Falken Tire Show Girls

From the Falken Tire's Official Website:

"The Falken Tire brand, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, launched in its native country of Japan in 1983 and was introduced to the North American market two years later. At its inception, Falken was created as the flagship high performance radial brand under Ohtsu Tire and Rubber. Now, over two and a half decades later, Falken continues to focus on UHP (Ultra High Performance) products and utilizing professional motorsports racing to further develop and improve passenger vehicle products for worldwide distribution."

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Another title for this hub article could well be Falken Tire Spokesmodels or Falken Tire Umbrella Girls as both are also correct. During motorsports events and car shows such as the Formula D Drifting and the LeMans American Series, you'll see these ladies walking around promoting Falken tires while carrying their trademark umbrellas.

Like many other automotive enthusiasts, these ladies caught my eye while reading Import Tuner magazine for the past couple of years and so after a time, I thought that they were interesting enough to at least write about. In learning about one of the top (if not the top) companies that supply tires for motorsports, which includes racing and drifting, I learned that Falken picks only the most prestigious girls the modeling world has to offer in their annual selection process. So what does this mean? It's not easy to become a Falken Spokesmodel! Suffice to say, Falken Tire certainly has a good eye for talent.

From Falken Tire's Official Website

"Drift competition is in fact a venue that is as unique as Falken is.  It takes competitive motorsports to the extreme, and has successfully attracted strong crowds, loyal fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life.  Falken quickly realized how popular and demanding drift competition would become, and since 2003, has been a solid fixture within the format.  The focus is on skill, as drivers in specially prepared, high-powered vehicles intentionally execute controlled sideways slides at high speeds through a marked course..."

In addition to being known as Falken Tire Show Girls, these ladies are also known as Falken Umbrella Girls as they are Spokesmodels and representatives for Falken Tires and very knowledgeable of the product they promote as each of them are racing and drifting enthusiasts in their own right (don't let their gorgeous looks and cheery attitude fool you). For the most part, they are walking billboards and so represent Falken Tires and all it's products while touring nationwide promoting motorsports.

So, without further ado, I present to you the 2009 Falken Spokesmodels/Umbrella Girls, which includes Lindsey Hanson, C.J. Gibson, Mary J. Castillo, Randyl Dawn, Eri Moriyama, and Candace Pittman.

Oakland Raiders fans are no strangers to Lindsey Hanson, as she is a member of the Raiderette's cheerleading squad and has been for the past four years. While growing up in the East Bay of Northern California (which may explain her Oakland Raider roots), she was attuned to many outdoor activities including wakeboarding, snowboarding, kickboxing, and golf. Before modeling, Lindsey was a personal trainer and so has a penchant for staying in top physical form. Her modeling resume includes working as a product specialist with Kia Motors. Her educational background in math and computer science has only help prepare her to grasp the technical aspects of racing and drifting, which is not only an art form, but a science in its own respect. As a member of Team Falken and the Falken Tire Drift Team as a spokesmodel for the 2009 season, Lindsey states, "I'm looking forward to this opportunity," she says, "and helping Falken exhibit its products at drifting events and at ALMS races."

C.J. Gibson is a model and actress of Filipino and Italian descent who was born and raised in Florida. She was discovered by a photographer during her sophomore year at college Just as soon as she began modeling, she quickly became in high demand, having been featured in several automotive magazines such as Performance Auto & Sound in addition to Muscle and Fitness. C.J. was also featured in Maxim and FHM which triggered her acting career in several television shows and commercials. In 2007, she was given the opportunity to learn about racing and drifting. She fell in love with drifting immediately: "It's such an exciting sport," she states, "and a perfect opportunity for Falken to demonstrate the capabilities of its tires." She certainly has a "sunny demeanor," don't you agree? (Hence the Floridian roots).

Born in Long Beach, California and raised in Rancho Cucamonga, Mary J. Castillo was crowned Miss Canadian Dream Model in 2005. Automotive enthusiasts recognize her from several magazines, including Super Street, which placed her on their list of Top 10 All-Time Models. As perhaps the most educated of all current Falken spokes models, Mary J. Castillo or MJ for short, graduated with a B.S in microbiology from California State University, Dominguez Hills. It should also be noted that her father is a chemist and so most likely was influenced in her studies. MJ also attended University of California Irvine's Claire Trevor School of the Arts, winning several awards and scholarships, including the Para-educator Award by USC's Rossier School of Education, in Latin and Language Minority Teacher Projects.

One of the reasons why Randyl Dawn was selected as a Falken showgirl and spokesmodel is due in part to her extensive automotive modeling experience and her charismatic personality. As a member as a Falken Spokesmodel, she helps to build a client base for Falken Tires by recommending the best possible Falken product sufficient to every need. She enjoys an array of outdoor activities including hiking, kayaking and surfing. She also enjoys snowboarding, which she has been fine-tuning since the age of eleven. Just recently, she attempted skydiving for the very first time and is now focusing her energies towards learning how to drift as she has always been fascinated by it, calling it an "Amazing and thrilling sport." When she is not on tour with Falken Tire, she is a full-time student pursuing a B.S. in fashion and merchandising.

Model Eri Moriyama is currently the longest-tenured Falken Spokesmodel, having toured with them for the past four years.  Hailing from Japan, she is the daughter of a prominent brain surgeon.  After completing her studies with a B.S. in journalism from Sophia University in Tokyo where she studied English, she pursued her dream to become a reporter and so put to good use her proficiency in English, leading her to America's shores.  Eri saw her dream reach full fruition as she quickly landed a job as a reporter which enabled her to visit the White House, NASA headquarters and Graceland.  Her exotic looks was then recognized by Pepsi who offered her a job as a representative and supplied her with her own customized pink Mitsubishi Eclipse in which to tour the Dub Auto Show, Hot Import Nights, and Sema for the next five years.  Her notoriety was wholly recognized when she won Spokesmodel of the Year at the Global Tuning Awards which aired on Fox Network in 2008. 

Much the same way in which Mary J. Castillo was positively influenced by her chemist father to major in microbiology, Candace Pittman was positively influenced by her pro-surfer father to take surfing seriously.  Candace Pittman is the epitome of the "true island girl" having been born on Catalina Island which is 22 miles off the coast of Long Beach, California.  So, it's no wonder that she also enjoys figure skating and snowboarding which also requires a great deal of balance.  In addition to this, she is also an automotive enthusiast.  Why? "Because of the feeling of freedom you get with speed," she says.  "This may also explain why I have a passion for fast cars and powerful engines."  Due to the fact that she loves being the center of attention, she was born to play the role of Falken Spokesmodel, which is part entertainment and part information.  Like all other Falken Spokesmodels, she is knowledgeable and passionate about the company she represents.