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Team Falken Stands Ready To Challenge For 2022 Formula Drift Championship With Four Drivers

LONG BEACH, CA – With Round 1 of the 2022 Formula Drift Championship on the streets of Long Beach, California, this coming weekend, Team Falken –a five-time overall Formula D champion – will field four teams in pursuit of a sixth crown.
 
A leader in high performance tire technology for cars, trucks, SUVs and crossovers, Falken Tires has consistently seen its AZENIS RT615K+ tires perform flawlessly on the contrasting surfaces that make up the Formula Drift season, from street courses to ovals to road racing tracks. 
 
For the 2022 season, Team Falken will welcome back three of its current teammates, including Matt Field, who finished second overall in the 2021 Formula D championship; Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis, who took third overall in 2021; and Justin Pawlak, who finished 14th last season. Bakchis won the final event of 2021 at Irwindale Speedway.
 
Joining the team this year is Dylan Hughes, who finished eighth overall in 2021 in only his second pro season. Hughes will be competing in a 2005 BMW E46.
 
The team's returning drivers will carry Falken’s traditional teal and blue livery on their cars. Field running his signature Chevrolet Corvette, Pawlak back with his favorite Ford Mustang and Bakchis in his popular Nissan 240SX (S15).

“We are looking forward to starting the new season with our strong line-up of drivers,” stated Gerald Alvarado, Falken Tires’ newly appointed Motorsports & Events Supervisor, a veteran of the Falken race team. “We’re definitely going to miss ‘Dai’ Yoshihara, who retired at the end of last season after competing in Formula Drift since its start in 2004. Dai won the championship for Falken Tires in 2011. 

“But on that same note, we’re very excited to welcome Dylan to our team,” Alvarado continued, “and know that Matt, Odi and ‘JTP’ will quickly bring him into the fold, and together, our foursome should be a quartet to contend with and we want to continue the momentum we built at the end of last year.”
 
Formula Drift’s inaugural event of the season typically begins in Long Beach as a prelude to two straight weekends of racing, culminating with the popular IndyCar series. But fans will crowd the city and the stands to see the drivers drift through the tight concrete corners that make up the course. Qualifying begins on April 1st, with Round 1 set for Saturday night, April 2nd.
 
A new event is set for later this season at Utah Motorsports Park in Grantsville. It replaces Lake Erie Speedway in Erie, PA.

Remaining Schedule for Formula D’s 19th Season
Round 2:  Atlanta, GA – Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – May 6-7
Round 3:  Orlando – Orlando Speed World – May 20-21
Round 4:  Englishtown, NJ – Englishtown Raceway Park, – June 10-11
Round 5:  St. Louis – World Wide Technology Raceway (Madison, IL) – July 15-16
Round 6:  Monroe, WA – Evergreen Speedway – August 5-6
Round 7:  Grantsville, UT – Utah Motorsports Park Sept. 16-17
Round 8:  Irwindale – “The House of Drift” – Irwindale Speedway – Oct. 14-15