At the final event of an exciting Formula Drift season, Team Falken veteran Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara, driving the Discount Tire/Falken Tire Nissan 240SX, took his first championship in the Formula Drift series, completing a year which saw either his name or that of his teammate, Justin Pawlak, consistently atop the leader board. Pawlak took second in the championship.
 
“It’s a great feeling and a dream come true,” said Yoshihara. “After eight years of driving, our efforts finally paid off.  I owe a lot to my team and sponsors. My new goal will be to defend the championship in 2012.”
 
Falken’s Tyler McQuarrie successfully attacked the competition at the “Title Fight” and earned the final win of the season, the fifth victory out of seven for Team Falken in 2011.  As a result, McQuarrie moved up to finish sixth in the standings.  Teammates Darren McNamara took fourth overall, while defending Formula Drift Champion Vaughn Gittin, Jr. placed 11th.

The final round of the series concluded the most successful season in Formula Drift history. The sold-out crowd eclipsed attendance records for Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, known as “the House of Drift,” and is now the largest event in the history of this popular sport.

“To win at Irwindale is massive for any driver and to do it under the circumstances surrounding this week is incredible,” stated McQuarrie.
 
The pressure was substantial leading up to Saturday night’s main event.  While Falken held onto the top two spots in the championship, a small gap in points separated the top five competitors.  The 2011 season turned out to be the closest and most competitive chase for the championship in the history of Formula Drift.  In addition to winning the title, Yoshihara also won the Tires.com Triple Crown, marking the first time in the series that a Discount Tire driver took home this prestigious award.

“This has been a great year,” declared Jonathan Bradford, Falken’s Formula Drift Supervisor.  “Team Falken faced tough competition at every event – as it always does – both outside our team and frankly, from within. But our team is so solid – the drivers and crew do everything to help each other out – and because we’re all in this together, we were successful in our quest to once again bring one of our team drivers a championship.”

“The battles this year seemed to be that much harder as everyone upped their game,” added Nick Fousekis, Falken’s Director of Motorsports Marketing and Events.  “We had to do the same, as we expanded our testing and research and development of our Azenis RT615K tire to make sure we had our team in the position to win every event.  We were close to that goal, taking five out of seven, and ultimately defended our championship.  It’s great to see Dai at the top, and we have Discount Tire to thank for supporting our efforts, as well as all of our team sponsors. I’m proud of our team’s efforts all season long and know this is a championship we all can enjoy.”

For the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans, the final round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón brought a fifth place position in GT class for Team Falken and 4^th in the final results for the GT Team Championship, and 5^th place in the GT Drivers’ Championship. With two wins plus four top five finishes out of nine races this year, the Derrick Walker-led team proved it was one to contend with throughout the season.
 
Record-breaking attendance surrounded the 2.54-mile Road Atlanta circuit, which hosted the endurance classic for the 14^th time.  The 1,000 miles were covered in nine hours, 30 minutes, with Team Falken’s Porsche 911 GT3 RSR piloted by Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler, and his partner, veteran Falken driver Bryan Sellers, joined again for this race by Porsche Junior driver Martin “Raggi” Ragginger. Raggi also drove with the duo at Sebring in March.
 
As was the case throughout the demanding season, which saw the team cross the country twice, compete over the border in Canada, and record its first two victories after just two full years of ALMS competition, Team Falken was successful as a result of both brilliant strategy and the tremendous effort of Henzler and Sellers.

In fact, Team Manager Derrick Walker and Strategist John Ward took full advantage of race yellows all season long, and with excellent pit work by the Falken crew, enabled the team to gain track position and move through the field at every track.  This rang true throughout Petit Le Mans, as all three drivers answered the call to push hard through the busy 53-car field to take fifth in class, finishing 15^th overall.
 
“Being our second full year of ALMS competition, we are glad to end the season with a top-five finish at Petit Le Mans,” stated Kevin Jones, Falken’s ALMS Supervisor.  “Being just shy of the podium in the Team Championship is disappointing, but definitely something for us to build on for next year.”
 
