Having already taken both wins at the start of this year’s Formula Drift Championship, Team Falken is looking to go three for three as it heads to “The Gauntlet” at New Jersey’s Wall Speedway, where it took all three top positions in last year’s event.
Darren McNamara, Vaughn Gittin Jr., and Tyler McQuarrie swept the podium in last year’s round 3 -- a history-making event as it was the first time ever for three Team Falken cars to take the top three positions, as well as the first time one team dominated the championship round. All three drivers return this year ready to defend their positions, or possibly improve upon them.
Team Falken has seized control of the 2010 Formula Drift Championship, having won the first two events -- at Long Beach and Road Atlanta -- and looking to go for its third win of the young season. Currently, Gittin Jr., winner at Long Beach in his Monster Energy/Ford Racing Mustang, heads the field of competitors with a dominating lead, followed by Falken’s Dai Yoshihara, driving the Discount Tire Nissan Silvia S13, winner at Atlanta.
“So far, this has been a strong season for us, as everything seems to be coming together,” said Andrew Hoit, Falken’s director of marketing, a sentiment echoed by Jonathon Bradford, Falken’s drift team supervisor. “Our Falken Azenis RT-615K tires are performing extremely well, giving our drivers the perfect combo of grip and control,” Bradford declared.
Team Falken’s aggressive marketing program, hospitality rig and factory support trailer will be on full display at Wall Speedway, June 4-5. While recently renovated, the speedway, located in Wall Township, has been in existence since 1950, and has become an institution throughout the state. The specially designed track will once again provide drift fans with an exciting show on its “inner oval."
Drifting takes competitive motorsports to the extreme, and has successfully attracted strong crowds, loyal fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life. Falken quickly realized how popular and demanding this format would become, and since 2003, has been a solid fixture within the sport. The focus is on skill and precision driving, as competitors in specially prepared, high-powered vehicles intentionally execute controlled sideways slides at high speeds through a marked course racing against each other for the best time and execution.
To learn more about the 2010 Falken Tire Formula Drift Team, visit www.wegetyougoing.com.
