Team Falken, manufacturer of high performance on- and off-road tires, continues to see incredible results through its relationship with Team Brenthel in the Falken-liveried Spec Trophy Truck, which took third place in last weekend’s Best in the Desert (BITD) Silver State 300 near Las Vegas.
Over 220 teams started the 300-mile race across the Nevada desert organized by BITD) with 163 finishing. BITD sanctions and promotes desert racing across the U.S. including the Mint 400 and Vegas to Reno. The Silver State run is known for its extremely fast-paced drifting corners and miles of silty sections where the ruts can extend up to four-feet deep of powder-like dirt. Combined with mountainous roads, hundred-foot cliffs and 180-degree turns, the race has always challenged even the most experienced drivers.
Team Brenthel’s brothers, Jonathan and Jordan Brenthel, handled the driving chores for the first half, helping to bring home their Spec Trophy Truck to third. “This class is becoming one of the most competitive in all of off-road racing, and the fastest-growing class in the sport. They are unlimited vehicles except they run a V8 LS3 motor restricted to 430 HP. As a result, tires play a huge part in performance, traction and reliability in this class due to the engine size,” said Nick Fousekis, Falken’s Director of Motorsports and Marketing. “Our Falken WILDPEAKS continue to set the pace in off-road racing because they meet the criteria demanded by our racers, and ultimately, our consumers.”
“We had one initial goal,” explained Jonathan, “To keep the truck in one piece and stay in the top five for qualifying. We qualified 4th, which was perfect.”
The Brenthels played a conservative game at the start of the race, deciding to let “the pack weed itself out,” Jonathan added. “Our plan was paying off and at around Race Mile 130, we were second on the course. We had some fuel delivery issues around RM135, which held us from pushing as hard as we could. We got to RM150 where we had a driver’s change with full fuel and two rear tires.
“Unfortunately, we had a mishap when Co-driver Lence Jorgensen had trouble getting his belts on properly which took too much time,” Jonathan continued. “The delay let four trucks get in front of us. Jamie Galles driving the second half, pushed hard to make up positions, but with Silver State being such a tight technical course, it's extremely difficult to pass in the dust and you can get a DNF when pushing too hard. He made up two positions and that put us in third. Overall, it was a very satisfying day and Falken’s WILDPEAKS performed flawlessly. They pulled us right through.”
Falken Tire continually uses racing as a dedicated channel to test product, and with its expansion into off-road racing, the tire brand is able to experiment with new technologies and push its product to the limit.
