At the relatively cool (95 degrees at midnight) Las Vegas Motorspeedway Formula Drift was burning up tires left and right as a full field of drivers were battling for a round 5 win in sin city. However it was Team Falken Tire that burned more rubber than anyone by sending three drivers to the final four, then dominating the podium with Vaughn Gittin Jr. taking third place and Dai Yoshihara taking second place after having mechanical problems before his battle with Tyler McQuarrie who took the top spot overall. This is the second time that Falken has had a podium sweep and with their roster of talent I doubt it will be the last time.
They’re also enjoying championship battle success as only 22 points separate points leader Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Dai Yoshihara in the standings. With only two rounds left (Sonoma and Irwindale) it is hardly a done deal. Just because both drivers are on the same team, don’t expect them to go easy on each other!
I am happy to say that our buddy Dai Yoshihara took the victory at Formula Drift Round 2 “Road To The Championship” over the weekend! This is Dai’s 4th victory since entering Formula Drift and it is his first victory since joining Team Falken Tire. Congrats Dai!!
The 2010 Formula Drift season officially kicked off over the weekend with Round 1 taking place on the streets of Long Beach. All the pre-season hype was over and it was time for all the teams with new cars to put their money where their mouths were. Questions were answered and more were asked but when all the tire smoke cleared it was Vaughn Gittin Jr on top of the podium thanks to his new Falken Tire/Monster Energy Drink 2011 Ford Mustang. Taking 2nd place was Rhys Millen in his Red Bull Hyundai Genesis Coupe and coming in 3rd was Tanner Foust in his Rockstar Energy Drink Scion tC thus creating an all energy drink podium.
So what were some of the highlights from the weekend? Well Long Beach was to be the debut for several new cars such as Sam Hubinette’s Dodge Challenger, and Conrad Grunewald’s 2010 Chevy Camaro. However not all the new cars made it to the grid. Noticably absent was the Hankook Tire GT-R built by Gruppe-S/Dynamic Autosport for Robbie Nishida as well as the Hankook Tire Subaru WRX for Irish driver Eric O’Sullivan. Both cars failed to pass a last minute tech inspection and were not allowed to run. You can follow up on that drama on WreckedMagazine.com.
I am happy to say that the other highlight wasn’t controversial but a shocker nonetheless. Nordic driver Fredric Aasbo was extremely impressive in his Toyota Supra and shocked the crowed when he took down 2009 Formula D Champion Chris Forsberg in the top 16! Aasbo made it all the way to the final four where he lost to Vaughn Gittin Jr. in what some would call a questionable call by Formula D judges. Aasbo then had to take on Tanner Foust but it appeared as if his confidence was shaken since Tanner made quick work of Aasbo who seemed hesitant to stick close to Tanner during the battle. Vaughn used the momentum from his earlier win over Aasbo to take on Rhys Millen in a heated battle. But when Rhys spun and crashed into the tire barrier on his second run he handed the victory to Gittin thus securing the all energy drink podium.
With Long Beach wrapped up it is on to Road Atlanta where hopefully some of the cars who had trouble in Long Beach will be all sorted. WIll Vaughn be able to repeat down south? WIll the new Hankook Tire cars be ready for the next round? We’ll do our best to keep you posted!
In the mean time you can check out our 2 day gallery on our Facebook page or you can check out UrbanRacer.com’s gallery full of yummy action shots.
Last night I got to visit Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory and hang out with the who’s who of the drifting community and the actions sports set to whitness the official debut of Vaughn Gittin Jr’s new Falken Tire/Monster Energy Drink 2011 Ford Mustang drift car. There was free alcohol, fish tacos, and lots of green light! However I don’t drink so I was only able to enjoy the latter of the three. It was pretty cool walking around the same place I watch Rob Dyrdek “do work” on MTV. Even the mini Subaru from Gymkahna 2.1 was on display! Check out some pics below and even more in our StreetFire photo gallery.
Falken Tire rented out Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina and shipped out the bulk of their drift team to shake down their cars before the 2010 Formula Drift season kicks off in Long Beach, CA next month. The video below is Irishman Darren McNamara testing is 800HP V8 Saturn Sky built by Autosport Dynamics.
