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Tanner Foust
2021 Nitro Rallycross - RD1 Utah (51524156209) (cropped).jpg
Foust at the 2021 Utah Nitro RX round
Born (1973-06-13) June 13, 1973 (age 51)
Education Degree in molecular biology from University of Colorado
Occupation TV Show Host
Stunt Car Driver
Professional Drift Car Driver
Professional Rallycross Driver
Known for Rallycross and drift racing
Top Gear 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)
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
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Global Rallycross career
Debut season 2011
Current team Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross
Car no. 34
Former teams Olsbergs MSE
Starts 68
Championships 2 (2011, 2012)
Wins 17
Podiums 35
Finished last season 2nd
FIA World Rallycross Championship
Years active 2014–2016
Former teams Volkswagen RX Sweden
Marklund Motorsport
Starts 9
Championships 0
Wins 1
Podiums 2
Best finish 13th in 2014
FIA ERX Supercar Championship
Years active 2011–2014
Former teams Marklund Motorsport
Olsbergs MSE
Rockstar Energy Rallycross Team
Starts 21
Wins 6
Podiums 12
Best finish 2nd in 2011
Championship titles
2007-2008 2011–2012
2019
Formula D
Global Rallycross
Americas Rallycross Championship
Medal record
X Games
Representing  United States
Gold 2007 Los Angeles Rally
Gold 2010 Los Angeles Rally
Gold 2010 Los Angeles Super Rally
Silver 2008 Los Angeles Rally
Silver 2011 Los Angeles Rallycross
Bronze 2009 Los Angeles Rally
Bronze 2013 Munich Rallycross
Silver 2013 Los Angeles Rallycross
Gold 2013 Los Angeles Gymkhana
Nitro World Games
Representing  United States
Bronze 2018 Erda Nitro Rallycross

Tanner Lee Foust (born June 13, 1973) is an American professional racing driver, stunt driver, and television host. He competes in rally, drift, ice racing, time attack, hill climb and rallycross with multiple podium placements, national championships, and world records. He was a co-host of 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 rallying and learned to drive on the country roads near his home. He returned to the United States and worked jobs as a golf caddy and school bus driver, from which he was fired, and went into a pre-med track at the University of Colorado, earning a biology degree. He spent his summers at the track, trading mechanic work and driver coaching jobs for seat time in racecars. 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 become 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.

Career

Tanner Foust Lydden Hill 2014 004
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, Ford vs Ferrari, Need For Speed 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 9 of the 10 rounds of the FIA recognized series finished second overall 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.

In Summer 2015 he started shooting the sixth and final season of Top Gear completing 72 episodes.

At the Chicago Auto Show in February 2014, Foust announced a new partnership with Volkswagen and Andretti Autosport. He drove a Volkswagen New Beetle for the 2014 Global RallyCross Championship season as well as selected events with Marklund Motorsport in the inaugural season of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. He became the first, and so far only, driver from outside Europe to win a round of the championship, winning the 2014 World RX of Finland. As the US rallycross series has changed its name from Global Rallycross to America’s Rallycross and Nitro Rallycross, Foust has finished runner up in the championship 3 times and won the NRX championship in 2019. He holds the longest running streak of Heat victories in rallycross worldwide at 25 and is currently the winningest driver in the US.

Foust signed with McLaren XE to race in the 2022 Extreme E season alongside Emma Gilmour. He and Gilmour won McLaren's first Extreme E podium by finishing second in the Energy X-Prix. The pair were retained for the 2023 season. McLaren won its second podium by finishing second in Round 4 at the Hydro X-Prix. McLaren withdrew from Round 8 at the Island X-Prix II due to the car being badly damaged in Round 7's redemption race. In December 2023, McLaren announced that Foust and Gilmour will leave the team after two season.

2021 Nitro Rallycross - RD1 Utah (51523422711)
Foust driving for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the 2021 Nitro Rallycross Championship

Achievements

Rally America
  • 2005 Rally America - PGT Champion (Subaru WRX)
  • 2006 Rally America - PGT Class Championship Second place overall (Subaru WRX)
  • 2007 Rally America - Fourth Place (with 6 podium placements)
X Games
  • 2006 X Games - Rally Third fastest time in the Stadium Super Special
  • 2007 X Games - Rally Gold Medalist (Subaru STI)
  • 2008 X Games - Rally Silver Medalist (Subaru STI)
  • 2009 X Games - Rally Bronze Medalist (Ford Fiesta)
  • 2010 X Games - Super Rally Gold Medalist (Ford Fiesta)
  • 2010 X Games - Rally Gold Medalist (Ford Fiesta)
  • 2011 X Games - RallyCross Silver Medal (Ford Fiesta)
  • 2013 X Games Munich - RallyCross Bronze Medalist Ford Fiesta)
  • 2013 X Games Los Angeles - Gymkhana Grid Gold Medalist (Ford Fiesta)
  • 2013 X Games Los Angeles - RallyCross Silver Medalist (Ford Fiesta)
Rallycross championships
  • 2011 European Rallycross Championship - Silver Medalist (Ford Fiesta)
  • 2011 Global RallyCross Championship - Champion (Ford Fiesta)
  • 2012 Global RallyCross Championship - Champion (Ford Fiesta)
  • 2018 Americas Rallycross Championship - Silver Medalist (Volkswagen Beetle)
  • 2019 Americas Rallycross Championship - Champion (Volkswagen Beetle)
Formula D
  • 2006 Formula Drift - 3rd place overall (Nissan Silvia)
  • 2007 Formula Drift - Champion (Nissan 350Z)
  • 2008 Formula Drift - Champion (Nissan 350Z)
  • 2009 Formula Drift - 6th Place (Scion TC)
  • 2010 Formula Drift - Silver Medalist (Scion TC)
Other
  • 2009 Race of Champions - Nations Cup semi-finalist
  • 2010 Gymkhana Grid Gold Medalist AWD Division (Ford Fiesta)
  • 2011 World record for longest jump in a four-wheeled vehicle (332 feet)
  • 2011 World indoor speed record (until February 2013)
  • 2012 World record for largest loop-the-loop in a car (60 feet in diameter)

