Team Falken drivers Matan Rosenberg and James Houghton earned podium finishes at the GRIDLIFE Midwest Festival held at Gingerman Raceway in Van Buren County, MI. Rosenberg secured third overall in the GLTC class in his #484 Chevrolet Corvette, while Houghton debuted in the GLGT class with his #41 TCR Honda Civic and finished second overall.
The weekend kicked off with practice and qualifying sessions on Friday. Rosenberg posted a strong qualifying run, landing second out of 48 GLTC competitors, Falken said. Houghton also had a solid qualifying session, despite an oil spill on the track that made conditions tricky.
In the opening race, Rosenberg held onto second place behind Eric Magnussen’s BMW M3. Meanwhile, Houghton, competing in the GLTC class, briefly lost the lead to a Toyota Supra GT4 but regained position.
Team Falken GRIDLIFE Midwest: Saturday Showdowns Challenge
On Saturday, Rosenberg faced heavy pressure from Eric Kutil’s Honda Civic and wrapped up the race in third place. Houghton fought hard but finished second following a tight battle with the Supra GT4, Falken said.
In race three, Rosenberg launched from fifth on the grid, ultimately placed third again. Houghton ran into trouble after going off-course and dealt with rising vehicle temperatures, yet still managed a second-place finish.
On Sunday, Rosenberg started fifth in the final GLTC race and again earned a third-place finish by avoiding a multi-car incident. Houghton completed his debut weekend with another second-place finish in the GLGT class.
Championship Standings
Rosenberg currently holds second place in the GLTC standings with 243 points, just seven points behind leader Kutil. Houghton begins his GLGT campaign in second place overall, Falken said.
“The Midwest Festival is always an incredible, though challenging, event,” said Rosenberg. “It was a demanding few days. We learned a lot and are already looking ahead to come back stronger at Mid-Ohio in a couple of weeks.”
