Tanner Foust is more than just a four-time Rallycross Champion, multi-time X Games gold medalist, World Indoor Speed Record holder, and former host of the American version of “Top Gear”. He’s also Jason Bourne.
While Bourne is traditionally played by a Hollywood superstar during closeups, it is Tanner Foust in the role of the fictitious secret agent in many of the films driving scenes in two of the movies, “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “The Bourne Legacy”.
“Some of the stunt guys can light themselves on fire, have a martial arts battle on top of a building and then jump off it,” Foust told Top Gear Philippines in 2012 while he was in Malina filming “The Bourne Legacy”. “But it’s difficult for stunt guys to really develop an auto racing technique. It’s’s a specialty and it’s expensive when you crash a car so I’m lucky enough to get to crash cars all the time.”
Foust’s other role is as a Volkswagen ambassador.Photo courtesy of Volkswagen AG
Foust’s skills have also put him behind the wheel as a stunt driver in “Iron Man 2”, “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”, and “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” among others. For his efforts, Foust has been thrice nominated for trophies at the Taurus World Stunt Awards.
When he’s not on movie sets, the 46-year old Foust spends much of his time behind the wheel of Volkswagens. He is the company’s R brand ambassador. As part of that role, he is actively involved in the coordination and approval process for new Volkswagen R vehicles.
“Tanner Foust is a man of many talents. Of course, it’s his skills behind the wheel that stand out the most. With his positive mindset and infectious passion for sporty cars, he is also a really likeable guy. Tanner is a great fit for us and represents everything that Volkswagen R stands for around the globe—in a charismatic and authentic manner,” says Jost Capito, Managing Director at Volkswagen R. “His expertise is also a genuine advantage for the development and optimization of R models.”
His latest test car is the eR1, a model designed for a 100-percet electric racing car based on the body of a Volkswagen Golf. “The future of Volkswagen and motorsport is electric,” says Foust.
Recently, Volkswagen Group board member Jurgen Stackmann echoed what Foust said, telling Top Gear that, “The future of R needs to be, and will be, electric.” “We’re still working,” he continued, “on what we started two and half years ago – which was obviously not electric, though exciting – but the work going forward is and will be electrified.”
The Group has not made it a secret that their push toward electrification and electric vehicles is a top priority for the company. From Bentley to Audi to Volkswagen, the push is on in earnest whether for electrified or fully electric vehicles.
