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Team Falken Takes Home Podium Finishes at WeatherTech Raceway

SALINAS, CA – Team Falken drivers Matan Rosenberg and Anthony Scafuto fought hard in late September and earned podium finishes at the GRIDLIFE Laguna Festival race in the GLTC and GLGT classes, respectively. Rosenberg earned an overall 2nd place finish with his #484 Chevrolet Corvette, and Scafuto raced his first event in the series with his #87 Team Real Racing Chevrolet Camaro and earned a 3rd place overall finish. Both vehicles are equipped with Falken Azenis RT660+ tires.

The WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca circuit begins with a technical first half that eventually opens up after the dizzying and world-famous “Corkscrew” turn, leading to high-speed corners with heavy compression that push cars and drivers to their limits.

On Friday, the grid had two practice sessions to familiarize themselves with the track. Conditions were cool at the start and slowly warmed up into the afternoon. Rosenberg immediately showed good pace with consistent lap times, finishing third by only a few tenths behind local competitors who were familiar with the track. He felt the car felt balanced and decided not to make any changes other than installing a fresh set of Azenis RT660+ tires. Scafuto, on the other hand, was unable to get the car on track due to an electrical issue that caused the vehicle to enter full limp mode. Team Real Racing resolved the issue and managed to practice a hardship lap, during which they encountered no further problems.

The next day, the two wheel-to-wheel drivers competed in the first half races. Both drivers earned strong finishes in their respective classes in the first race. With a starting position in third place, Rosenberg knew his best opportunity to gain position was to make a move on the opening lap. Rosenberg started well and went three wide with the front competitors into turn two, coming out in second place. He immediately had to slow down due to a mistake caused by the lead driver, which allowed the third and fourth drivers to overtake him. Without missing a beat, Rosenberg regained the lost positions and finished the race in 2nd place. For Scafuto, the nerves were high since it was his first-ever wheel-to-wheel race in the Camaro. With a start in fifth place, Scafuto’s strategy was to warm the tires up as quickly as possible and race without any issues. The strategy ultimately proved effective, as he made a pass and finished in 4th place. However, a competitor’s DQ allowed Scafuto to finish the first race in 3rd place.

“The tires felt great,” recalled Anthony Scafuto. “The car responded like a dream and took everything that Laguna Seca had to throw at them.”

For the second race, Rosenberg felt optimistic about making a pass for first, but the leader, Justin Ross, showed a stronger pace. With lapped traffic later in the race, Rosenberg was unable to capitalize on any opportunities but fended off third and fourth place despite a right rear toe link that bent due to the hard compression in turn 6. Scafuto also had a consistent second race. Looking to go faster, Team Real Racing thoroughly inspected the car and reviewed the data to identify areas for improvement. Scafuto felt confident with everything and managed to stay in 3rd place with a ~1-second improvement compared to the last race.

The final race day was eventful for both Team Falken drivers. An early start and perfect weather allowed both drivers to push their cars to the limits. For the third race, Rosenberg’s strategy was to stay close to Ross and find an opportunity to pass. Rosenberg was able to capitalize on an early pass for the lead; however, Ross utilized the strength of his car after the “Corkscrew” to regain the lead. The back and forth would quickly come to its climax as they caught lapped traffic. Ross misjudged a gap from a competitor, and Rosenberg took advantage of the mistake and pushed the Corvette down the front straight. Rosenberg split the lapped traffic and pulled off a cinematic pass for the lead on the last lap and took 1st place for the race. Scafuto was a lot more comfortable going into the third race. Once again, the team diligently went over the Camaro to get it into optimal racing shape. With Scafuto’s confidence and minor adjustments to the car, Scafuto managed to find his way into second place early in the race after a third-place start. Scafuto held onto second for eight laps but ended up losing the position on the last lap after missing a shift going into the checkered flag. Despite the upset, Scafuto improved his average lap time by another second, inspiring more confidence in his racing.

Team Falken wanted to end the event as cleanly as possible, but also capitalize on any opportunity to improve their overall position. For the fourth and final race, Rosenberg aimed to finish ahead of Ross in particular to win the weekend. The grid invert kept the pack tight throughout the race, and Rosenberg was unable to execute any passes, resulting in a 3rd place finish for the race and solidifying a 2nd place overall win for the event. Team Real Racing’s strategy was also to race and make any pass to secure a podium finish. Scafuto lost three positions to fifth place early in the race. Determined to make up positions, Scafuto raced patiently and executed two passes when the opportunities presented themselves, which resulted in a 3rd place finish for the race and a 3rd place overall win for the event.

After this race, Matan Rosenberg regained the 1st place overall position in the GLTC class with 330 points.

“The weekend was nothing shy of incredible,” stated Scafuto. “With the amazing support from Falken and the amazing Azenis RT660+, we fully believe that a few changes on the car will allow us to compete for the championship in 2026.”

“After strong past results, we were excited to be racing once again on the West Coast at Laguna Seca,” said Matan Rosenberg. “We had a great weekend overall, scoring some crucial finishes that put us back in the championship lead.

The GRIDLIFE FINALS event will be the Pitt Race, held at Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Wampum, Pennsylvania, from October 17th – October 19th, 2025.