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Team Falken Take Multiple Podiums At Laguna Seca

SALINAS, CA – Five Team Falken drivers earned podiums last weekend at the OPTIMA USCA event at WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca. Team drivers Bob Sobey, Nick Relampagos, Efrain Diaz, Brandon Hurst, and Lane Farka showcased the high-performance capabilities of the Azenis RT660+ tires against a large pool of competitors for the season so far.

Saturday's autocross event started cold with a heavy fog and rain, so performing runs at 100% was challenging for every competitor. By the afternoon, the mist let up, and the course was dry for competitive runs. Over in the GTV class, Team Falken drivers Nick Relampagos and Efrain Diaz battled it out, beating each other's times by one second on every lap. Relampagos and his 1970 Chevrolet Camaro beat Efrain and his 1969 Chevrolet Camaro by merely .156 of a second, with a time of 32.026. The GTS class also featured a similar battle between two Team Falken drivers, with Bob Sobey finishing with an autocross time of 30.625 in his 2013 Nissan GTR, beating Brandon Hurst's 31.255 in his 2022 Tesla Model S. In the Outlaw class, Lane Farka placed 3rd with a time of 32.073 in his 2024 BMW M2.

"The Azenis RT660+ had amazing grip in the cold and wet conditions," recalled Bob Sobey. "The tires had amazing forward traction and cornering grip in dry conditions. The other competitors struggled with grip on cold tires; however, the RT660+ tires were awesome on the first run and only got faster."

Sunday's road course event on the track started with cooler weather and drier conditions. All the classes competed in groups according to times and shared the track, so it was tricky to navigate through the traffic to achieve fast lap times. Several competitors were making mistakes and going off track; however, Team Falken expertly stayed on course without any issues. Competing against a sea of modern vehicles, Relampagos and Diaz stayed competitive with their Camaros, finishing with fastest times of 1:38.010 and 1:39.723, respectively. In the GTS class, Sobey finished 1st in class with a fastest time of 1:33.716, with Hurst trailing with a fastest time of 1:36.920. Farka finished with a fastest time of 1:36.362 in the Outlaw class.

The final results have Nick Relampagos and Efrain Diaz in 2nd and 3rd place, respectively, for the GTV class; Bob Sobey and Brandon Hurst in 1st and 2nd place, respectively, for the GTS class; and Lane Farka finished in 3rd place for the Outlaw class.

"The consensus between all the Falken drivers was that the Azenis RT660+'s are an improvement over the previous iteration," stated Gerald Alvarado, Falken's Motorsports & Events Supervisor. "Their podium victories are a testament to the tires' capabilities and their talent as drivers. We take pride in having them represent Team Falken in this highly competitive event."

The next Optima USCA event will be at Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Wampum, Pennsylvania, from May 30th – June 1st.