Stampa
October, 19th, 2024 - Falken Motorsports has once again impressively demonstrated its dominance in the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS). Klaus Bachler and Alessio Picariello secured a superior victory in the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) with starting number 3 and won the race with a lead of more than five minutes over the competition. This was the fifth victory for the Japanese tire brand. Joel Eriksson and Tim Heinemann, who competed in the sister car with starting number 4, had to settle for 11th place after an incident.
Bachler and Picariello laid the foundation for their success in qualifying. On a wet track, they secured pole position with a lap time of 9:28.375 minutes. Despite an accident in qualifying, the Falken team managed to repair the car in time for the start of the race. The sister car, driven by Eriksson and Heinemann, also shone in qualifying and secured second place on the grid.
In the race, the two Falken Porsches showed a strong performance right from the start and once again proved the performance of the Falken tires in difficult weather conditions. On a drying track, both cars pulled clear of the field on the first lap and finished the first lap with a lead of over 15 seconds.
The lead was extended over the course of the race until an incident 1.5 hours before the end of the race affected the race of the number 4 car. Tim Heinemann slid off the track in the Metzgesfeld section and slightly damaged the Porsche. Despite the setback, Heinemann managed to bring the car back to the pits, where it was quickly repaired by the Falken crew. In the end, however, it was only enough for 11th place overall.
Bachler and Picariello in the number 3 Porsche were unfazed by this incident and drove to a commanding victory. With a lead of 5:24 minutes over the second-placed Audi, they finished the race in the top spot on the podium.
In addition to the sporting performance, Falken Motorsports also showed social commitment away from the track. As part of the event, the Falken Drift Team offered spectacular cab rides in which spectators in the passenger seat could experience the fascination of drifting up close. The proceeds of 2,200 euros from this campaign will be donated to those affected by the explosion in the paddock during the last NLS race.
This year Falken Tyre Europe GmbH is continuing its commitment to local institutions in Offenbach and is donating almost 6,000 euros in total. The donations will benefit four important initiatives that are actively involved in the areas of sport, social affairs and education and make an invaluable contribution to the community in the city of Offenbach.
Tyres for electric and hybrid vehicles have to satisfy special requirements: they should offer low rolling resistance, guarantee optimum traction on all surfaces and be able handle heavy loads at the same time. The Falken tyres meet these requirements. Since May 2023 and November 2023, Falken Tyre Europe has been supplying its e. ZIEX AO model in the 235/65R18 H XL and 255/60R18 H XL sizes to the Audi plant in Ingolstadt, where the successful AUDI Q6 e-tron is currently leaving the production lines.
Falken Tyre Europe GmbH will be making changes to its management team for January 2025: Thomas Langer will be taking over as Sales Director Germany Replacement at Falken. Thomas Langer began his career at Falken in 2010 as a sales representative for the region of Bavaria and Saxony/Thuringia and has been responsible for southern Germany as regional sales manager since 2018.