Falken Tire Corporation has announced plans to continue competition in American sportscar racing in the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The GT team will compete in ten of the eleven races open to the GTLM class of the 2014 calendar with the exception of the season opening race, the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
Previously running 2008, 2010 and 2012 versions of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, Team Falken Tire will upgrade to the new 2014 Porsche 911 RSR, which is based off of the newest generation 911 street car. The team was given the opportunity to test privately before Petit Le Mans. Among a field of factory based-teams, the Falken team will be one of few privateer teams in the GTLM class.
The tire manufacturer started competition in the American Le Mans Series part time in 2008, competing in selected races before participating full time in 2010 with co-drivers Bryan Sellers and Wolf Henzler. In 2011, the team hired famed open wheel racing team owner Derrick Walker to manage the competition side of the operation. Under Walker’s management, the team earned four of their first top-five finishes and two dominating wins at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the Baltimore Grand Prix. In 2012, the team picked up another win on the streets of Baltimore, along with two additional top five finishes. One of the team’s biggest accomplishments came at the opening race of the 2013 season when the privately owned team finished third on the podium of the 12 Hours of Sebring, followed by a podium at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Team Falken Tire finished out the 2013 season victorious, running formally retired 2010 Porsche to beat out the factory teams after 1,000 miles of racing to claim the final American Le Mans Series Petit Le Mans win.
