Press
Falken Motorsports finished in the top 10 at the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Race, which took place this weekend at the Nürburgring, after facing major challenges.
235,000 spectators flocked to the Nürburgring for the 51st edition of the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Race and experienced an event of superlatives. The race, which uncharacteristically for the Eifel region was held entirely in dry conditions, provided exciting entertainment and numerous incidents.
Qualifying went according to plan for Falken. Nico Menzel (#44) needed 8:11.211 minutes to lap the 25.378-kilometer combination of the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit and Nordschleife, securing a good sixth place on the grid for himself and his teammates Joel Eriksson, Tim Heinemann and Martin Ragginger as the best-placed representative of the Zuffenhausen sports car brand. The #33 sister car with Klaus Bachler, Sven Müller and Alessio Picariello at the wheel followed in 14th place on the grid with a qualifying time of 8:12.599 minutes.
For a long time during the first third of the race, the #44 was within striking distance of the leading group as the best Porsche and temporary occupied third place. Around midnight, however, it came into contact with a rival during a lapping maneuver, which resulted in a high-speed spin and a short repair stop. At the end of the twice-around-the-clock chase, Menzel / Eriksson / Heinemann / Ragginger were flagged off in 10th position.
For the #33 the race was even more turbulent. Contact in the early stages initially cost some time, but after an impressive catch up the nine-eleven was quickly back in the top 15. At around 3:30 a.m. the Falken Porsche was hit again with a slower car during a lapping maneuver and subsequently making contact with the guardrail. The end for Bachler / Müller / Picariello.
"Our goal was a result in the top 5, which would have been possible from the performance of our cars. Unfortunately, luck was not on our side this time," Markus Bögner, COO President and Managing Director of Falken Tyres Europe GmbH, summarized. "Thanks to our partner Schnabl Engineering for the perfect preperation of our cars and to our 300 satisfied guests, with whom we were able to enjoy an unforgettable weekend."
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.