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Getting some of Tanner Foust's time is like pulling teeth with Tanner being on TV Shows, doing stunt driving in films and lastly but most importantly to the core fans Formula Drift and D1GP competitions. Well here's some feedback from what's going on in Tanner's head. Also, a little bit about what he has in store for his fans in August, X Games!!!
1. First and foremost congrats on the victory in Atlanta, anybody you like to thank for that victory?
TF: I've got to thank the guys at AEM; Steph, Danny and Carlos. One of my jobs on the AEM team is to make this car comfortable to drift in a SHORT amount of time so I've pushed these guys fairly hard to get this done. They are incredibly professional and capable technicians, managers and drivers (except Carlos, we all know he doesn't drive very well). We also couldn't have flashed this effort together without Lawson and sponsorships he manages: Memphis Car Audio, Toyo Tires, Unbound Energy Drink, Tokico Shocks and Sparco to name a few.
2. Honestly how much seat time did you have in that car? Only that little amount of time and you're atop the podium, man the guys better get their game tight, quick!
TF: I went back on a personal rule NOT to test in a point's competition this spring in Long Beach. We had no choice, having dropped the car off with wet paint and having to make a best guess at suspension set up before the event is not generally the way to go. After a few runs I soften things a bit and we stopped the suspension adjustments there; it was a matter learning the car from there. Then before Atlanta we managed to get it out to two test days to fine tune the set-up. It's still a work in progress.
3. So how was the experience of driving on "The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift"? What car did you drive?
TF: FF3 was an amazing experience. Rhys and bashed it out nightly for three months! I drove the Dark Grey 350z that was owned by the character DK, he's the bad guy. I've never been put into such hairy situations: Drifting downhill, door to door on a single lane road with real 80 foot cliffs sweeping under the rear bumper was pretty nuts! One mistake from either of us and the driver would not have walked away.
4. So you're rallying and have been for some years, not many people know that about you. I heard you're going to be driving in August in a little event known as X Games, how bout them apples? Are you psyched or what?
TF: If you would have told me 1 year ago that I would, in my lifetime, have the opportunity to compete against Colin McRae in a rally car, I would have assumed you were as high as a kite! To be competing against such world class drivers in the Olympics of Action sports is simply unbelievable, I still haven't put my head around it! All I can do is get as prepared as possible and put on a good show.
5. The next logical question, do you think drifting belongs in X Games? I know this is a loaded question and feel free to answer however long you'd like to.
TF:Drifting would make an awesome X Games event. It's got all the right components of television and crowd appeal, but the competition; I don't think would be as interesting as Rally could be. With rally you can take a host of characters from various sports that have some driving background and train them up, put them in with a good co-driver and give them the right hardware to make them competitive. With drifting the skill set is different and I believe it would be more difficult to get individuals from various action sports up to the level of Rhys, Samuel and other Formula D regulars. I think the event could risk becoming just a high profile Formula D event with all the same players at the top.
6. What other forms of racing are you into and what else you working on right now?
TF: I genuinely dig driving. I'm up for just about any motorsport, and if I suck I'll stick with it until I'm as competitive as possible. For next year I've talked with companies about everything from Baja racing to ALMS road course racing. Mix those in with Rally and Drift and you've got one serious travel schedule! Plus I'm hosting a show for ESPN right now that will air in January. It's called Import Racers and I took over for Sal when he moved onto the E! Channel.
7. Wait don't you live with Rhys Millen right now, you two "wild and crazy guys" I could imagine get into some serious trouble out there in The OC. How does he let you sleep in his house after you beat him in Atlanta?
TF: Easy, he raises the rent! Just kidding, renting a room from Rhys has been great. I've helped him, to a small degree, remodel his new house and he's given me the opportunity to live out here in order to break into the stunt driving world. His generosity is much appreciated but when the driving gloves go on all bets are off!
8. What are your tips to anybody that wants to get into drifting?
TF: I think people starting out need to treat practice as an audition. If somebody is watching then you have to take the runs seriously; force yourself to strive for zero spins and zero cones as soon as possible, even if it means having less speed and less angle at first. Drift days and other organized events are places where tire sponsors are already looking for the next underdog, so show some precision and they'll trust you.
9. Any plans for the car the rest of this year?
TF: When it comes to car prep I am constantly chasing the ideal set up. For Sonoma we're going to widen the rear of the car to help with suspension geometry and to allow for more aggressive driving. I'm also going to challenge Stephan to take his already excellent engine tune and make it produce more power at a lower RPM. We've got to take those American torque monsters down somehow!
10. Last question, what music or CD's are you listening to right now on your Ipod or in your car?
TF: I'm on a plane to Orlando for a time attack in Sebring and I'm listening to the United In-flight music network. Some meditation guy in the earphones is trying to convince me that I'm made of glass and that I'm filling with an orange liquid from my toes up. I'm not too sure how relaxing that is... I'm just happy to get my therapy behind the wheel of a race car!
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