Team Falken Earns Two Podium Finishes at Motegi Drifting Event

Team Falken emerged with two podium finishes, the first and third spots in a special drifting event that was held as part of the Verizon IndyCar weekend. While Team Falken driver Matt Field emerged as the winner of the Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge, his teammate Odi Bakchis took the third spot. The event was held on the Long Beach street race circuit over a period of two days with practice and qualifying races being held on Friday and the hotly contested race for the USD 25,000 top prize being held on Saturday.

In the qualifying round, Bakchis came first, Field took second spot and their Falken teammate Justin Pawlak was 9th. In the final race though, Field overtook Micheal Essa, who had beaten Bakchis in the contest for Top 4, and became the overall winner in his Drift Cave/Falken Tire Nissan S14. Bakchis came in third in his Ark Performance/Falken Tire Nissan S14.

The Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge was held directly after the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar race at Long Beach.

Commenting on the race, Jonathan Bradford, Falken Manager, Motorsports and Events said that most of the spectators watching the race were witnessing a drifting event for the first time. The wins served to expand Falken’s Formula Drift fan base and showcase the the capabilities of Falken tires. The invitational drift event successfully demonstrated Faaken’s capabilities and introduced new fans to the sport of drifting.