PoloDriver

After his first-day victory at the Red Bull Global Rallycross series in Los Angeles, it was a disappointing weekend for Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross driver Scott Speed when the championship visited Seattle on 26-27 September.

Speed brought home his 7UP-liveried no 77 Polo R in sixth place, four places above team-mate and Top Gear US presenter Tanner Foust, who was giving the new Volkswagen Beetle GRC another competitive outing.

Sverre Isachsen scored Subaru Rally Team USA’s first-ever Red Bull Global Rallycross victory in front of a sell-out crowd at DirtFish Rally School in Snoqualmie, finishing ahead of series points leader Joni Wiman and Brian Deegan.

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

SEATTLE: FINAL RESULTS

1 Sverre Isachsen, #11 Subaru Rally Team USA WRX STI
2 Joni Wiman, #31 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST
3 Brian Deegan, #38 Rockstar Energy Drink Ford Fiesta ST
4 Nelson Piquet Jr., #75 SH Racing Rallycross Ford Fiesta ST
5 Rhys Millen, #67 Hyundai/Rhys Millen Racing Veloster Turbo
6 Scott Speed, #77 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Polo R

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Joni Wiman, 332
2 Ken Block, 320

3 Nelson Piquet Jnr, 304

4 Scott Speed, 303

5 Sverre Isachsen, 247

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Ford, 841

2 Volkswagen, 481

3 Subaru, 420

4 Hyundai, 236

5 Chevrolet, 5

[Images: Alison Padron]

Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Polo R driver Scott Speed took victory at the end of the first day of the Red Bull Global Rallycross series when it visited Los Angeles on 20-21 September.

The Supercar driver converted a second-place qualifying position into two heat victories, and along with team-mate Tanner Foust’s heat win, made Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross the only multi-heat winning team in the first half of the doubleheader weekend.

Speed drove the 600bhp Polo RX of Foust for the LA weekend (we wondered why the car had Speed’s usual green 7UP livery with Foust’s yellow ‘Rockstar’ wheel arches) as the Top Gear US presenter debuted his new Beetle GRC at the Port of Los Angeles.

Speed’s win saw him score four points, boosting his championship total. The series’ only multiple Supercar class winner also held off Joni Wiman and Ken Block for the victory.

‘So far this Polo has been quite reliable,’ said Speed. ‘We’ve had no problems so far this weekend, knock on wood. Hopefully that continues for the rest of the races, and for sure that will give us a shot at the championship.’

As the series moves to Seattle, Wiman leads Block for the Supercar class lead, while Speed is 29 points behind.

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

LOS ANGELES (DAY 1): FINAL RESULTS

1 Scott Speed, #77 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Polo R
2 Joni Wiman, #31 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST
3 Ken Block, #43 Hoonigan Racing Division Ford Fiesta ST
4 Rhys Millen, #67 Hyundai/Rhys Millen Racing Veloster Turbo
5 Patrik Sandell, #18 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Joni Wiman, 332
2 Ken Block, 320
3 Nelson Piquet Jnr, 304
4 Scott Speed, 303

5 Sverre Isachsen, 247

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Ford, 841

2 Volkswagen, 481

3 Subaru, 420

4 Hyundai, 236

5 Chevrolet, 5

[Images: Larry Chen]

US driver Tanner Foust finished sixth in his Volkswagen Polo RX Supercar at the sixth round of the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship in Daytona over 23-24 August.
The Top Gear USA presenter had a challenging race weekend which wasn’t without its problems.

Qualifying brought slick mud and a low finishing position thanks to a freshly-watered course. after a pair of solid heats, Foust once again faced problems in his semi-final when he suffered a major spin.

Braking serverly to avoid another car, Foust slid into the trackside tyre barrier. He was able to restart his 500bhp Polo RX and rejoin the race to finish third. That won him a spot in the final, bypassing the last chance qualifier.

Chaos is the best word to describe the 1-car final. The course was the longest in the series’ history, with each mile-long lap featuring fast straights punctuated by technical hairpin turns. The resulting traffic stacked up in the corners and contact was inevitable.

‘Fighting through traffic in those hairpins was absolute mayhem,’ said Foust. ‘In the final, with 10 cars on that track, it was packed. It almost felt like we were fighting for parking spots at the mall.’

Foust ran as high as third place, but suffered serious damage during a set-to with another close to the end of the eight-lap contest. It was everything he could do to take his Polo to the end. Even so, he was able to cross the line to earn sixth-place points.

‘I limped to the finish with a rear wheel that wasn’t attached at all and somehow still managed sixth,’ said Foust. ‘It was a crazy race and I feel for the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross crew. They have their work cut out, but I have every confidence that we’ll be in great shape by the next round.’

Team-mate Scott Speed crashed out of the Daytona International Speedway final and posted a 10th-place result, while Hyundai driver Rhys Millen took the chequered flag. The Andretti Polo RXs were quick, though – Foust was at the top of the time chart in practice and set the fastest lap on race day.

Speed is currently third behind Piquet Jr and Ken Block with 190 points in the Drivers’ Championship with four race weekends remaining. Foust is seventh in the overall standings. The next rounds will take place (back-to-back) in Los Angeles on 20-21 September.

