More than 67 competitors spent Labor Day weekend at Fontana, California’s AutoClub Speedway for Round 6 of the Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car.
They were competing in six different classes and four events, including autocross, design & engineering, road rally and speed stop. Falken Tires is the official road course sponsor of the series.
Among the six classes, Falken-shod drivers who were using the newest AZENIS RT615K+ tire were extremely strong in the GTV (Vintage) class with John Lazorack in first, driving a 1988 Chrysler Conquest; Brian Hobaugh, 2nd, in a 1973 Chevrolet Camaro; Chad Ryker, 3rd, 1968 Camaro; Efrain Diaz, 1969 Camaro; and Greg Thurmond, 5th, in a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette. In the GTS (sports car) class, Jake Rozelle took first place in his 2003 Corvette, wearing Falken tread, and Andrew Fritts earned 2nd place in the GTC (compact/sport compact) class with his 2012 Ford Focus.
As a result of his finish, Efrain Diaz earned his ticket to the Optima Batteries Ultimate Street Car Invitational to be held in Las Vegas, immediately after the SEMA Show, which runs Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2017.
The Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car program is sanctioned by the Ultimate Street Car Association (USCA), an organization created to deliver safe, fun and high profile national automotive events for street legal performance vehicles. Competitors accrue points in various driving events pitting handling skill and timing against other entrants.
“Most entrants compete in their daily drivers,” noted Jonathon Bradford, Falken’s Motorsports Marketing and Events Manager. “What sets our drivers apart from the rest of the competition is the strength of the Falken tires with which they’ve chosen to compete. Two of the enduring characteristics of Falken are its deep ties to motorsports and how its engineering consistently translates to performance and victories.”
The final Search event will be held Oct. 6-8, 2017, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The USCA Invitational is Nov. 4-6 in Las Vegas. For more information, please visit www.driveusca.com.