To say that our accomplishments this season in the American Le Mans Series were great would be an understatement,” declared Nick Fousekis, Falken’s Director of Motorsports Marketing and Events. In true David vs. Goliath fashion, our one-car, non-factory effort competed with the world’s best and took top honors at two of the nine rounds. Having done this is a true testament to the team’s dedication and our Falken Tire product.

The superb run Team Falken enjoyed, winning two out of the last three American Le Mans Series races, came to an abrupt jolt as a rear end collision with a GTC class car resulted in terminal damage to drivetrain components, forcing the team’s Porsche 911 GT3 RSR to retire at the ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  With the Falken Porsche unable to finish, it caused the team and drivers Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers to drop in the GT Team and Driver standings, respectively.  Nevertheless, Team Falken is only one of two teams to win multiple races this year, an important accomplishment given its single-car status.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is one of the most respected road courses in the world, and is also one of the most challenging, with elevation changes and the world famous “Corkscrew” turn.  Team Falken engineers maintained that the track was difficult to prepare for and the rapid changes in temperature meant the team was chasing chassis set-up throughout the weekend.

"Getting the right chassis and tire settings was a game of cat and mouse all weekend,” stated Kevin Jones, Falken’s ALMS supervisor.  “The temperature swings at Laguna Seca caused drastic changes in track condition, and we found ourselves tested to get the right combination.”

Despite the challenges, Sellers started the race and advanced to seventh in class and was holding his position to the third hour when Henzler got into the Porsche.  He was rear-ended roughly 50 minutes later which ended the team’s day.

Proving that Team Falken is a competitor to contend with, number 17 takes the victory in the streets of Baltimore in ALMS GT! Its second win in three races.
 
The win elevated the drivers into fourth place in the American Le Mans Series GT standings.  Henzler was fastest in the first practice on Friday, and third in the second practice, though he qualified fifth on the 2.1 mile street circuit with a surface made up of half concrete and half asphalt.  Determined to quickly improve his qualifying position, Henzler drove as hard as he could.  Driver skill at turn one of the very first lap put him third in the class and Henzler was able to advance to first toward the end of his stint.

Sellers received the car in third position after an unfavorable yellow, and maintained a stellar, incident-free run, with steady consistent lap times that advanced him to first where he stayed, opening up a significant gap on the field. 
 
“We had a great setup for the race, and our Falken tires were very consistent for my whole stint,” Henzler stated.  “This course was great fun, and we proved that Falken can win in the dry as well as the wet [four weeks ago at Mid-Ohio].”

“Wolf did an incredible job for the first stint, and I drove one of my best sessions ever – motivated by the great effort this team has put in all year,” Sellers declared.  “The team deserved this win, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

After one of the most exciting battles of the season in the preliminary rounds, requiring two “One More Times” to move on to the Top 4, Team Falken’s Darren McNamara appeared on a hot streak in the Formula Drift Championship event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway until he finished second in the final to Rhys Millen. The standings, going into the final event at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, CA, have Team Falken’s veteran member Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara in first, followed by Justin Pawlak in 2nd and McNamara in third. Defending Formula Drift Champion Vaughn Gittin, Jr., sits in 8th, while final Falken teammate Tyler McQuarrie is in 9th.  Falken privateer Ross Petty is 16th.
 
The heat of the day extended into the night as the Formula D “After Dark” Vegas track encountered a constantly changing surface, making qualifying a challenge for Team Falken. Gittin Jr. was the top Falken qualifier in 5th, while Yoshihara was 6th, with the remainder of the team sitting in 12th and beyond.

Strong team spirit existed throughout the Falken camp as Pawlak, sitting second in the Championship, experienced catastrophic engine failure in his Ford Mustang, and a collective decision was made to swap him into McQuarrie’s 350Z while Tyler would pilot the Falken Tire Nissan S15. 
 
“This was a tough decision, but with only two events left, we needed to protect Justin’s position in the overall point standings,” said Jonathan Bradford, Falken’s Formula Drift Supervisor. “Tyler proved he was a champ in his own right for stepping out of his car and spotting for Justin during practice, giving him some great pointers on the car.”
 
