Team Falken Earns 2nd At Formula Drift Road Atlanta
Team Falken, a two-time manufacturer’s champion in Formula Drift, continued to demonstrate its competitive nature with a solid second place by Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara in Saturday night’s event held at Road Atlanta.
The team had five drivers in the top 10 in qualifying, and by night’s end, three of those individuals sit in Top 10 of the Formula D Championship.
This was the 13th year Formula Drift visited Road Atlanta, which coincidentally, hosted the first ever Formula Drift event here in the U.S. Crowds remained strong for the two-day event, which saw Falken’s Matt Field qualify third, followed by Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis 5th, Dai Yoshihara in 6th, Justin Pawlak in 8th and Tyler McQuarrie 9th. Patrick Goodin, a sixth Falken-sponsored entry, qualified 27th.
Dai, Bakchis and McQuarrie all made it through the Top 32 and Top 16 rounds, and by the Great 8 Round, it was up to Dai to carry the Falken torch. He continued to apply pressure and met up with eventual winner Vaughn Gittin Jr. in the Final, taking second. This was Dai’s first podium finish since 2013.
“We are extremely pleased to see Dai return to his rightful place – on the podium,” noted Steve Wong, Falken’s Supervisor of Motorsports & Events. “Road Atlanta is a great track with lots of history and Dai knows its every curve and elevation, so he was very confident and determined to do well there.”
Falken continues to utilize the demanding conditions of drifting to test the durability and grip of its AZENIS line of tires. The AZENIS RT615K tire used by all its drivers in Formula D is extremely balanced for many of today’s sports cars, performance compacts and sedans. It is available in 20 sizes, from 14- to 18-inch.
“All our teams did well and we’re proud to be associated with them,” added Jonathon Bradford, Falken’s Manager, Motorsports and Events. “Based on their performances thus far, we are confident Falken will be visiting the podium much more frequently this season.”
Round 3 of the 2016 Formula Drift Championship will take place June 3-4 when drivers will head to “Uncharted Territory” at Orlando Speedworld in South Florida.