VARX Race Report: MCAS New River
7.5.15
SCOTT SPEED, NO. 41 SHARK WEEK BEETLE
– The All-American racer set the quickest lap time during the weekend practice rounds at MCAS New River.
– Starting from the pole position for the second Heat round, Speed suffered a mechanical issue which forced the No. 41 machine to retire early from the event.
“It seems that a dark cloud is surrounding our team right now and it just can’t seem to go away. We started off the weekend fastest in practice and then we didn’t get a chance to qualify, forcing the SHARK WEEK Beetle to start in the back of the pack. We ended up working our way to the front and walking away with a win in our first heat. All signs were pointing to a promising weekend, but we suffered an engine failure today which ended our weekend unexpectedly. MCAS New River has been by far the best atmosphere of season, it’s one of the best events I’ve been to. It’s been super memorable, the Fourth of July celebration yesterday was amazing and it was incredible to see the amount of fans show up to support. It’s been a really cool experience for my family and I, so I owe MCAS New River a big thanks for everything they did to put on a great show.”
TANNER FOUST, NO. 34 ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK BEETLE
– Sitting in the third position in the Global Rallycross Championship point standings, the California resident suffered early mechanical issues at MCAS New River.
– After making contact with a competitor, Foust walked away from Heat 2B with a broken left rear suspension – the 42-year-old did not go on to race in the final due to the damages.
– After making contact with a competitor, Foust walked away from Heat 2B with a broken left rear suspension – the 42-year-old did not go on to race in the final due to the damages.
“We suffered a very strange mechanical failure on the Rockstar Energy Drink Beetle that we haven’t seen before. The Volkswagen Andretti crew worked hard this morning to solve our issues early on. Once it was back up and running, I went into the second round of Heats and I think the No. 34 showed good potential to be leading the Heat. I started from the second row and had a good first corner and then all of a sudden I was just hit from the back left, the car was hit hard enough to completely eject the suspension and wheel. Once we brought the car back into the paddock we learned that the hit actually caused damage to the engine as well. It’s unfortunate, I know that the Beetle is really fast and somehow these issues keep coming, but the crew is hard at work so I know we’ll figure it out and get ourselves in a position for the Championship. What an incredible turnout at MCAS New River today, it’s an amazing feeling being able to put on an exciting show for these men and women serving our country. These fans have been the absolute best, so I hope we return to this venue in the future.”