Team Falken takes lessons away from Long Beach

The race at Long Beach have always had a polarizing effect on  teams – they either struggle or do well.  Add in the challenging track layout with its tight corners, and the legendary street course can be just as demanding as the competition.
 
Team Falken’s two veteran drivers, Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers, and their Porsche 911 RSR, already multiple race winners in the TUDOR United Sports Challenge (TUSC) and its predecessor series, American Le Mans, have significant experience on street courses, but every track is different, and Long Beach proved to be tough for the only North American privateer Porsche 911 RSR entry. The team finished sixth in the GTLM class.
 
“We’ll take the lessons we’ve learned here and use them throughout the balance of the season,” acknowledged Nick Fousekis, Falken’s Director of Motorsports and Marketing.
 
“Racing is emotional,” he continued. “We want to win every race.  So does everyone else out on that grid.  So, you can’t let the ups and downs of one event affect your decision-making and on-going race strategy.  We are competitive; we are resilient; and we will move forward in advancing our program and corresponding marketing plan presenting Falken to new consumers and our existing customers.  We learn something every time we put a tire on the track, or one on the street.  We’ll continue doing that.”
 
“Team Falken changes each time we finish a race,” added Phil Howard, Team Manager.  “The team itself stays the same – we have such a strong relationship with Bryan and Wolf; with Derrick and everyone on the crew – and our Falken tire engineers – but we absorb the good and the bad and clearly modify and adjust wherever we can; both from the race and from our testing.  That part, of course, will not change.”
 
Round four of the TUSC stays in California for the two-hour and 40-minute at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, set for May 2-3, and featuring all four Tudor Championship classes.