3rd place for Team Falken's McQuarrie at Formula D Seattle
motorsports news from FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TEAM FALKEN'S TYLER MCQUARRIE TAKES THIRD AT FORMULA DRIFT's "BREAKING POINT" AT EVERGREEN SPEEDWAY MONROE, WA (August 10, 2009) - Originally built as a horse-racing track, Evergreen Speedway saw plenty of horsepower over the weekend as Formula Drift arrived in town, with the venerable track challenging the drivers and their cars to the "Breaking Point," resulting in Chris Forsberg taking the win, while Team Falken's Tyler McQuarrie finished a respectable third. Qualifying on Friday was challenging as the judges were very critical of all efforts. Nevertheless, seven drivers on Falken Azenis RT615 tires made the field, including all Team Falken factory entrants - McQuarrie; Vaughn Gittin, Jr.; Darren McNamara; Daijiro Yoshihara; and Calvin Wan, plus privateers Ross Petty (who was in fact the number two qualifier) and Taka Aono. Amid tough competition all day long, two Falken drivers advanced to the Top 8 Round, as both McQuarrie and Gittin defeated their opponents to move to the Top 4. Unfortunately, Gittin was involved in a collision during this run and was unable to advance, while teammate McQuarrie lost to eventual winner Forsberg. In the battle for third overall, it was Team Falken v. Team Falken, as McQuarrie came out on top over Gittin, who was able to compete despite his accident in the previous round. The event's trademark nickname, "Breaking Point," lived up to its reputation as a number of entrants became casualties to the track's banking and tight transitions throughout the course. However, McQuarrie's strong third place finish moved him to third overall in the Formula D Championship, while Gittin dropped to fifth, and McNamara remained in sixth. August is Formula D's busiest month, with a second event, Round 6, just two weeks away in the wine country of Northern California at famous Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, August 21-22. Team Falken will be "locked and loaded" when that event arrives. - 30 - 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. Falken Tire Corporation, based in Fontana, California, was introduced to the North American market in 1985. Falken focus on UHP (Ultra High Performance) products and utilizes pro drifting and American LeMans race programs to further develop, improve and market passenger vehicle products for worldwide distribution. For more information, visit Falken Tire's new website at www.falkentire.com <http://www.falkentire.com/> . Entering its sixth season, Formula DRIFT Championship is recognized as the North American professional drifting championship series. As the first official series in North America, Formula DRIFT attracts fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life. This high-skilled, high-powered sport has more than 60 professional drivers competing in all seven competitions this year. Additional info is at www.FormulaD.com Falken Media Contacts: Nick Fousekis James Yim nfousekis@falkentire.com jyim@falkentire.com