Falken Tire and Walker Racing have announced a new partnership that will involve veteran IndyCar and Champ Car team owner Derrick Walker (LEFT) in the running of the team's GT Porsche 911 in the American Le Mans Series this year.
Falken Tire' has fielded an ALMS entry since 2008, but last year was its first full-season program.
"The ever-increasing competition among the already fierce GT class in which Falken competes in has forced us to look in all directions, outward and inward, in pursuit of excellence," said Andrew Hoit, Falken's director of marketing. "As a result, Falken Tire has reached an agreement with Derrick Walker and Walker Racing to conduct our race team operations for the 2011 season. Derrick Walker's motorsports career spans over 40 years including management positions within the Penske organization before beginning his own motorsports company in 1990. His experience in such series as Champ Car, IndyCar and Formula 1 combined with the involvement from manufacturers such as Porsche, McLaren and Cosworth, make us confident that Derrick will bring the highest level of professionalism and knowledge to our team for 2011. We are very excited for this new chapter in our motorsports history and cannot wait for the season to begin."
"I am proud to be involved with Falken Tire," added Walker. "They are clearly a company on the move both on and off the track. To be a part of their long-term goals and become involved in the American Le Mans Series is a great opportunity for us at Walker Racing."