Falken Tires recently earned major podium finishes at Gridlife Mid-West at Gingerman Raceway.

"Falken-equipped drivers Eric Kutil and Kal Fortner both delivered standout performances in challenging conditions, earning second overall in GLTC and third in StreetMod, respectively," according to Falken Tires officials. "In GLTC competition, Eric Kutil entered the weekend carrying significant rewards weight following a dominant start to the season, including four wins at Road Atlanta and one earlier win at CMP."

Kutil and his team improved stability and balance for him to qualify fourth on the circuit, "known for low-speed corners, heavy acceleration zones and high tire sensitivity."

Kutil finished third in Race 1, followed by another competitive drive in Race 2, where he finished second. "After a difficult qualifying shootout and a challenging Race 3," Kutil rebounded in Race 4. After improving his strategy and pace, he climbed from ninth place and finished second overall for the weekend, according to officials.

Kutil extended his GLTC championship lead and leaves Gridlife Mid-West with five wins, three second-place finishes and one third-place finish on the season.

In StreetMod, Kal Fortner also delivered a podium performance in his Falken-equipped Mercedes-AMG GTS. "Entering the event with momentum from back-to-back podiums and competing in his 10th Gridlife Mid-West, Fortner’s weekend became significantly more difficult after an ABS failure in the opening session." 

After finishing day one in sixth after navigating brake-locking challenges, Fortner and his team mounted a fresh set of Falken Azenis RT660+ tires for day two. While driving without ABS, Fortner advanced into the podium sprint, and the Gridlife paddock team restored the ABS system for Sunday's race. In the end, Fortner secured third place in StreetMod, marking his third podium in three events on Falken tires. 

“Gridlife Mid-West was a great example of what our motorsports program is built around,” says Gerald Alvarado, supervisor of motorsports for Falken Tires. “Eric and Kal both had to overcome real challenges throughout the weekend, from rewards weight and setup changes to mechanical issues and changing track conditions. Their ability to stay focused, adapt and still put Falken tires on the podium speaks volumes about the drivers, their teams and the performance of the product.”

With another successful Gridlife weekend complete, Falken Tires will head into the next Gridlife round at Watkins Glen, where both drivers will pursue wins in their respective classes.