• The new Falken Porsche 911 GT3R is lighter, longer and more powerful.
• New Falken tyres developed specifically for the Porsche.

This season sees Falken Motorsports once again fielding a strong and proven line-up for its team of drivers, and taking to the track in a Porsche 911 GT3R (991). Drivers Wolf Henzler, Peter Dumbreck, Martin Ragginger and Alexandre Imperatori will battle it out for Falken, aiming for top three places in the VLN Championship as well as the 24h-Race.

"The Falken Motorsports fan community was buzzing with speculation about the new race car, so we decided to fuel that excitement," said Stephan Cimbal, Head of Marketing at Falken Tyre Europe, in explanation of the mystery surrounding the new vehicle.

He continues, "We launched the campaign by featuring the sale of our old Porsche, and then added information bit by bit to whip up the tension. It worked really well! Of course we knew some fans had already guessed the new car would be a Porsche – and now their suspicions are confirmed. Personally, I'm delighted that we're continuing our partnership with Porsche and building on our many successes at Nürburgring in this new model's predecessor."

After initial testing was held last December, a further battery of tests was run in mid-February at the test track in Portimao, Portugal, where the second-generation Falken tyres were put through their paces on the new Porsche. In the first round of tests, tyres from the preceding model were fitted to the new 500hp racer for comparison and an array of configurations were tested. The results of these tests were then used by the Falken Motorsports engineers in Japan to design a new generation of advanced motorsports tyres tailored to the Porsche; these are the tyres that will see action at Nürburgring.

The Falken Porsche 911 GT3R (991) is powered by a water-cooled six-cylinder engine and has a total weight of approximately 1,220kg – around 60 kg lighter than its predecessor. The new car's wheelbase is 8.3cm longer, and its centre of gravity has been optimised by using advanced lightweight techniques in building the bodywork, chassis and add-ons, aimed at maximising the vehicle's performance.

The team of drivers is delighted at the new tyres and the Falken Porsche. "A lighter car with longer wheelbase and a few extra horsepower already sounds pretty good to me", enthused Peter Dumbreck about the Porsche 991. "It's not only the tyres that have been advanced since the first round of tests; the new car itself has undergone a whole host of improvements. It's now easier to drive, the brakes are firmer and the aerodynamics are better in cornering," he explained.

Peter Dumbreck is optimistic about the team's prospects of gaining a place on the podium: "When we fight for a top three place this season, we'll be fighting for victory. It certainly won't be easy. The competition is getting tougher from year to year as more and more works teams and works drivers enter the race and the cars get faster and faster."

For Martin Ragginger, it was love at first sight: "The car really impressed me from the very first second. The new aerodynamics let us keep our foot down while we're cornering, the engine packs a great punch, and the brakes are firmer. Falken provided us with such a huge range of tyres to test that we'll be able to put together the perfect package of tyres and car."

Ragginger is convinced that the team's chances of winning a podium place will be high this season too; "It's not just that we drivers have grown together into a close-knit team - it's the whole team behind Falken Motorsports that does a great job. They're superb at working hand in hand and pit stops have sped up tremendously."

"We tested the car over 2,300km under conditions that matched what we can expect from the Nürburgring in spring," said Wolf Henzler, describing the test procedure. "This Porsche is streets ahead of its predecessor, and Falken's new-generation tyres will enable us to take a further leap towards victory. The car is rock-solid, and I'm confident we have what it takes to climb the podium. The 24 hour race is a long, long event where a lot can happen – so we'll just do what we did last year: drive, drive, drive!"

Further test and set-up runs will take place at Nürburgring in mid-March before the first VLN race is held on 2 April 2016.

View the YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP8zRS1ShoQ

Falken Motorsports VLN Race Calendar:
1 – 2 April 2016
29 – 30 April 2016
24 – 25 June 2016
19 – 20 August 2016
23 – 24 September 2016
7 – 8 October 2016

24h-Race
26 – 29 May 2016

About Sumitomo Rubber Australia
Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) is the sixth largest tyre manufacturer in the world. With 11 global tyre manufacturing facilities, SRI produces tyres for passenger cars, light trucks, trucks & buses, motorcycles and agriculture machinery. Sumitomo Rubber Australia (SRAU) is the local subsidiary and manages two brands - Falken and Sumitomo Tyres. For more information visit www.falken.com.au.