Clarios and OPTIMA Batteries Announce Nitrocross Race Team with Tanner Foust
Glendale (Aug. 29, 2024) – Clarios, the world’s largest supplier of low-voltage batteries and solutions, and the company behind OPTIMA Batteries, has announced a thrilling new collaboration with multi-time champion and world record holder Tanner Foust as he launches a new race effort and goes full speed toward a Nitrocross Championship in 2025. Nitrocross features races across the country with high-speed, high-flying head-to-head rally racing, including a one-of-a-kind division exclusive to electric rally cars. Leveraging incredible and iconic racing talent, this increasingly popular EV race series will now feature one of the most experienced EV drivers of all time with the help of Clarios and OPTIMA Batteries.
This new venture into Nitrocross allows Clarios to play an active role in supporting new vehicle technology. By partnering with Foust’s legendary driving ability and automotive-industry star power, Clarios aims to push the boundaries of innovation through competition in the fun and exciting atmosphere the Nitrocross series has developed.
Foust’s new ride for Nitrocross will be on the starting grid of the Group E class. The FC1-X rallycross car features 800 kW of power (roughly 1,070 horsepower) to let it sprint from 0-60 mph in 1.4 seconds, adjustable aerodynamics, regenerative braking and over 13 inches of suspension travel.
“Foust has positioned himself at the forefront of EV development, performance, and new vehicle development projects, making a partnership between him and Clarios a no-brainer,” said Vice President of Communications at Clarios Tom Downie. “Much like Nitrocross, our goal is to uplift emerging automotive industry technology and get people excited about future vehicle technologies.”
This unique partnership introduces an exciting new opportunity outside of fighting for a championship as Clarios plans to test new battery technology in these extreme race conditions. With Foust at the wheel, Clarios will work to develop new technology that will inevitably contribute to products for Clarios and OPTIMA Batteries customers.
“Competition in the automotive space has proven to be one of the most effective ways to promote innovation and development in personal transportation,” said Foust. “We owe most of the technologies in our daily drivers to advancements made in motorsports. As we move to the world of hybrids and EVs, I believe it’s critical to continue this pace of innovation.”
Fans can see the Clarios -OPTIMA Nitrocross rally car driven by Foust at Nitrocross rounds around the country, including exciting locations like Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Miami, Las Vegas and more. Each one-of-a-kind racetrack features a variety of terrain, obstacles and gravity-defying jumps. In addition to competing at Nitrocross, Foust and the Clarios-OPTIMA rally car will be seen at a variety of automotive, electric technology and fan events throughout 2025.
“Tanner has been an integral part of our motorsports racing programs and stood by us during exciting projects like OPTIMA Unplugged,” said Marketing Director of OPTIMA Batteries Cameron Douglass. “We are really looking forward to cheering him on as he races to put the Clarios-OPTIMA car on top of the podium and to leveraging this program to test new technologies.”
Foust has an extensive background competing in electric vehicles in Extreme E and Nitrocross. He was also the first to finish the NORRA Mexican 1000 in an electric vehicle, making him one of the most EV-experienced drivers on the Nitrocross grid.
Foust and the Clarios-OPTIMA Nitrocross car will line up for the first race of the season in Richmond, Virginia, on September 7. To see the car in action for the first time, check out the official launch video.
About Clarios
Clarios is the global leader in advanced, low-voltage battery technologies for mobility. Our batteries and smart solutions power nearly every type of vehicle and are found in 1 of 3 cars on the road today. With around 18,000 employees in over 100 countries, we bring deep expertise to our Aftermarket and OEM partners, and reliability, safety and comfort to everyday lives. We answer to the planet with a rigorous sustainability focus – advancing best-in-class sustainability practices and advocating for them across our industry. We work to ensure 100% of our products sold are recyclable, and we recycle 8,000 batteries an hour in our network. Clarios is a Brookfield portfolio company.
About OPTIMA® Batteries
OPTIMA high-performance automotive, marine and heavy-duty AGM batteries are manufactured by Clarios, LLC, the world’s largest manufacturer of automotive batteries. OPTIMA REDTOP®, YELLOWTOP® and BLUETOP® batteries feature state-of-the-art SPIRALCELL TECHNOLOGY®. This patented design allows OPTIMA batteries to deliver superior performance in both starting and deep cycling applications. The OPTIMA product family also includes a line of Digital Chargers, with advanced multi-stage charging to charge and maintain a variety of vehicle batteries, maximizing battery life and performance. The newest additions to the OPTIMA YELLOWTOP line are now offered in DIN group sizes H6 and H7. This offering allows a variety of modern vehicles, ranging from late-model domestic performance to European models, to experience the power and performance of OPTIMA Batteries. To learn more or to purchase OPTIMA products, please visit www.optimabatteries.com, call 1-888-8OPTIMA (1-888-867-8462) or find @OPTIMABatteries on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.