As a result of a solid practice run, four of the five Team Falken drivers advanced beyond the Top 32 round.  During the Top 16, McNamara defeated teammate Gittin Jr., while both Pawlak and Yoshihara battled against other competitors, but did not prevail, leaving only McNamara to advance to the final. 

“It has been a long season, and the top three in the points standings are Team Falken drivers, which makes all of us at Falken very proud,” Bradford added.  “Only 35 points separate the three, and only 52 between first and fifth, so with 100 points up for grabs for the win in Round 7 – the final – it will be an exciting event.  We’ll be at Toyota Speedway with everything in place.”

As always, the hospitality was kicked up a notch in Las Vegas as Falken played host to 169 dealer guests, while the crowds enjoyed the appearances of the Falken Spokesmodels who distributed Falken swag throughout the steamy night.

“Nothing beats the heat of Vegas better than to land on the podium,” added McNamara.   “Naturally, I would have preferred to be on the top step, but I’m very fortunate having made it to second because it strengthens my position in the overall points.  This was an intense and grueling event, but our Falken Azenis RT615K tires simply got better through the heat.  As a Team Falken member, I’m grateful I’ve got great teammates and fantastic engineering support.

Declaring “perseverance pays off,” Team Falken Tire survived the storm that hit Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 30 minutes before the finish and took top honors in GT class for the first time in the performance tire manufacturer’s three-year ALMS career. Falken’s two team drivers, Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler, and his partner, Bryan Sellers, who persevered through the race on a track notoriously tough on tires.  Sellers qualified 9th and expressed disappointment with the position, considering Falken has finished in fifth place the last two races.  However, Sellers started the race and started moving forward until he was hit from behind by the #04 Ford GT, which dropped the Porsche to 12th.  The veteran driver fought hard and turned the car over to his teammate in 10th.  Henzler entered the race and gradually moved to 7th place in GT, remaining there for a good portion of the race. “With just 30 minutes to go, the skies, which had been threatening all day, simply couldn’t withhold the rain any longer and it started pouring,” said Kevin Jones, Falken’s ALMS Supervisor.  “We immediately switched to Falken wets and outlasted a very long yellow.” When the green came back out, Henzler immediately jumped two positions to fifth, though heavy rain followed, prompting a second yellow flag.  However, it didn’t remain yellow for long, and when the green fluttered again, Henzler drove from fifth to first in a single lap. ALMS officials decided with 10 minutes to go to red flag the race as the rain showed no signs of letting up, and Team Falken Tire took the win, earning its first podium and victory. “We are of course excited to have secured our first win in the American Le Mans Series, but will quickly move forward following a short celebration and focus on our main task at hand, further development as we continue to chase down a field full of goliaths,” stated Nick Fousekis Falken’s Director of Motorsports Marketing and Events.   The win puts Henzler and Sellers in 5th place in class for the championship points standings. “Guys who were spinning were taking the inside line,” noted Henzler, when he moved from fifth to first.  “I found grip on the outside line and passed all those cars, because I had confidence in the rain tire, and it helped us win.” “Those wet laps were some of the best laps I have ever witnessed,” said Sellers, who also scored his first ALMS win.  “This rainfall was truly the perfect storm.”

Team Falken’s ALMS team took its second consecutive fifth place finish at Sunday’s race at historic Mosport International Raceway.  The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, prepared by Manager Derrick Walker and driven by Porsche works and Falken team driver Wolf Henzler and his partner, team driver Bryan Sellers, worked its way through an extremely crowded field of competitors, including 15 GT entrants. The class was won by the Corvette team driven by Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnusson.

Though Team Falken endured challenging weather all weekend, amid a record-breaking heat wave for the area, making it difficult to set up the Porsche’s chassis and choice of tires, Henzler qualified the team in 7th on Saturday, and the team started off well in Sunday’s race.

“Excellent pit stops and fuel strategy by our team put the Porsche in good position,” stated Kevin Jones, Falken’s ALMS supervisor.  “But a confusing penalty after the first pit stop caused us to suffer a stop-and-go penalty that moved the team from second back to seventh position.” Henzler fought back to fifth place and consistent tire and driver performance kept the Porsche RSR in that spot when Sellers took over to make the final run to the finish in the two-hour and 45-minute race before an appreciative Canadian audience.

