Buttonwillow, CA (Wednesday, November 9th, 2011) FX Motorsports Development and Tyler Mcquarrie set the new overall record at Super Lap Battle to become the Fastest Time Attack car in the United States.

The goal for this year was simple and clear for the FXMD team, go back and finish what they started.  At the end of the day the mission accomplished with a lap time of 1:40.981, besting the Sierra Sierra EVO record 1:41.046  With this accomplishment the FX MotorsportsDevelopment NSX becomes the fastest time attack car in the United States.

Crew chief Radomir Banda (FES) said, “I am so thrilled that we were able to pull this off!  We made a lot of changes this year and I have to say we are stronger than ever.  The addition of Grant Borman to the team has been huge, and what can I say about Jon Kuroyama he is simply the best.   The motor ran strong all day without any problems.  The team had to really come together for this to happen and in the 11^th hour it happened.  Tyler did an awesome job wheeling this car around the track for what essentially was his first time in the car.  As I said last year at the end of SLB 2010, the number posted by SSE would not last for long!”

Team principle Ken Namimatsu said, “I am really proud of the team, we had to overcome countless hurdles to achieve this goal.  No matter what we do Buttonwillow seems to punish us more than any other track.   I also have to credit Sam Kwa from Yokohama for providing us advice throughout our testing and race day. We are happy but not yet satisfied as we know the car is much faster than the number posted.   Many more advancements on the horizon and I am looking forward to 2012.”

We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their superior track proven products and unwavering support throughout the season and we hope to continue to build on our relationships into 2012

Buttonwillow, CA (November 9, 2011) - The Berk Technology team ends their 2011 racing season undefeated and also rewrites the Super Lap Battle record in the Limited RWD class at Buttonwillow Raceway in their BMW 135i driven by Carl Rydquist.  The BMW 135i was able to lay down a blistering fast 1:53.221 lap time in the cool morning air and bested the long standing record set in 2006 by GMG Racing with James Sofronas behind the wheel of a World Challenge Spec Porsche GT2 race car.  

“I think this victory represents what Berk Technology and the team sponsors are all about, we’re definitely starting to see the fruit of all the work put in by the team at Berk Technology. I’m really thankful for their level of preparation and I had a great time at this event.” Carl Rydquist – Driver, Berk Technology

The record wasn’t broken by a large margin but it is an amazing feat considering that the Berk 135i is actually a Street Class car fully outfitted with catalytic converters, registration tags, and insurance.  Due to different tire regulations the team was forced to run in the faster Limited RWD Class instead of their usual Street RWD class.  With the help of their sponsors Berk seems to have assembled an extremely well balanced package that can go fast in a wide array of conditions and track setups.

“I knew we definitely had our work cut out for us running against the Platte Forme BMW M3 with Tarzan Yamada behind the wheel.  We worked through the night to get the car setup for today’s track conditions and in the end the effort put forth by the entire team all paid off beautifully.”  Bryan Min – Team Owner
Berk Technology is wasting no time and new plans are already in motion to make radical changes to their time attack program in hopes of repeating another perfect racing season in 2012.

October 8, 2011 marked a day of hard work, vigilance, and the most interesting Formula DRIFT event in the history of the series. more »

Formula DRIFT returned to Evergreen Speedway for Round 5: Throwdown. Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire / Falken Nissan S13 using KW Suspension Race technology takes more »

The most difficult endurance race in the world once again enthralled more than 200,000 fans who experienced the spectacle live at the Nürburgring. This makes the 24 hour race the largest motor sports event in the world. These two days were a festival for every motor sports fan – and for KW Competition. The racing technology from KW was used on more than 70 racing cars. more »

Round 4 of the 2011 Formula DRIFT Championship Series took place this past weekend in Wall, NJ at Wall Speedway.  A vicious storm had rolled into town a few days before the event, but had passed through just in time for the much-anticipated drifting event.  Due to the storm, Daijiro Yoshihara and his team, Falken Tire / Discount Tire, were left with little practice time to have his V8 powered Nissan 240SX on KW Suspension setup perfectly for the event. more »