I love the somewhat raw nature of this video and the awesome angles thanks to the GoPro cameras on board and in Darren’s helmet. You even get a close up view of Darren flipping the bird! Awesome! Falken TIre says his Saturn Sky is now pushing 800HP and from the growl coming from its LS series V8 I’m inclined to believe it. This is an awesome on-board-camera ride to take so turn up your speakers and enjoy!
P.S. If you’re wondering why the Saturn Sky is right-hand drive that’s because Darren, being from Ireland is used to driving right-hand cars so ASD fab’d up a whole new dashboard to make driving the Sky as comfortable as possible for him.
There weren’t too many show cars at the Formula D Tech Day this year but Wrecked Magazine did bring over their UTI collab Nissan 350Z project car and it was lookin’ mighty fine! Of course what stuck out the most to me was a flat white vinyl wrap job which looks freakin’ FRESH! Especially wrapped around that Origin body kit and dropped on KW coilovers. The wheels on this thing are pretty sick too. You just can’t go wrong with a phat set of HRE wheels wrapped with Falken rubber and the military green centers add a nice contrast to the white. All in all everything on this car was pulled off nicely and the supercharger under the hood doesn’t hurt! Good job guys!
The 2010 race season is rapidly approaching and now is the time when we start to find out what some of our favorite teams are doing this year. I just got word from Falken Tire that they’ve bought a brand new 2010 Porsche GT3 RSR as their new track weapon as well as two Porsche Works drivers (Wolf Henzler and Patrick Pilet) to wield it. The two new guys will join returning driver Bryan Sellers to take on the GT field at the ALMS races this year. I can’t wait to see how the team does at Sebring this year! Stay tuned for more updates.
Press Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TEAM FALKEN TIRE PREPARES FOR DEBUT ASSAULT WITH NEW PORSCHE AND TEAM DRIVER FOR SEBRING IN GT2 CLASS
FONTANA, CA (Mar. 3, 2010) - Porsche Works Driver’s Wolf Henzler, Patrick Pilet and returning driver Bryan Sellers will lead the Team Falken Tire’s expanded race program, debuting the tire company’s brand new 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the American Le Mans Series GT2 class at Sebring.
This will be the third year for Team Falken in ALMS, and its most aggressive program to date. “We’re using the ALMS to compete against our competitors as well as utilize the highly organized race program as a formal testing ground for continued tire development,” said Mark Richter, Falken Senior Manager of Dealer Marketing. “As we compete throughout the season, we will build upon race and test data learned from our efforts with last year’s Porsche.”
“As we plan for Sebring, it’s great to have Wolf on our team, as well as have Bryan return, along with Rod Everett, our veteran team manager, who has overseen the development of Falken’s new race car, the only Porsche 911 GT3 RSR earmarked for racing delivered to North America this season,” said Falken’s Director of Marketing Andrew Hoit. “We remain convinced that ALMS is the perfect venue to profile Falken’s brand and demonstrate the company’s capabilities to our customers, retailers and media, and that’s why we have made the significant commitment to motorsports.”
The new GT3 RSR was hand-built in Porsche’s Weissach, Germany, Motorsports facility, and then air- freighted on a 747 cargo plane to LAX, close to Falken’s Corporate offices in Fontana. The car is the latest generation water-cooled 4.0-Liter Porsche Flat six boxer engine.
Henzler, a veteran of many ALMS races, and one of only eight Porsche factory drivers, along with Sellers, who drove Falken’s entry in 2009, have tested the new car prior to its debut next week at Sebring.
“We showed steady improvement throughout last year, and anticipate even stronger results in 2010,” Richter added. ”I’m confident Falken, our drivers and our car are ready for the challenge.” - 30 -
Falken Tire Corporation, based in Fontana, California, was introduced to the North American market in 1985. Falken focus on UHP (Ultra High Performance) products and utilizes pro drifting and American LeMans race programs to further develop, improve and market passenger vehicle products for worldwide distribution. For more information, visit Falken Tire’s new website at www.falkentire.com.