Earning the final podium spot in the hotly contested GT Class of the American LeMans Series race at Lime Rock Park seemed easily within grasp, but an unfortunate 90-second penalty assessed by ALMS IMSA officials on the last lap caused Team Falken’s Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, piloted by Porsche Works and team driver Wolf Henzler, and his partner, team driver Bryan Sellers, to wind up 5th out of 15 GT entrants.  The car had run strong all afternoon on the historic road course.

"The track lives up to its moniker as the "Gauntlet" with a 16 degree banked oval along the straightaway and 30 degrees on the turns. The drivers will be challenged on this course and this track is the first on the schedule where drivers utilize the entire oval. This course is very tricky and many drivers have fallen victim to the degree of difficulty that the bank, straightaway, and inside turn creates." Justin Pawlak claimed his third podium of the season so far with a 2nd place finish next to Daijiro Yoshihara in 3rd.

Palm Beach International Raceway in Palm Beach, Florida, hosted it's first Formula Drift event on June 4th, 2011. Without prior track time or data, round 3 in Palm Beach presented an even playing field for the teams and drivers. Team Falken successfully claimed all three podiums as Justin Pawlak took the victory over defending Formula Drift Champion Vaughn Gittin, Jr., in a battle of Mustangs and their talented drivers at the end. Coming in third was Darren McNamara.  All said, it was a total Team Falken weekend as McNamara, Pawlak and Gittin qualified second, third and fourth, respectively.  Tyler McQuarrie was eighth and Daijiro Yoshihara, winner of Round 2 at Road Atlanta, was 12^th, rounding out the five Falken factory drivers.

Round 2 of Formual Drift was hosted at the Road Atlanta circuit with pleasant temperatures throughout the weekend. Daijiro Yoshihara had one of the fastest entry speeds during the final rounds at a recorded 96.8mph into turns 10A as the course continued to utilize 10B and the horseshoe.  Daijiro Yoshihara wins the 1st place podium spot two years in a row, defeating 2nd place Darren McNamara in the final tandem battle.

Finishing just one place out of a podium spot in the hotly contested GT Class, Team Falken’s Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, piloted by Porsche Works and team driver Wolf Henzler, and his partner, team driver Bryan Sellers, ran strong all afternoon on the challenging streets of Long Beach, and ended up 4th out of 14 GT entrants during the annual visit by the American LeMans Series to the Long Beach Grand Prix, one of the most prestigious street races in the world, now in its 37th year. Running on specially prepared Falken AZENIS RT Slicks, Henzler qualified the newly modified Porsche 5th in GT after only two hours of practice Friday morning, and during the race, he worked through the crowded field to lead the race in class just after the one-hour mark.  After pitting and driver change, Sellers excited the pits in third, but a pack of GT cars with already warm tires were able to run him down before he had a chance to get heat in his, which dropped the team to 7th.  Sellers furiously battled back to 4th position in a race marked by several accidents that occurred within the tight confines of the historical street course, and a yellow flag with just under six minutes left ended the battle for a podium position.

The season opener of Formula Drift was hosted at the streets of Long Beach in Southern California. The famous Long Beach Grand Prix has been around since 1977 and Formula Drift will be utilizing turns 9,10 and 11. Vaughn Gittin JR struggled to qualify as the rest of the team moved to the top 32. Justin Pawlak took the overall win with Daijiro Yoshihara claiming third place for a strong start of the season for Team Falken.

Team Falken’s new line-up of Team Manager Derrick Walker and returning driving veterans Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers entered the 59^th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring ready to race their Porsche 911 GT3 RSR with its newly approved bodywork and suspension.  Joined by Porsche Factory Driver Martin Ragginger, it was a strong combination for one of the most important race events in the American LeMans Series calendar. Though the team placed 15^th in class due to the mechanical woes, the Falken #17 car was carrying the fight in the GT class for Porsche and stood well to earn a certain 4th place finish.

