Team Falken's Darren McNamara Takes Third at Formula Drift's “THROWDOWN” at Evergreen Speedway

MONROE, WA – Team Falken Driver Darren McNamara scored his first podium of the year by taking third in Saturday night’s Formula Drift Championship at Evergreen Speedway.  It was Falken’s sixth podium in four races and Falken’s Vaughn Gittin, Jr., who qualified first for the weekend event, continues to lead the series championship.

Falken’s Justin Pawlak qualified second on Friday, followed by McNamara in 4th and teammate Tyler McQuarrie in 7th.  Daijiro Yoshihara, another Falken factory driver, who is third in the overall Formula D standings, qualified 12th.  All team drivers and four Falken privateers – “Mad” Mike Whiddet, Fredric Aasbo, Ross Petty and Dean Kearney – competed on Falken’s Azenis RT-615K tires.  Kearney, who hails from Ireland, sported Intec Racing colors, the hometown speed shop, and had thousands of fans cheering him on throughout the weekend.

“We went into Evergreen with three wins out of three races, so we had a big target on our back from all the other teams,” said Jonathon Bradford, Falken’s Drift Team Supervisor.  “I think it’s fair to say we’re pleased with taking third and continuing our record number of podium finishes.  The competition is getting tougher, but so will we.”

Six Falken drivers advanced to the Top 16, with both McNamara and privateer Aasbo moving to the Top 8.  The best battle of the night was when McNamara fought against Tanner Foust.  It took two “One More Times” to decide the victor.  McNamara went on to beat Michiro Takatori to take third overall and is now ranked fifth in the overall driver standings.

“This was definitely a ‘throwdown,’” admitted Andrew Hoit, Falken’s Director of Marketing, referring to the name Formula D called this event.  “The banking and tightness of Evergreen Speedway proved to be just as tough as the other drivers.  Nevertheless, it was an exciting weekend and Falken hosted 73 dealers who joined us at our hospitality rig, and we also had a great audience in the paddock with our Falken Spokesmodels who gave away a lot of Falken- branded items.  We continue to build a strong customer base through Formula Drift.”

Falken will return to its winning ways in Round 5, “After Dark,” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, August 20-21.
 

Drifting takes competitive motorsports to the extreme, and has successfully attracted strong crowds, loyal fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life.  Falken quickly realized how popular and demanding this format would become, and since 2003, has been a solid fixture within the sport.  The focus is on skill and precision driving, as competitors in specially prepared, high-powered vehicles intentionally execute controlled sideways slides at high speeds through a marked course.

Falken Tire Corporation, based in Fontana, California, was introduced to the North American market in 1985.  Falken focuses on UHP (Ultra High Performance Tires) 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 updated website at www.falkentire.com, as well as its new fan enthusiast site, www.wegetyougoing.com, which just launched a new interactive section, Falken Fanatic.

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