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Team Falken Takes 2nd Place GLTC Finish At GRIDLIFE South Carolina

KERSHAW, SC – Team Falken driver and defending GRIDLIFE Touring Cup (GLTC) champion Matan Rosenberg debuted the 2025 GRIDLIFE season with a strong performance at Carolina Motorsports Park. The 20-year-old Rosenberg took 2nd place in the event with his #484 C5 Chevrolet Corvette equipped with the all-new Azenis RT660+ tires.

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This year, the wheel-to-wheel GLTC class race at Carolina Motorsports Park featured 30 drivers, which included strong competitors like Eric Kutil and Eric Magnussen. The tight bends and corners make the track challenging for heavier cars like Rosenberg’s C5 Corvette. With limited testing due to several issues with his vehicle during the off-season, Rosenberg had to take the challenge head-on.

For the qualifying round, Rosenberg managed to qualify in first place with a lap time of 1:41.865. “With a fresh set of Azenis 660+ tires, I managed to qualify first, but I knew that wouldn’t be easy to defend all weekend,” recalled Matan Rosenberg. He finished the next two event races one second behind Eric Kutil’s lightweight Honda Civic.

Rosenberg quickly realized the importance of weight at this track, so he opted to detune the Corvette by 15 horsepower, which allowed him to remove 250 lbs in added weight before the Shootout race. The Shootout race determined the qualifying positions for the next race, and Rosenberg finished in 4th place with a qualifying time of 1:43.285.

With a fourth-place start in the third race, Rosenberg aimed to finish the race in 3rd place without any issues to guarantee a spot in the fourth inverted race. Rosenberg successfully secured the 3rd place finish for the third race, which guaranteed an advantageous starting position for the next, final race.

For the final race, Rosenberg started on the front row and quickly took the lead in the beginning. With Kutil and his lightweight Civic tailing him, Rosenberg masterfully maneuvered the course to prevent Kutil from passing. He triumphantly took the 1st place finish for the race with a time of 1:42.571. With all the points added up, Rosenberg finished in 2nd place overall with 88 points.

“It was a great start to our season and a strong showing at one of the tracks that suits this car the least,” stated Rosenberg. “We have a few changes to make before the next round, but we are looking forward to the year."

“Matan put on a thrilling, masterclass performance for this event,” said Gerald Alvarado, Falken Tires’ Supervisor, Passenger Car Motorsports & Events. “We are excited to have a young and talented driver like him on the team, and we look forward to watching him compete at this high level throughout the series.”

The next event will be the GRIDLIFE Special Stage, held at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, from May 9th – May 10th, 2025.