We just got the news that hot on the heels of the Bergenholtz announcing their FullTiltPoker.com title sponsorship Falken Tire has announced that they have just signed former Bergenholtz driver Justin Pawlak to drive their 2010 Ford Mustang as Vaughn Gittin Jr. jumps into his 2011 model Mustang. Video and full press release below:
Press Release:
JUSTIN PAWLAK TO DRIFT 2010 FALKEN TIRE
FORD RACING MUSTANG
FONTANA, CA (Feb. 12, 2010) - Fontana, CA. - As the 2010 Formula Drift season gets ready to begin, Falken Tire would like to welcome the newest member to its drift team, Justin Pawlak. Campaigning the newly built 2010 Ford Mustang sporting Falken Tires world-renowned blue and teal livery, Justin looks to march toward the top of Formula Drift in his 3rd full season. ASD in Charlotte, North Carolina is prepping the Mustang for its 2010 debut at Long Beach and will work closely with Justin to get him comfortable in his new ride.
As a full-time driver in the 2008 Formula Drift season, Justin got his first podium at Irwindale finishing 16th overall for the season earning him an invitation to the Drifting World Championship. He followed that up with multiple Top-16’s and a 9th place overall points finish in 2009.
Affectionately known as “JTP”, he’s looking forward to the new season and all that comes with it. “I’m speechless! I’m very excited to join the Falken Tire/Ford Racing team and the Falken family! Falken Tire has been pushing drifting to the next level and I’m very excited to be a part of it.”
A new season brings a new set of challenges as Justin makes the transition from a 3-rotor turbo power plant to 650+ horsepower V8. Despite the fact that he’s drifted rotary-powered Mazdas for over 5 years, JTP fully expects to do things in the Mustang that “have never been seen before.” Justin’s aggressive driving style complimented by the new Falken Azenis RT615K tire should prove to be a lethal combination in his efforts towards the 2010 Formula Drift championship.
The interwebs are ablaze right now with the recent development which was first broke by Wrecked Magazine that Rob Dyrdek and Falken drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. will attempt to 50-50 grind a 2010 Ford Mustang along a giant rail. This stunt is supposed to go down on the season premere of Fantasy Factory on MTV. Stay tuned to Wrecked’s twitter for further updates.
Yes, we’re a bit late on the SEMA stuff but we’ve actually been getting ready to head out there ourselves. We will have full coverage of Thursday and Friday straight from the show floor. In the meantime check out this Ford Flex built by Falken Tire. I’ve always been a fan of the Flex and getting a glimpse at Falken’s take on it makes us want one even more! Check out the press release below.
Press Release:
FALKEN TIRE TEAMS UP WITH FORD AND AUTOFASION TO BUILD AWARD WINNING FORD FLEX
FONTANA, CA (November 4, 2009) - Breaking the mold of cookie-cutter project vehicles on oversized chrome rims, Falken Tire envisioned the perfect blend of traditional “Lowrider” styling and a 2010 platform while utilizing today’s finest full-size CUV, the Ford Flex. Rolling on 22″ Falken S/TZ04 tires and wire spoke Dayton wheels, this project was set to earn the respect of old school purists to new-age tuners.
Exterior modifications include a full PPG Paint color change, subtle silver leaf and pinstripe graphics and GT Factory rear suicide doors. The 3d Carbon aero treatment lays low when the Airrunner suspension drops and a low rumble is delivered through Magnaflow’s SS cat-back exhaust system. Other mods include an ACS sliding rag-top, Alpine audio and video components, Playstation 3, Metra audio wiring and custom printed paisley interior featuring the Falken “F” logo and the distinctive clown logo created by the renowned photographer and director Estevan Oriol.
With the car completed just in time and delivered to Ford’s booth at the SEMA Convention earlier this week, things got even better when the Falken Flex was awarded a Special Recognition Award for Outstanding Achievement in Design.
“Falken Tire would like to thank all of our collaborative partners, Ford Motor Company and especially our builder, Autofashion based in San Diego, CA, for helping make this concept a reality” states Nick Fousekis, Falken’s Sr. Manager of Consumer Marketing. “Expect to see much more of the Falken Tire Ford Flex over the next 12 months through an aggressive promotional program and collaborations with the who’s who in the lowrider and hip-hop scene.”
Falken Tire Corporation,a part of the Sumitomo Rubber Group, is based in Fontana, CA and is a manufacturer of Falken branded High Performance and Ultra High Performance passenger tires, as well as Light Truck, SUV, and Ohtsu branded medium truck tires. For more information, visit Falken Tire’s new website at www.falkentire.com.
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