Speed to race Shark themed VW Beetle in Global Rallycross opener

Scott Speed

The Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team begins its second full season of racing this weekend in Ft. Lauderdale. The team will again be battling with two Beetle GRC race cars, which debuted in the closing races of 2014.

As Volkswagen enters its fourth consecutive year as a presenting sponsor of Discovery Channel's SHARK WEEK, Scott Speed will concurrently begin the Red Bull Global Rallycross season behind the wheel of the No. 41 SHARK WEEK Volkswagen Beetle GRC, wrapped for SHARK WEEK, which begins on July 5th.

"My father raced with No. 41 in karts when I was younger so it's pretty special to me," said Speed. "I have only had the option to choose the No. 41 twice in my career and was able to win championships each time. Hopefully it continues to bring me luck in 2015!"

New this year, the team has chosen to change the engine specification from the Beetle GRC race cars that ran in 2014. In place of the 1.6-liter turbocharged and intercooled TSI® four-cylinder engine, there is now a 2.0-liter TSI engine that produces 553 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, compared to 544 hp and 387 lb-ft for the 2014 car.

Tanner Foust

"Volkswagen and Andretti have been hard at work during this off season and making good use of the lessons learned from last year's limited running of the Beetle GRC," said Tanner Foust, driver of the No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Beetle GRC. "I'm excited to stack it up with the new engine against the amazing competition the series has this year and I'm looking forward to getting back on track."

"We're really excited about our second season in the Global Rallycross series," said Clark Campbell, General Manager, Motorsports, Volkswagen of America. "We have the same great drivers and team, and have further developed the Beetle GRC, based on our race experience last year and offseason testing. I'm optimistic that we will be challenging for race wins and the title."

In addition to the twelve regular season races, both drivers have been invited to the non-scoring Summer X Games in Austin, TX. Gold medalist Scott Speed will be in the hunt to defend his 2014 title.

Launching this week, the VARX Supercars app will provide GRC fans with the perfect mobile companion to every race weekend. Users can stay up to date on schedules, session results, and live timing and scoring all in the palm of his or her hand. The app is free to download for iOS and Android users. Search "VARX Supercars" in the App Store or on Google Play to download.

Red Bull Global Rallycross Fort Lauderdale will take place at Bahia Mar Resort & Marina in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, from May 30-31. NBC will air the race live on Sunday, May 31, at 3:00 p.m. ET. Follow @VW and @FollowAndretti on Twitter for live updates throughout the event.

For tickets and further event information, visit: http://www.redbullglobalrallycross.com/events

Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross