Falken Tire Co.'s professional sports car racing program has grown substantially since its entry into the American Le Mans Series in 2008. Starting with the decision to purchase its own Porsche and manage its own team for the 2009 season, Falken jumped feet-first into its racing program. Its first full-season championship effort took place in 2010, and it showed signs of strong success by qualifying on the front row three times, but it has yet to achieve its ultimate goals of winning races at the GT level. "The ever increasing competition amongst the already fierce GT class in which Falken competes in has forced us to look in all directions, outward and inward, in pursuit of excellence. As a result, Falken Tire has reached an agreement with Derrick Walker and Walker Racing to conduct our race team operations for the 2011 season. We are very excited for this new chapter in our motorsports history and cannot wait for the season to begin,” said Andrew Hoit, Falken's director of marketing. Derrick Walker's motorsports career spans over 40 years including management positions within the Penske organization before beginning his own motorsport company in 1990. His experience spans such series as Champ Car, Indy Car and Formula One, and has involved manufacturers like Porsche, McLaren and Cosworth. "I am proud to be involved with Falken Tire; they are clearly a company on the move both on and off the track. To be a part of their long-term goals and become involved in the American Le Mans Series is a great opportunity for us at Walker Racing,” said Derrick Walker.
Falken Sponsors in AMA Supercross
Falken Tire Co. recently became the official truck tire of AMA Monster Energy Supercross, and will further increase its marketing efforts by receiving endorsement from the highly competitive frontrunner, Ryan Villopoto, in 2011. Villopoto earned three AMA Motocross Lites titles and the 2007 Supercross Lites West championship. He suffered a season-ending injury in April 2010 in St. Louis, and has spent the balance of the year recuperating from his accident. He will return to action in 2011, again riding for the Monster Energy Kawasaki team. “We are delighted to welcome Ryan to the Falken family,” stated Nick Fousekis, Falken director of motorsports. “Anyone who is a fan of Supercross is well aware of his accomplishments and knows he is a tough competitor at every event. We know Ryan will be more determined than ever in 2011, and Falken is proud to be associated with him, as we are with the series as the Official Truck Tire of AMA Monster Energy Supercross.” Ryan also will be featured in Falken’s new television commercial which airs during each event televised by CBS.
DynoMax Sponsors 2011 King of the Hammers Series
DynoMax Performance Exhaust is now a sponsor of the King of Hammers desert racing series, and will also sponsor the Shannon Campbell and Team Campbell racing program, including their races in the Ultra4 series and Best in the Desert series. “This is a great opportunity to expose our innovative, performance-enhancing exhaust products to a large base of our key consumers,” said Bob Willis, Tenneco sales manager. “King of the Hammers and the Shannon Campbell Racing sponsorship gives us an ideal audience to showcase our latest innovations while providing us with an opportunity to develop and test new products.”