Tanner Foust completed a clean sweep of wins in Seattle to ensure the Red Bull Global Rallycross title fight will go down to the final round in Los Angeles next month.
The two-time champion started on the front from of the grid alongside team mate and fellow double champion Scott Speed and qualifying pacesetter Patrik Sandell.
Foust led into the first turn, holding the outside line as Speed leaned on his fellow Volkswagen Beetle driver. Sandell had a less successful getaway off the line, bogging down and dropping back but he survived being charged by the rest of the field to consolidate third place he made his way through the dirt section. Behind him, Steve Arpin was making an effort to take the final podium spot off Sandell, while holding off a charging Chris Atkinson in the second Subaru.
By the halfway point in the 10-lap final Foust was pulling away at the front, while Sandell was closing in on Speed in second place. Sandell was the quickest car on track at that point, but couldn’t get close enough to Speed to make a pass, despite his charge.
With two laps to go, Speed, who had been driving conservatively up to that point to save his tyres, began to press on Foust for the lead. His choice to take his joker on the penultimate lap was aimed at gaining some clear air to build up speed for a last lap attack. However, when Foust emerged from the joker on the final lap, he was able to keep out in front.
Patrik Sandell capped off Subaru’s best weekend of the year so far – Credit: Louis Yio/Red Bull GRC
Sandell made sure Subaru finished on the podium in both Seattle races to cap off their best weekend of the year, and Atkinson took fifth. The pair were split by Austin Cindric, who claimed Bryan Herta Rallysport‘s best result of the year, while Austin Dyne was the sixth and final driver to finish the race.
Arpin completed nine of the race’s 10 laps and was classified seventh, a flat tyre taking him out of podium contention.
One year after their best event of 2016, Honda failed to have a single driver cross the finish line with Mitchell deJong, Sebastian Eriksson and Oliver Eriksson all retiring.
Foust’s win, his fourth of the year, means that he continues his unbeaten record at Evergreen Speedway. He is the only driver to have ever won at the venue since Red Bull GRC started visiting there in 2016. It also means he goes into the Los Angeles title decider next month just 29 points behind team mate Speed with 81 still to play for.
Arpin’s difficult weekend in Seattle means that although he hasn’t dropped out of title contention, he remains an outsider in the championship battle, 73 points behind leader Speed.
Red Bull Global Rallycross Seattle II Supercars Results
- Tanner Foust, #34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross
- Scott Speed, #41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross
- Patrik Sandell, #18 Subaru Rally Team USA
- Austin Cindric, #19 Bryan Herta Rallysport
- Chris Atkinson, #55 Subaru Rally Team USA
- Austin Dyne, #14 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
- Steve Arpin, #00 Loenbro Motorsports
- Mitchell deJong, #24 Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE
- Sebastian Eriksson, #93 Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE
- Oliver Eriksson, #16 Honda Red Bull Olsbergs MSE
In Red Bull GRC Lites, second place was enough for Cyril Raymond to secure the championship with one round still to go