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DAYTONA: FINAL RESULTS
1 Rhys Millen, #67 Hyundai/Rhys Millen Racing Veloster Turbo
2 Ken Block, #43 Hoonigan Racing Division Ford Fiesta ST
3 Bucky Lasek, #81 Subaru Rally Team USA WRX STI
4 Patrik Sandell, #18 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST
5 Sverre Isachsen, #11 Subaru Rally Team USA WRX STI
6 Tanner Foust, #34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Polo R

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Nelson Piquet Jr, 245
2 Ken Block, 205

3 Scott Speed, 190
4 Joni Wiman, 188

5 Steve Arpin, 170



2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Ford, 561

2 Volkswagen, 330

3 Subaru, 272

4 Hyundai, 97

5 Chevrolet, 5

It may have been victorious in the recent Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) round in New York, but the Polo-RX-powered Andretti Autosport team suffered a setback in its points fight at the fifth race of 2024 in Charlotte last weekend (26-27 July).

The North Carolina track was cruel to both Tanner Foust and Scott Speed’s 500+bhp Polo RXs, with both drivers failing to finish in the top three driver placings for the final. Speed was fifth, while Foust, hindered by tyre problems and a black flag incident with Sverre Isachsen, was three places further down the field.

‘It was a hard weekend at the dirt track. The course developed deep ruts and just about everybody got flat tyres,’ said Foust. ‘Our wheels are incredibly tough and stand up to the abuse, but it’s tough to keep up the pace when you’re running on metal instead of rubber.’

Foust continued: ‘I was in the middle on the start in the final and there just wasn’t room in the first corner for all three of us. I had a tyre go flat when we tried to squeeze through and my race was pretty much over right there.’

‘This sport is rough and my Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Polo held up really well this weekend, the Top Gear USA presenter reported. ‘There were definitely battle scars from all the hits out there, but the crew worked hard and if it wasn’t for the flat tyre, we would have had a real shot at a win.’

Rallycross supremo Ken Block topped the podium at The Dirt Track, while former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr leads the overall standings with 227 points. Andretti Autosport’s Speed is in second place with 181 points. Round 6 of the Red Bull GRC will be at the Daytona International Speedway on 22-23 August.

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

CHARLOTTE: FINAL RESULTS
1 Ken Block, #43 Hoonigan Racing Division Ford Fiesta ST
2 Sverre Isachsen, #11 Subaru Rally Team USA
3 Nelson Piquet Jr, #07 SH Racing Rallycross Ford Fiesta ST

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Nelson Piquet Jr, 227

2 Scott Speed, 181

3 Steve Arpin, 164

4 Joni Wiman, 162

5 Ken Block, 155

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Ford, 472

2 Volkswagen, 293

3 Subaru, 196

4 Hyundai, 92

5 Chevrolet, 3

US TV star Tanner Foust celebrated his first 2014 Red Bull Rallycross Championship (GRC) victory of the season on 12-13 July, as he won the race in Uniondale at the wheel of his Polo RX Supercar. He follows in the tyre tracks of his Andretti Autosport team-mate Scott Speed, who has claimed two 2014 Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship wins from three rounds.

It was a rough race. Foust, a two-time rallycross champion asserted himself ahead of Speed at the specially constructed 751 metre-long circuit at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum from the off. After two red-flagged starts and much paint-rubbing, the US pair both looked to be bringing home trophies with a Volkswagen 1-2 finish.

However, Speed suffered a disqualification for ignoring a flag during the race, handing second place to Nelson Piquet Junior. An unapproved adjustment done under the first red flag of the race was Speed’s downfall. Under the championship’s supplemental regulations, he was penalized from that point forward, resulting in a ninth-place finish.

Foust used the sub-two-second 0-60mph launches of the Rockstar Energy Drink Polo RX to maximum effect, blazing off the line. ‘The starts were the critical factor for me here,’ said Foust. ‘It can be very difficult to make a pass on a tight rallycross course and getting out front early and staying out of trouble is key to winning.’

‘Ultimately, it was a great end to a long weekend,’ said Foust. ‘The two guys with the most road racing and oval experience—Scott Speed and Nelson Piquet Jr— certainly were the ones to beat. Luckily it’s still a rallycross start, and I was able to get the nose of the No 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen in there off the line.’

Speed commented: ‘Obviously it was a “not to plan” weekend for the No 77 7UP Volkswagen. We were the fastest car all weekend during practice and heat sessions and then we had engine problems on our starts. The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team did an incredible job, and the car definitely took a beating out there as we were pushing through the field.’

Speed is still second in the Drivers’ Championship point table, with a total of 149. The next round of the the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship will be in Concord, NC, at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway, from 26-26 July.

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

NEW YORK: FINAL RESULTS
1 Tanner Foust, #34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Polo
2 Nelson Piquet Jr, #07 SH Racing Rallycross Ford Fiesta ST
3 Ken Block, #43 Hoonigan Racing Division Ford Fiesta ST
4 Joni Wiman, #31 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST
5 Steve Arpin, #00 Royal Purple Racing/OMSE2 Ford Fiesta

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Nelson Piquet Jr, 184

2 Scott Speed, 149
3 Steve Arpin, 140
4 Joni Wiman, 124
5 Patrik Sandell, 116

2014 RED BULL GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Ford, 373
2 Volkswagen, 244
3 Subaru, 117
4 Hyundai, 86
5 Chevrolet, 3