Community - Falken Tires Earns Double Podium Finish at Gridlife Mid-West | Falken Tires

Falken Tires Earns Double Podium Finish at Gridlife Mid-West

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA – Falken Tires continued its strong 2026 motorsports campaign with a pair of podium finishes at Gridlife Mid-West, held at Gingerman Raceway. Falken-equipped drivers Eric Kutil and Kal Fortner both delivered standout performances in challenging conditions, earning second overall in GLTC and third in StreetMod, respectively.

In GLTC competition, Eric Kutil entered the weekend carrying significant rewards weight following a dominant start to the season, including four wins at Road Atlanta and one earlier win at CMP. With a total of 5% rewards weight added to his Honda Civic, equal to 138 pounds, Kutil faced an uphill battle at Gingerman’s low-grip, technical layout.

The additional weight proved especially difficult on a circuit known for low-speed corners, heavy acceleration zones and high tire sensitivity. After struggling with setup during practice, Kutil and his team made key adjustments to improve stability and balance, allowing him to qualify fourth.

Kutil opened the weekend with a strong third-place finish in Race 1, followed by another competitive drive in Race 2, where he moved into second late in the race and held the position to the finish. After a difficult qualifying shootout and a challenging Race 3 that included an off-track incident, a damaged splitter mount, a cracked left-front wheel and cooling concerns from mud packed into the radiator grille, Kutil rebounded in Race 4.

Starting ninth, Kutil used a refreshed front tire strategy and additional setup changes to make a late-race charge through the field. His pace improved as the race progressed, allowing him to climb all the way to second place and secure second overall for the weekend.

Despite the adversity, Kutil extended his GLTC championship lead and leaves Gridlife Mid-West with five wins, three second-place finishes and one third-place finish on the season.

In StreetMod, Kal Fortner also delivered a resilient podium performance in his Falken-equipped Mercedes-AMG GTS. Entering the event with momentum from back-to-back podiums and competing in his 10th Gridlife Mid-West, Fortner’s weekend became significantly more difficult after an ABS failure in the opening session.

With the rear brakes locking first and Gingerman requiring heavy trail braking to produce fast lap times, Fortner had to manage the brake pedal with extreme precision throughout the early part of the weekend. After finishing day one in sixth, Fortner and his team mounted a fresh set of Falken Azenis RT660+ tires for day two.

Even without ABS, Fortner found major pace, dropping two full seconds and comfortably advancing into the podium sprint. With help from members of the Gridlife paddock, the team was able to restore the ABS system in time for Sunday’s sprint.

Fortner then delivered under pressure, putting together a strong lap despite fuel cut issues caused by rising engine temperatures while waiting in pit lane. The effort secured third place in StreetMod, marking his third podium in three events on Falken tires.

“Gridlife Mid-West was a great example of what our motorsports program is built around,” said Gerald Alvarado, Supervisor, Motorsports for Falken Tires. “Eric and Kal both had to overcome real challenges throughout the weekend, from rewards weight and setup changes to mechanical issues and changing track conditions. Their ability to stay focused, adapt and still put Falken tires on the podium speaks volumes about the drivers, their teams and the performance of the product.”

With another successful Gridlife weekend complete, Falken Tires continues to build momentum heading into the next round at Watkins Glen, where both drivers will look to continue their podium streak and pursue wins in their respective classes.