Tanner Foust will return to Nitrocross for his first full season within the rallycross-like championship since 2021 when the collection’s 2024-25 season kicks-off at Richmond Raceway subsequent weekend.
The American will race for Olsbergs MSE within the top-level Group E class, reuniting with the staff that gave him the primary three of his 4 US rallycross titles. His teammates shall be brothers Kevin and Oliver Eriksson, who’ve each gained races within the collection – the 2 are sons of the staff’s founder Andreas Eriksson, a former teammate of Foust’s.
“The Group E championship, up to now, is the one skilled rallycross occasions I’ve ever missed within the U.S. because the sport got here right here, and I used to be concerned in bringing the game to the U.S. with Andreas Eriksson,” Foust instructed RACER. “I’ve labored with him, I’ve identified his children since they have been snotty little children lined in mud working by the Swedish forests. Now I’m going to be racing alongside them, which may be very cool.”
Foust competed within the first two standalone Nitrocross occasions (then identified at Nitro Rallycross) for Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross at Utah Motorsports Campus in 2018 and ‘19, ending third within the former. He then ran the complete 2021 season – the final contested with combustion-engined automobiles within the premier class – with JC Raceteknik in an Audi S1. Except for appearances on the two Utah races final season for XITE Vitality Racing, Foust has been absent within the championship’s single make electrical ‘Group E’ period, however the fleeting look left a powerful impression.
A bit of style is resulting in some huge issues for Foust, not to mention some main potential developments for Nitrocross itself. QNIGAN/Nitrocross
“I did an occasion final yr in Utah the place I drove for XITE Racing, and was impressed with how the schedule unfolded, the standard of the racing and the standard of the automobile that OMSE constructed,” he stated. “Then I went to Vegas to present rides for the collection within the Blissful Dad automobile. I gave rides to lots of execs from NASCAR, from automobile producers, and the curiosity within the collection from a few of the huge gamers in U.S. motorsport is superior.
“The collection is at a degree in its life the place it has the potential to develop exponentially over the following few years.”
Since Foust’s final full season in Nitrocross, the Travis Pastrana-led collection has undergone large adjustments behind the scenes, with UFC magnate Dana White among the many buyers, and Foust now believes the self-discipline is in a powerful place after a tumultuous decade with earlier collection.
“I’ve actually watched what Travis has accomplished with the collection, what new possession with Dana White and Thrill One has accomplished with the collection, and I feel it’s a turning level the place it actually generally is a collection that helps hold motorsport shifting ahead as we enter the alternate gasoline period of transport,” stated Foust. “I’m excited to be part of that as an advocate for motorsport typically.
“They’ve an ideal administration group. I feel they’ve discovered their legs. They’ve bought a greater understanding of what tracks work, what tracks don’t. They’ve bought an ideal schedule – it’s a difficult schedule in that it crosses over the calendar yr, however it’s a absolutely U.S. primarily based schedule, which does make it just a little bit less complicated to boost sponsorship cash for the championship.”
Foust will race with backing from Optima Batteries, a long-time backer of his, in a deal that goes past signing checks and wrapping the automobile. Its mother or father firm Clarios is the world’s largest battery producer, with one in three automobiles – of any variety or producer – coming off the manufacturing line with on of its batteries fitted as commonplace.
Longtime companion for one, potential longtime companion for all. Photograph courtesy of Clarios
“Optima batteries was my first racing sponsor in 1997. A advertising and marketing exec at Optima batteries gave me $500 to go purchase a set of tires for a spec Ford racer,” he recalled. “That very same advertising and marketing exec is now head of promoting, and is identical man who I’ve partnered with [from] Optima batteries and now their mother or father firm, Clarios, in a reasonably thrilling relationship that has countless potential.
“It’s uncommon to search out giant companies which might be enthusiastic about motorsport lately, so I’m fairly thrilled to be working with Clarios and with Optima to show a few of their new applied sciences and batteries, but in addition to maintain motorsport alive.”
Foust’s partnership with Optima is about to have wider advantages for the remainder of the Nitrocross area, with know-how set to be trialled within the close to future that may very well be carried out for everybody, which might ultimately see lithium battery know-how fall by the wayside.
“I’m about long run relationship,” stated the former-McLaren Excessive E racer. “I used to be with Rockstar for 18 years, so for those who’re going to make a long run relationship, that has to make sense over time.
“They (Optima) have new tech popping out, which we’re hoping to make use of within the FC1-X,” Foust stated. “They’ve a sodium ion battery – it matches someplace between an AGM battery and a lithium battery in weight, so it’s lighter than a standard AGM battery, nevertheless it’s extra highly effective additionally, and it’s fabricated from wooden, salt, iron and water. It’s extremely straightforward to make from a useful resource standpoint and it’s the following step past lithium.
“We’re planning on proving that tech by working them in these automobiles in these harsh environments … [to] get individuals snug with the know-how and perceive the way it works.”
Foust returns to Nitrocross because the holder of virtually each report there’s to have in U.S. rallycross, amongst them — 4 titles (throughout Rally America, World Rallycross, and Americas Rallycross) and 24 occasion wins. He insists sustaining these information within the face of Robin Larsson’s present collection dominance isn’t a driving consider his return.
“I feel I had 25 warmth wins in a row, so I don’t assume he’s going to get that one,” Foust stated. “Information are made to be damaged. I’ve been lucky sufficient to have some world information and completely different information in several collection, and it’s by no means that a lot of a disappointment after they’re damaged. It’s simply nice that the game stays wholesome and retains shifting ahead.
“[The progress is] inspiring, and it drives you to possibly push just a little bit more durable. You already know, coming in after these guys have had two or three years beneath their belts within the automobiles, it might be aggressive to assume that you just’re going to take the championship within the first yr, however we’re going to push to win it.”
