The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team finished its first season in the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship with a strong performance in Las Vegas. Racing together for the first time, the two GRC Beetles began the final round with four heat wins.
With a chance to win the driver championship, Scott Speed, driver of the No. 77 7UP Volkswagen, was involved in an early incident in the final race, causing him to restart from the back of the grid. Speed then battled his way through the field to finish fourth in the race and third overall in the championship, 37 points behind series winner, Joni Wiman.
“The GRC Beetle was running strong all afternoon in the second round of heats,” said Speed. “It's unfortunate that I had to restart from the back of the grid during the final, but it definitely showed the toughness of this new car. Running the Beetle in Las Vegas has been great and it sets us up nicely going into next year.”
Tanner Foust, driver of the No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen, was fast throughout the final round. After winning his first two heats, the toe-link on his Beetle broke when he made contact with another driver. Foust battled back in the last chance qualifier and the final, taking home a sixth-place finish.
"Finishing in sixth place tonight in Las Vegas feels pretty good after a rocky start to the season,” said Foust. “These last few races of the season have been great for the development of the Beetle. We have learned what works and the amount of run time each piece of the car needs. The Beetle will be tough to beat in 2015, so I'm looking forward to running it all season.”
The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team had a successful first year in the series with four race wins in the ten-race series. Both Scott Speed and Tanner Foust will return with the team in 2015, racing the iconic Beetle.
Red Bull Global Rallycross will release the schedule for the 2015 season in coming weeks. Follow @VW and @FollowAndretti on Twitter for updates.
GRC Las Vegas will air delayed on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 1:30 p.m. EDT.
