News>>falken Announces 2009 Drift Team

With the SEMA show in Vegas this week, there will be plenty of big news coming out of the tuning and motorsport world. Our first bit of news this week comes from Falken Tire who have announced their 2009 drift team with a number of changes and additions. Falken Tire is the biggest and longest-running supporter of pro drifting in the US, and they are going to be taking things even further next year.

Does this S15 Silvia look familiar? It is the same car that has been piloted by Nobuteru Taniguchi and Dai Yoshihara in the past, and next year the same car will be driven by Speedhunter and long-time Falken driver Calvin Wan.

Speedhunter Vaughn Gittin Jr. will be saying goodbye to his current Mustang GT and switching to a drift car based on the all-new 2010 Mustang GT. The new 'Stang will not be revealed until the LA Auto Show later this month and until then all we have are the teaser shots that Ford has been releasing over the past weeks. It should be pretty cool when it's released and decked out in Falken livery.

In a pretty big move, Falken also announced that the new pilot of the freshly rebuilt 500hp Leuxs IS350 wil be Daijiro Yoshihara, who will leave behind the RMR Pontiac GTO.

Irish import Darren McNamara will return to Team Falken in 2009 driving the same V8-powered Saturn Sky that he drove this year. This one of the most radical cars in the Formula D field.

Last, but not least Tyler McQuarrie will now be part of Team Falken and
will be competing behind the wheel of the Daytona Prototype V8-powered
350Z roadster that was originally to be used Calvin Wan. With Calvin now driving the S15, driving duties on the Z were handed to Tyler.

2009 will be another big year for Team Falken and I can't wait to see all the new machines on the track.

Falken Tire

-Mike Garrett

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1

wow, after waiting so long for that Z they're gonna give it to someone else? Dai coming to Falken is a big surprise, as is Tyler McQuarrie. What ever cars they're in I wish them luck for '09!

2

I can't believe my favorite drifter is leaving his GTO and S15 with Pacific and joining Falken with a new Lexus, man what's the guy doing, last week his was at D1GP

3

What about the GT2 porsche? :(

4

What about Hiro? Taka? Ross? Are they still on the 09 roster?

5

didn't Dai just switch to that GTO?

6

Will someone PLEASE give Tyler McQuarrie a stable sponsorship?! Jasper, RS*R, then JIC/Hankook. Still, I wonder how he'll handle jumping from the Porsche to the Z.

7

Is that all the drivers for the 2009 season?? Where did Taka go? It's sad to see so many AE86 drivers dropping from Formula D... some of us 86 owners drift vicariously through the likes of him!

8

did they drop taka!?

say it aint so!!

9

Tyler is an amazing driver, I'm sure he'll be fine!



Where is Taka going to go? I sure hope Falken isnt' going to drop the only 86 in the field!



Also, what about Ross Petty?

10

so Taka and Hiro are out?

11

Ross is running a private team, will be sponsored by Falken for Tires. Taka / Hiro will probably do the same, but not 100% sure yet.



PS - I'm not so sure that Calvin will be driving the same S15 that Dai drove, I believe it's a completely new chassis.

12

What has tyle mcquarrie done in the last couple years in that car?



Answer: Nothing. The GT2 sucked and didnt work for tyler it will be good to see him in a car he can compete with

13

Why wouldn't they put Dai in the S15 since hes WON with that? He did okay in the simliar GTO this year but hes WON twice within 4 event period in that car, something that falken has taken, what 6 years to do now?



Not trying to be negative, its a good move, but I'm just reading this and like 1) wishing i didn't have tests all week so i could be at sema



2) seeing proven WINNING car/driver combo not getting put together, and that boggles my mind.

14

The only thing the Falken team is good for is throwing out XXXL T-shirts at the events.

15

Dai in an IS350?!?! WHAT THE HELL!?

16

2010 looks like the new camaro for some reason

17

Please, what name of rims at the first photo?

18

Sucks to hear about Hiro losing his ride.



Stand up guy.



Hopefully something works out for him.

19

^^ for real, i sort of feel like Calvin is being hung out to dry here, he's a great driver but he keeps getting stuck with old ass cars will his teammates get brand new ones. Unfortunately to be competitive in FD these days you need a seriously set up ride with the latest tech. and tons of power no matter how good your skills are. Dai's old S15 was a great car but that was years ago now and its gonna need some work if Calvin is going to do well next year, a point proven by his performance in his own FD this year. There some exceptions I guess but most of the cars that are consistently in the top 16 have upwards of 5-600 HP.

20

lookin forward to that new mustang

21

omg i wish dai stayed with RMR and also if i was tyler i wouldnt have changed from Hankook/JIC... they gave him the best car and he just left it to rot lol.

22

If they got rid of Taka and Hiro alot of people are going to be really mad. It was cool to watch taka in an 86 going against all the big guns

23

huh hearing dai go to falken with an IS350 came out of nowhere for me, wat just happened with him and RMR? man and i hope taka appears somewhere again with his 86. it would be a major dissapointment for me if he doesnt.

24

so that explains the picture of Hiro and Dai in Hiro's blog

25

i got a chance to be at the discount tire private event in vegas speedway for sema last week.

i was kind of confused seeing dai and tyler there, though they did not touch any car whatsoever. ross, calvin, taka and vaughn where there giving rides to discount tire employess. the falken guys are awesome down to earth people!!! they were great!! i came all the way from puerto rico to catch them drifting, if it wouldnt be because i met hiro at sema and asked him if there were goin to be a drift expo i would of missed a great expierence. hiro took out his itinerary to tell me the time and day falken was gonna be running!!( thanks hiro!! hope everything goes well for u man!) cant wait for the 2009 season lots of changes!

also drifting is catching up here at the island so ill be runnin my s13 overhere!! yeah!





26

oh man i'm already pumped for next year and the season just ended..Only disappointment is JR in a new mustang i like the all motor set up..it just screamed in the high revs...As for my favorite driver Dai man i cant wait to see him get sideways in one of my favorite rides that sick IS350..Im already in countdown mode round 2 ROAD ATLANTA BABY!!!!

27

huh hearing dai go to falken with an IS350 came out of nowhere for me, wat just happened with him and RMR? man and i hope taka appears somewhere again with his 86. it would be a major dissapointment for me if he doesnt. (quoted)



ye big disapointment still im very happy whit darren mcnamara joining falken that exotic car will look good in bleu and green!

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