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"The season can't start much better than this," said Foust at the end of the race. "The team and I worked all weekend to set up the Rockstar Energy Drink Ford Fiesta for the wet conditions and it paid off."
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The American driver was competitive from the start, setting the pace in timed practice sessions and charging through the heats to claim the pole position for the A-Main final race at the Lydden Hill circuit Monday.
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In front of an enthusiastic crowd at the home of rallycross -- the track where the very first rallycross races took place more than 40 years ago -- Foust got a fast start and led to the finish. He was so far out front at the end of the five-lap race that he crossed the finish line alone while his competitors continued to battle it out behind him.
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"As the only American out here, winning in this series is amazing," said Foust. "To win at the track where the sport was invented feels even better."
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The victory sets the stage for a strong season for Foust. The three-time X Games Rally gold medal winner finished the 2011 season as the runner-up in the FIA European Rallycross Championship, and took home the first-ever Global Rallycross Championship title. He now leads the points in the 10-round European championship.
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This weekend's victory was Foust's third in the highly competitive European series. He became the first American ever to win a race in the championship a year ago, at the Portugal round, and repeated in Sweden last July.
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The Ford Fiesta rallycross car, prepared by the Olsbergs MSE team, proved class-of-the-field and performed flawlessly. The veteran OMSE team continued to develop the Rockstar Energy Drink Ford Fiesta in the off-season and emerged at the first race of the year with a competitive package. The 600-plus horsepower machine is virtually identical to the vehicle Foust runs in the United States at X Games and Global Rallycross contests.
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Rallycross is a blend of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition. It promises intense crowd-pleasing action in a fan-friendly track environment. As many as six drivers line up to start at once, piloting high-horsepower compact cars through race traffic over a challenging short course that features jumps, unbanked turns, hills and transitions between pavement and gravel. Foust is the first American to compete in the European Rallycross Championship.
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This season marks Foust's second full season in the championship. He made his debut with a select series of events in 2010 and finished the 2011 season in 2nd-place overall.
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In addition to rallycross competition in Europe and the United States, Foust's 2012 competition schedule also includes a return to X Games Rally Car Racing events this June. His next event is the French round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship at Circuit de l'Ouest Parisien in Dreux, France, April 28-29.Â
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