2009 Formula D Round 1 - Long Beach
falkentire.com Music: Beyond Paranoia by Jon Dal LONG BEACH, CA The inaugural event in the 2009 Formula Drift season began on the famed street course of Long Beach where Team Falken faced a very competitive field of works drivers and privateers and successfully qualified eight cars in the top 32 tandem competition, a new component to Formula D this season. This is the 4th year Formula Drift has competed on the tough track that was previously the domain of open wheel racing. However, the increasing popularity of drifting, especially in Southern California, has prompted its addition to the track for a dedicated weekend. It also was the perfect location for Team Falken to debut its new team which consists of veteran member Vaughn Gittin, Jr., driving his brand new 2010 Ford Mustang; Daijiro Yoshihara in his Discount Tire Lexus IS350; Tyler McQuarrie with his Nissan 350Z Convertible; Calvin Wan, competing in a Nissan S15 Silvia; and Darren McNamara, returning in his Sears Auto Center Saturn Sky. Considering four out of our five team vehicles are completely new builds to our team, we had a very successful first showing, declared Nick Fousekis, Senior Consumer Marketing Manager, Falken Tire. This accomplishment truly is a testament to our drivers skill, our vehicle builders capabilities, the Azenis RT615s performance and Falkens dedication to the sport of drifting. After the final session, overall standings had Gittin, Jr., tied for 6th; McNamara stood in 10th; Yoshihara …