The Final round of the Formula Drift series was hosted at Irwindale Speedway in Southern California. Nicknamed "The House of Drift," this legendary course was known as the birthplace of the American drifting scene. Vaughn Gittin JR and Daijiro Yoshihara were leading in points respectfully coming into the title fight of round 7. Vaughn Gittin JR had successfully secured the 2010 championship title after his top 32 battle with Nikolay Konstantinov, while Daijiro suffered mechanical failure against Matt Field. Vaughn Gittin JR proceeded to grab the second place finish for the event and bringing home Falken Tire's first Formula Drift Championship!

The 13th annual Petit Le Mans will close the American Le Mans Series season for the first time since 2003. The 1,000-mile/10-hour endurance classic at Road Atlanta is the cornerstone event of the American Le Mans Series, annually attracts record-breaking crowds and awards class winners with automatic entries to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Bryan Sellers piloted the Falken #17 Porsche GT3 RSR with Martin Ragginger in place of Wolf Henzler, due to a non-automotive injury earlier in the year. The team successfully completed the race, with unofficially the fastest pit stops.

Visit http://www.americanlemans.com for more info.

Round 6 at Infineon Raceway is one of the four original drift tracks on the Forumla Drift circuit. It uses the exit for Turn 4A, Turn 7A, and Turn 7 with turns up to 100+ mph on entry making it one of the fastest courses. Vaughn Gittin JR. battled his way through the tough competition and taking home 1st place, keeping the Falken podium streak alive.

Round 5 of the Formula Drift Championship was hosted at Las Vegas Speedway with grueling temperatures up to 107 degrees. Team Falken Tire claims the podium with Tyler McQuarrie's first win of the season, Daijiro Yoshihara coming in second and Vaughn Gittin JR. completing the sweep.

The ALMS series rolls through Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin to the "holy grail" of North American road courses at Road America. High speeds are the norm with runs through Wisconsin`s scenic Kettle Moraine.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car course is a classic circuit first opened in 1962 in Lexington, Ohio. The 2.25 mile 13 turn course features 5 straights and speeds approaching 180mph on the back straights.

Limerock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut is a short 1.5 mile track with slight elevation changes throughout the circuit. The team faced pouring rain on qualifying day and managed to bear through the sunny 90 degree humidity heat the following day. Qualifying second, our team finished 8th in class.

The annual Canadian stop of Grand Prix of Mosport in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1961, the 10 turn course stretches 2.459-mile and is the fastest circuit in the series.

The American Le Mans Series' competed for the third year at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. The world class 3.048-mile perimeter circuit and venue is one of the finest in the world. After the Team Falken Porsche suffered damages during practice from an on-car fire, the team quickly reassembled the car in time for the race on the following day. Missing the qualifying run, the Falken Porsche started at the back of the grid and quickly passed through the GTC field within two laps. Both Bryan Sellers and Wolf Henzler drove outstandingly throughout the 2 hour 45 minute sprint race, finishing 9th in class.

Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington hosted the battle grounds for round 4 of Formula Drift. Darren McNamara kept the Falken podium streak alive by securing a solid 3rd place in his Falken Tire Saturn Sky.

Team Falken's back to back win at Formula D New Jersey. Daijiro repeats his victory at the top of the podium with Vaughn Gittin JR closely behind in second.

Our American Le Mans Motorsports team ventures out to Monterey, California to the world famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The challenges at the famous course includes the constant change in track temperature and elevation throughout the course.

Team Falken brings the heat to Round 2 of Formula D Atlanta securing a 1-2 finish, with Daijiro at the top of the podium and Vaughn Gittin JR finishing second.

The Long Beach Grand Prix is a street course in the heart of downtown Long Beach in Southern California. Lined with palm trees, the current scenic 1.968-mile temporary road circuit attracts around 200,000 in attendance during race weekend.

The 2010 Season of Formula Drift was hosted at the Streets of Long Beach in Southern California. Vaughn Gittin JR was victorious at Round 1 with the debut of his 2010 Ford Racing Mustang and new support from Monster Energy.