Alexandre Imperatori joins Falken’s VLN and N24 Porsche team
Swiss driver Alexandre Imperatori joins Falken regulars Wolf Henzler, Martin Ragginger and Peter Dumbreck for 2014. Porsche GT3 team will compete in various VLN rounds and legendary Nürburgring 24-hour race.
2012 Carrera Cup Asia Champion Alexandre Imperatori will join the experienced line up of Wolf Henzler, Martin Ragginger and Peter Dumbreck in Falken Tyres’ Porsche GT3 car. Imperatori, who replaces Sebastian Asch in the 997 GT3 R in a programme that will see the Japanese tyre manufacturer compete in eight VLN races together with the Nürburgring 24 Hour and newly created N24 Qualifying race. Retaining continuity, Schnabl Engineering will run the car, headed by team principal Sven Schnabl.
Imperatori is no stranger to Porsches, having secured the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia in 2012 as well as campaigns in 2011 and 2013. Imperatori will, like Austrian team Ragginger, dovetail his Falken outings with a further Carrera Cup Asia campaign in 2014. “With many years of crucial Porsche experience including a GT3 R like we have, together with endurance racing seat time, Alexandre has the right skills and will be a real asset to the team," says Falken team principal Sven Schnabl.
At the age of four Imperatori experienced his first kart, progressing to single-seaters in 2003 continuing until 2011 when he competed in Formula Nippon, the highest level of single- seater racing in Japan. In 2012 and 2013 Imperatori secured podiums in a Porsche 997 GT3 R in the Macau GT Cup. 2013 also saw Imperatori named as the lead driver for KCMG driving an LMP2 Morgan in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the WEC round at Silverstone.
Aside from Imperatori’s promotion to the team, 2014 sees minimal changes to the Porsche 997 GT3 R that Falken has run for the past three seasons. Underlining the stability, Dumbreck enters his seventh year with the team and like last year, Henzler will also drive Falken’s all new 991 Porsche in the new United Sportscar Championship.
The Falken Tyres team will make its debut in the VLN Series in the opening round on the 29thMarch.
Falken Motorsport Dates 2014:
03/29/2014 60th ADAC Westfalenfahrt
05.- 04.06.2014 ADAC Nürburgring 24 qualifying races
04/12/2014 39 DMV 4-hour race
26/04/2014 56 ADAC ACAS H & R-Cup
05/17/2014 45 Adenauer ADAC Trophy Simfy
19.- 22.06.2014 ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race Nürburgring
04/07/2014 54 ADAC Reinoldus endurance race
08/02/2014 37 RCM DMV Grenzlandrennen
08.23.2014 Opel six hours ADAC Ruhr-Pokal - race
13/09/2014 46 ADAC Barbarossa Cup
About FALKEN Tyre Europe:
The technology and development of Falken High Performance Tyres and their driving characteristics have for many years been derived from motorsport, most recently its participation in the American Le Mans Series and Nürburgring 24 Hours. Tyre technologies developed on track are often transferred to the road, offering improvements in wet and dry grip, efficiency, feeling and control.
Falken Tyre Europe is a brand of Sumitomo Rubber Industries Japan, with European headquarters near Frankfurt. Falken has aggressively expanded its product range, launching new products in new sectors and niches across Europe. Falken’s current products range from the track-inspired Azenis series including the latest FK453 flagship through to the efficient and innovative ZE914 and the rugged all-terrain WildPeak A/T and cold weather HS449.
All FALKEN products fulfil the ISO standards 9001 and 14001. For more information visit www.falken-europe.de or www.facebook.com/falkenmotorsports
Press contacts
Pressekontakt Unternehmen: FALKEN Tyre Europe GmbH, Nadine Cerone Tel.: 069-247 52 52 – 64,
Fax: 069-247 52 52–11, E-Mail: n.cerone-schatz@falken-europe.de
For UK press enquiries: Propel Technology, Nick Bailey, Tel: +44 (0) 1295 724130, email nick@propel-technology.com
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