The fifth annual Wuste ( German for Desert Gathering) was held last weekend at the beautiful Boulder Station in always sunny and hot Las Vegas more »

Long Beach, Calif. – April 10, 2011 – Justin Pawlak in the Falken Tire Ford Mustang earns the victory at the first event of the 2011 Formula DRIFT season. Matt Powers in the Need for Speed, KW Suspension Nissan S14 takes second place with Daijiro Yoshihara in his KW Supported Discount Tire / Falken Nissan S13 rounding out the podium in third place. more »

Black Swan Racing owner and driver Tim Pappas announced today the team is set to defend its GT Challenge championship in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. Some familiar names – both on the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car and in the cockpit – will greet fans at the season-opening round at Sebring.

Black Swan Racing will continue its partnerships with KW Suspension and Project Mu, as well as Renewable Choice Energy, which will be the fourth year of the partnership with the carbon-offset provider. “I am most proud of the fact that all of our partners, both commercial and technical, will return for 2011,” Pappas said. “It’s a testament to how hard we work to keep our supporters engaged both on and off the track. I am looking forward to announcing some great new partners for the upcoming season as we defend our team and drivers titles. 2011 is going to be a tough year for GTC with a lot of great teams, but we’re ready to prove that our wins last year were not a fluke.”

One change that was not originally planned is the loss of team co-driver Jeroen Bleekemolen for four races in 2011. Bleekemolen’s schedule in 2011 includes races in several different series and will now feature an LMP1 entry to Le Mans, Sebring and Petit Le Mans in Rebellion Racing’s Lola-Toyota. Though the team was disappointed about losing its ace, the chance to drive an LMP1 car was the kind of opportunity neither side could allow to pass.

“When Jeroen asked me to allow him to leave I was initially bummed because he’s the best GT driver I have ever seen and I consider him irreplaceable,” Pappas said. “But when he explained the opportunity, I knew I had to let him go. In the end we are friends and I want the best for his career and family. I wish him the best for 2011 and we will certainly have a blast at the races where he’ll join us.”

In his place, the team has hired Porsche Cup ace Damien Faulkner, a man whose resume is as impressive as any in the racing 911. Bleekemolen was instrumental in selecting his substitute and is confident that his sparring partner from Supercup will help defend the GTC title.

“My agreement to run in LMP with Rebellion Racing came so late in the season that I knew I had a responsibility to make sure that Black Swan was in a good position to win in the races I have to miss. I have raced against Damien and feel that he is the best person for the job,” said Bleekemolen.

Pappas says he feels in better shape than ever as the start of the ALMS season approaches. He was part of a BSR entry that led in class at the Daytona 24 Hours and ran second when it was forced to retire in the 20^th hour due to incidental contact.

He also traveled to Dubai to take part in the Dunlop Dubai 24 Hours, finishing 12th in a new Mercedes SLS GT3.

“I purposely chose to take part in two endurance races in January so that by the time the ALMS kicks off at Sebring, I’ll be in great shape,” Pappas said. “Some guys are using simulators and working out, but by adding actual racing miles to my regimen I think I will have an advantage over my competitors that haven’t had a chance to run since last year, save for some testing.”

Stay tuned for more Black Swan announcements and as always you can follow Tim on Twitter @tpap54 and www.blackswanracing.com.

The American Le Mans Series’ annual Winter Test is set for February 9-10 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla. General admission tickets to the Winter Test are $10 per day with no paddock admission or overnight camping.

The first race for the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is the 59^th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on Saturday, March 19. The race, set for 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 19, will be shown live and in its entirety on ESPN3.com and americanlemans.com. ABC will provide coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 20. Visit the American Le Mans Series’ schedule page for information on tickets and area accommodations.

You can follow the Series on Twitter (almsnotes) and on our Facebook page and the official YouTube channel.