeded by
Chris Forsberg