Foust returning to rallycross

Tanner Foust will return to European rallycross competition for the first time in nine years, competing in RallyX’s Euro League event at Circuito Internacional de Montalegre in Portugal on March 29-30, the same track where he made his European debut.

Foust will race in the top Open 4WD class driving the combustion-powered FC2 “Star Car” for guest drivers, which is being prepared by American outfit BAK40 Motorsports which previously ran the cars in Nitrocross’ NEXT Evo category. He will also perform demonstration laps in the all-electric FC1-X, the car he raced most recently in Nitrocross.

“Montalegre was the home of my first European rallycross win back in 2011,” said Foust. “I have great memories from amazing fans, an amazing location, and a fun track. I’m looking forward to coming back to Europe for some FC2 racing, and to give rides in the amazing FC1-X fully EV rallycross car.”

Foust was the first American to race in rallycross in Europe, debuting in Division 1 of the FIA European Rallycross championship in 2010. After a part-time schedule that year, he returned for a full slate of events in 2011, winning twice – at the same Montalegre circuit he’ll be racing at next month, and at Holjes in Sweden – en route to second in the points. Foust won another two times in 2012 and finished third in the points despite missing three events, then did four more events across 2013-14, winning two of them. He also contested nine FIA World Rallycross events between 2014-16, winning on his second outing in Finland.

The majority of Foust’s rallycross success came in America, where he won the discipline’s first full season stateside, the Rally America-run tournament in 2010, as well as the first two seasons of Global Rallycross in 2011 and 2012. He added a record fourth title in 2019, the final season of the short-lived Americas Rallycross series.

After two seasons away – aside from two guest appearances in 2023-24 in Utah, the second of which resulting in a podium finish – he made a full-time return last year in Nitrocross with Olsbergs MSE, and secured two top five finishes from four starts before the season was prematurely curtailed.