Racing record

Complete FIA European Rallycross Championship results

(key)

Division 1

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ERX Points
2010 Rockstar Energy Rallycross Team 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 Rockstar Energy Rallycross Team 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 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta GBR
1
FRA
13
AUT HUN
2
NOR
1
SWE BEL
2
NED
6
FIN
6
GER 3rd 100
2013 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST GBR
1
POR HUN FIN
1
NOR SWE FRA
6
AUT GER 9th 68
2014 Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo GBR
3
NOR BEL GER ITA 18th 14

Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results

(key)

Supercar

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WRX Points
2014 Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo POR GBR
5
NOR FIN
1
SWE BEL CAN
NC
FRA GER ITA TUR
DNP
ARG 13th 42
2015 Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo POR HOC
9
BEL GBR
16
GER SWE CAN
3
NOR FRA BAR
5
TUR ITA ARG 15th 44
2016 Volkswagen RX Sweden Volkswagen Polo POR HOC BEL GBR
22
NOR SWE CAN FRA BAR LAT GER
18
ARG 29th 0

Complete Global RallyCross Championship results

(key)

AWD

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 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

Supercar

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 GRC Points
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
2016 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Volkswagen Beetle PHO1
1
PHO2
1
DAL
3
DAY1
5
DAY2
1
MCAS1
8
MCAS2
C
DC
3
AC
4
SEA
1
LA1
2
LA2
4
2nd 565
2017 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Volkswagen Beetle MEM
2
LOU
4
THO1
1
THO2
9
OTT1
2
OTT2
1
INDY
2
AC1
10
AC2
9
SEA1
1
SEA2
1
LA
1
2nd 807

Complete Americas Rallycross Championship results

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points
2018 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Volkswagen Beetle SIL
1
AUS1
3
TRO
2
AUS2
1
2nd 107
2019 MO1
4
GTW1
6
GTW2
3
TRO
1
AUS
1
MO2
7
1st 143

Complete Nitrocross results

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 NRX Points
2021 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Audi S1 UTA
7
ERX
7
WHP
6
GHR
13
FIRM
6
6th 82
2023-24 Xite Energy Racing FC1-X MID
UMC1
9
UMC2
3
WHP1
WHP2
HLN1
HLN2
STA
TBA
TBA
11th* 84*

Complete Extreme E results

(key)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points
2022 NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team Spark ODYSSEY 21 DES
5
ISL1
10
ISL2
6
COP
5
ENE
2
7th 46
2023 NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team Spark ODYSSEY 21 DES1
6
DES2
7
HYD1
8
HYD2
2
ISL-I1
7
ISL-I2
9
ISL-II1
10
ISL-II2
WD
COP1
5
COP2
5
8th 67

* Season still in progress.

TV and film

Fearless at the 500 20110529
Foust, for Team Hot Wheels, jumping across the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's infield at turn 4
  • The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) stunt driver
  • Rally America (2005–2007) as Himself
  • Formula D (2005–2007) as Himself
  • Auto Access (2005–2007) Host
  • Import Racers: "Bull Run" (2006) as Himself
  • CSI: Miami: "Driven" (2006) stunt driver
  • Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) stunt driver
  • Master of Champions: "Premiere" (2006) Contestant
  • RM Classic Car Auction (2007) Host
  • Redline TV (2007) Host
  • Dirt: "Ita Missa Est" (2007) stunt double
  • The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) stunt performer
  • Numb3rs: "Velocity" (2007) stunt driver
  • Top Gear (NBC) (2008) Host
  • Mad Skills: Rhys Millen Is the Kiwi Drifter (2008) as Himself
  • SuperCars Exposed (2008–2009) Host
  • Fast & Furious (2009) stunt double
  • Street Customs: "GTO" (2009) as Himself
  • Battle of the Supercars (2010) as Himself
  • Iron Man 2 (2010) stunt double
  • Top Gear (U.S.) (2010—2016) Host
  • Hot Wheels: Fearless at the 500 (2011) as Himself
  • Red Dawn (2012) stunt double
  • The Bourne Legacy (2012) stunt double
  • Octane Academy (2012) as Himself
  • Octane Academy (2013) as Himself
  • Need for Speed (2014) stunt driver
  • Hitman: Agent 47 (2015) hitman stunt driver
  • Straight Outta Compton (2015) Stunt Driver
  • Ford v Ferrari (2019) Ronnie Bucknum
  • John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) Stunt Driver

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Tanner Foust para niños

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