Falken Tire ready for Petit Le Mans

That continues this weekend as the series ends on a high note for the 13th Annual Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.  The popular 10-hour/1,000-mile is the cornerstone event of the ALMS, and attracts record-breaking crowds while awarding class winners with automatic entries to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

There will, however, be a new challenge for Team Falken at "Petit" as Porsche Works and Falken team driver Wolf Henzler will not be competing as he recovers from back surgery.  His partner, Falken team driver Bryan Sellers, will lead the team into Road Atlanta, and will be joined by four-year UPS Porsche junior driver Martin Ragginger.  The Austrian-born driver has enjoyed quick success in his young career, and currently competes in several different race series, including Porsche Carrera Cup and the Porsche Mobil Super Cup, which are both held within Formula 1 weekends.

"We certainly wish a speedy recovery to Wolf, who expects to be able to race in 2011 without any restrictions, and we welcome 'Raggi' to our team for Petit Le Mans," said Rod Everett, Falken team manager. "Like Bryan, 'Raggi' is no stranger to the Porsche 911, and we're confident he'll fit right in with the team and the 911 GT3 RSR we've been running all year long.  And what better race than the tough 10-hour, 1,000-mile event to acclimate yourself to the ALMS?"

"Our expectations are always high," stated Andrew Hoit, Director of Marketing, Falken Tire.  "Our goal is to finish the year by performing well as we look forward to a great weekend, enjoying the hospitality that we have prepared for our dealers and their guests, as well as sharing both the excitement of the long race, mixed with a little sadness that this is the last event of the season."

At Road Atlanta, the Porsche will once again compete on specially prepared Falken AZENIS RT Slicks on Saturday, October 2.  Qualifying is set for Friday, October 1.  The Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda 2 Race will run live on SPEED, October 2, starting at 11:00 a.m. ET.