TEAM FALKEN’s TYLER MCQUARRIE TAKES SECOND AT FORMULA DRIFT FINALE AT TOYOTA SPEEDWAY AT IRWINDALE

After a very competitive Formula Drift season that saw Team Falken and its five factory team drivers consistently compete for the championship title amid challenging weather conditions, different tracks and configurations and strong and aggressive rivals, Judgment Day at “the House of Drift,” Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, CA, was no different.
 
Once again, the legendary venue, known as the “birthplace” of drifting here in the U.S. played a critical role in determining who would take the Formula Drift Championship and where a Team Falken member would finish.
 
As it turned out, it was Tyler McQuarrie and his V8-powered Nissan 350Z who took third place in the 2009 Formula Drift Championship, with an incredible 2nd place Toyota Speedway win.  Vaughn Gittin, Jr., took fifth with his 2010 Mustang, while Darren McNamara finished in seventh, in the Championship.  Chris Forsberg took the title for 2009, followed by Ryan Tuerck in second. Of the 48 drivers who competed in this year’s Formula D championship, Team Falken had seven drivers in the top 25, including factory entrant Dai Yoshihara in 11th, Falken privateers Ross Petty and Taka Aono in 13th and 14th, respectively, and final Team Falken member Calvin Wan in 23rd.  Wan tried valiantly all season to move forward, but was plagued with a number of mechanical issues.  
 
Unusually high temperatures during the day also complicated matters, as teams tried to adapt, only to discover a much cooler track once the sun went down, which again hampered tire choice and car set-up. Nevertheless, Falken tires were on 10 cars in the top 32 following qualifying.
 
Fortunately, the weather did not deter the local crowd as the highly anticipated “Judgment Day” drew a record crowd.  Formula Drift sold out all reserved seats and several hundred additional standing room-only tickets, attracting more than 10,000 spectators.

The fans were highly appreciative of the demonstration laps run by Falken’s ALMS GT2 Porsche 911 RSR GT3 before opening ceremonies.  The car was placed on display at Falken’s extensive compound in the paddock which featured three tractor trailers, five display awnings, six drift cars and two additional show cars.  More than 500 Falken guests attended the weekend’s events.