Team Falken's McQuarrie takes third at Evergreen

Originally built as a horse-racing track, Evergreen Speedway saw plenty of horsepower over the weekend as Formula Drift arrived in town, with the venerable track challenging the drivers and their cars to the “Breaking Point,” resulting in Chris Forsberg taking the win, while Team Falken’s Tyler McQuarrie finished a respectable third.

Qualifying on Friday was challenging as the judges were very critical of all efforts.  Nevertheless, seven drivers on Falken Azenis RT615 tires made the field, including all Team Falken factory entrants – McQuarrie; Vaughn Gittin, Jr.; Darren McNamara; Daijiro Yoshihara; and Calvin Wan, plus privateers Ross Petty (who was in fact the number two qualifier) and Taka Aono.

Amid tough competition all day long, two Falken drivers advanced to the Top 8 Round, as both McQuarrie and Gittin defeated their opponents to move to the Top 4.  Unfortunately, Gittin was involved in a collision during this run and was unable to advance, while teammate McQuarrie lost to eventual winner Forsberg.

In the battle for third overall, it was Team Falken v. Team Falken, as McQuarrie came out on top over Gittin, who was able to compete despite his accident in the previous round.  The event’s trademark nickname, “Breaking Point,” lived up to its reputation as a number of entrants became casualties to the track’s banking and tight transitions throughout the course.

However, McQuarrie’s strong third place finish moved him to third overall in the Formula D Championship, while Team Falken teammate Vaughn Gittin, Jr., despite a semi-final performance, dropped to fifth, and Darren McNamara remained in sixth.

August is Formula D’s busiest month, with a second event, Round 6, just two weeks away in the wine country of Northern California at famous Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, August
21-22. Team Falken will be “locked and loaded” when that event arrives.