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Team Falken Take Podiums At GRIDLIFE Midwest Festival

SOUTH HAVEN, MI – Team Falken drivers Matan Rosenberg and James Houghton clinched hard-fought podium finishes at the GRIDLIFE Midwest Festival race. The challenging layout of Gingerman Raceway, coupled with the fierce competition, made this event one of the most exhilarating races of the season. Despite the intense battle, Rosenberg secured a commendable 3rd place overall with his #484 Chevrolet Corvette in the GLTC class, and Houghton debuted his #41 all-new GLGT class TCR Honda Civic with a 2nd place overall finish.

The Midwest Festival on Friday began with a few practice sessions, but competitors quickly entered qualifying to determine the fastest lap times and establish starting grid positions. With a fresh set of Azenis RT660+ tires, Rosenberg swiftly navigated the tight 11-turn track and qualified in 2nd place out of 48 competitors, securing himself a 2nd place start for the first race. Houghton utilized the grip of his Azenis RT660+ tires early on to secure a start up front despite an oil spill on the track during his run.

Rosenberg started and finished strong in the first race thanks to his well-earned starting spot. He held onto the 2nd place position for the race and closely trailed Eric Magnussen and his BMW M3. Houghton, in the GLTC class, was immediately passed by a Toyota Supra GT4 in the first turn. With patience, Houghton managed his tires throughout the race and executed a pass to regain the lead with a few laps to go.

The following day, Rosenberg Racing knew the competition would keep them busy. Competitor Eric Kutil and his lightweight Honda Civic managed to start the second race with an immediate pass into 2nd place. Rosenberg raced hard and looked to capitalize on an opportunity to regain his position, but every competitor raced well, and Rosenberg ended the race in 3rd place. Houghton’s competition also kept the heat on throughout this race. The Supra GT4 swapped in a second set of Azenis RT660+ tires and made excellent pace, passing Houghton for the top spot.

Rosenberg started the third race in 5th place after falling behind Kutil by only a tenth of a second in the Top 10 Knockout qualifying round. The plan for the third race was to hunt for an opportunity to secure a first-place finish by passing Magnussen and Kutil. Both Magnussen and Kutil raced consistently, giving no chances for a pass during this race. Rosenberg finished the race and ended the day with another 3rd place finish. Over at GLGT, Houghton and his team decided to swap in their new set of tires for this race. The fresh set allowed the TCR Civic and Supra GT4 to have a fierce door-to-door battle. Unfortunately, during the action, Houghton drove off-course, picked up some grass on the TCR Civic’s grille, and struggled with vehicle temperatures throughout the rest of the race, ultimately finishing in 2nd place.

Team Rosenberg was determined to end the event on a high note, fully aware of the challenges that awaited them in Sunday’s final GLTC race. The fourth and final race, which began with an eight-car inverted grid, saw Rosenberg starting in 5th place. Rosenberg's resilience shone through as he made several strategic passes, ultimately securing a 2nd place position. The GLGT class had a four-car inverted grid, and Houghton started in 3rd place, needing to finish in 1st this race to secure the overall event win.

Ready to execute a pass for 1st place on the final lap with only three corners left to go, the GLTC lead car made an unfortunate mistake and lost control. This incident caused the trailing Rosenberg to maneuver to avoid him, which ended up with the Corvette going slightly off-course into the dirt. Rosenberg’s move saved his car; however, it allowed the competitors from behind to make a pass. Matan Rosenberg finished the race in 3rd place, securing a 3rd overall finish for the event. Over at the GLGT class, Houghton would again drive off track during a mid-race battle and found himself at the back of the field. Determined to finish in a top spot, Houghton executed several exciting passes to reclaim 3rd place, ultimately finishing in 2nd place overall.

Matan Rosenberg remains in 2nd place overall with 243 points, 7 points behind class leader Eric Kutil, and James Houghton starts the GLGT season with 2nd place overall on the leaderboard.

“The Midwest Festival is always an incredible, though challenging, event,” stated Matan Rosenberg. “It was a demanding few days, but we learned a lot and are already looking ahead to come back stronger at Mid-Ohio in a couple of weeks.

“Matan and James performed excellently and had a fantastic weekend,” said Gerald Alvarado, Supervisor of Passenger Car Motorsports & Events at Falken Tires. “It's thrilling to see them compete for the overall win, especially considering the numerous challenges within the highly competitive GLTC and GLGT classes and Gingerman Raceway course.”

The next event will be the GRIDLIFE Mid-Ohio event, held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, from June 27th – June 29th, 2025.