FALKEN Motorsports
| FALKEN Motorsports | |
|---|---|
| Surname | FALKEN Motorsports |
| Companies | FALKEN Tire Europe GmbH |
| Company headquarters | Offenbach am Main |
| 2018 racing season | |
| race car | Porsche 991 GT3 R & BMW M6 GT3 |
| tires | FALKEN Tires |
FALKEN Motorsports is a motorsport team from the tire manufacturer FALKEN Tire Europe GmbH. Falken Motorsports has been an integral part of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring since 2000 .
history
2000 season
In 2000, Falken Motorsports drove a Toyota Supra GT for the first time in the 24-hour race. Despite its role as an outsider in the race, the Supra caused a sensation with its sound and its “trail of fire” caused by the gasoline igniting in the exhaust, especially at night.
The Toyota Supra GT was equipped with a supercharged inline four-cylinder engine with a maximum output of 370 kW (500 hp) and a maximum torque of 650 Nm. With a 6-speed Hewland G-Box transmission, the racer weighed 1,150 kg on the Nordschleife. The Supra was driven by Takayuki Kinoshita and Hironori Takeuchi from Japan and Dirk Schoysman from Belgium.
2001-2005 season
In 2001 Falken Motorsports switched to Nissan and initially used a Skyline GT-R R34 with over 500 hp, a maximum torque of 550 Nm and a weight of 1,390 kg. The heart of the car was a RB26DETT-NISMO-N1 engine with 2,771 cm³. Again the Japanese Takayuki Kinoshita and the Belgian Dirk Schoysman were at the wheel, with Roland Asch from Germany and Tetsuya Tanaka from Japan joining them .
2007-2010 season
After a break from racing in 2006, Falken Motorsports started in 2007 with a Nissan 350Z (Z33) with a VQ35HR-NISMO-tuned engine with over 3,798 cm³, a maximum output of 400 hp and a maximum torque of 421 Nm. The experienced drivers Tetsuya Tanaka and Kazuki Hoshino from Japan, the already Falken-tested Belgian Dirk Schoysman and the Briton Peter Dumbreck achieved 11th place overall in 2009. In 2010 it was enough for 12th place and 3rd place in their class (SP7).
In the 2010 season, Falken Motorsports also took part in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X in the 24-hour race, which, however, was eliminated early. The car was driven by Karsten Quadder, Patrick Bernhardt, Takao Matsui and Toshiya Ito.
2011 season
In 2011, the team continued with the Porsche 997 GT3 R for the first time a race car of German production in the North Loop of the Nürburgring ( "Green Hell") one. The 997 GT3 R was powered by a six-cylinder naturally aspirated boxer engine with a displacement of four liters, which delivers 480 hp (353 kW) at 7,250 rpm. The car has a sequential six-speed gearbox, traction control , an electronically controlled double-declutching function and a specially coordinated racing anti-lock braking system .
In addition to the ADAC Zurich 24-hour race, Falken Motorsports wanted to take part in a few VLN races .
Operations in the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring
| season | dare | number | Overall rank | class | total time | Round | Fastest lap | km / h average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Toyota Supra GT | 33 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2001 | Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2002 | Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 | 44 | 5 | A7 | 24: 06: 05.315 | 135 | 9: 37.016 | 145.337 |
| 2003 | Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 | 44 | 53 | A8 | 24: 06: 20.397 | 117 | 9: 38.498 | 125,937 |
| 2004 | Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 | 44 | 5 | A8 | 21: 52: 21.385 | 122 | 9: 09.259 | 135,863 |
| 2005 | Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 | - | - | A8 | - | - | - | - |
| 2007 | Nissan 350Z (Z33) | 33 | 17th | SP7 | - | - | - | - |
| 2008 | Nissan 350Z (Z33) | 85 | 23 | SP7 | 24: 01: 02.245 | 134 | 9: 24.122 | 141,592 |
| 2009 | Nissan 350Z (Z33) | 28 | 11 | SP7 | 24: 00: 50.057 | 144 | 9: 23.457 | 152.180 |
| 2010 | Nissan 350Z (Z33) | 44 | 12 | SP7 | 24: 01: 27.639 | 145 | 9: 17.846 | 153.170 |
| 2010 | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X | 143 | DNF | SP 3T | 11: 14: 47.972 | 62 | 9: 49.846 | 154,889 |
| 2011 | Porsche 911 (997) GT3 R. | 44 | 48 | SP 9 | 24: 03: 48.593 | 132 | 8: 35: 310 | 177.293 |
| 2012 | Porsche 911 (997) GT3 R. | 44 | DNF | SP 9 | 10: 19: 12.305 | 66 | 8: 41.974 | 175.029 |
| 2013 | Porsche 911 (997) GT3 R. | 44 | 20th | SP 9 | 24: 05: 29.055 | 82 | 8: 39.113 | 175.994 |
| 2014 | Porsche 911 (997) GT3 R. | 44 | 4th | SP 9 | 24: 02: 24.475 | 157 | 8: 23.367 | 181,499 |
| 2015 | Porsche 911 (997) GT3 R. | 44 | 3 | SP 9 | 24: 03: 55.186 | 155 | 8: 25.249 | 180.823 |
| 2016 | Porsche 911 (991) GT3 R. | 44 | 9 | SP 9 | 24: 04: 43.437 | 130 | 8: 29.488 | 179,319 |
| 2017 | BMW M6 GT3 | 33 | 8th | SP 9 | 24: 03: 07.178 | 157 | 8: 24.195 | 181.201 |
| 2017 | Porsche 911 (991) GT3 R. | 44 | DNF | SP 9 | 3: 57: 22.652 | 26th | 8: 30.213 | 179.064 |
| 2018 | BMW M6 GT3 | 33 | 15th | SP 9 | 24: 05: 48.413 | 130 | 8: 22.914 | 136.912 |
| 2018 | Porsche 911 (991) GT3 R. | 44 | 9 | SP 9 | 24: 02: 31.260 | 132 | 8: 18.170 | 139,335 |
| 2019 | BMW M6 GT3 | 33 | 5 | SP 9 PRO | 24: 06: 04.146 | 155 | 8: 25.686 | 163.212 |
| 2019 | Porsche 911 (991) GT3 R. | 44 | 20th | SP 9 PRO | 24: 06: 00.631 | 145 | 8: 23.131 | 152,688 |
Web links
- Falken Tire Europe website