Black Falcon starts as title defender at Nürburgring 24h

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Team BLACK FALCON have won two out of the last four runnings of the 24 Hours Nürburgring, so enter the 2017 race knowing just what it takes to stand on the top step after an entire day of racing around the fearsome Nordschleife. Only maximum effort, a relentless drive to press on no matter the conditions or opposition and total commitment from drivers and mechanics alike will see you through this most challenging of endurance events. Team BLACK FALCON have delivered inaugural wins for both of Mercedes most recent GT racecars, taking an SLS AMG GT3 to victory in 2013 and then the new AMG GT3 last year: 2017 offers the opportunity to deliver a trio of victories to the three-pointed star.

The 24 Hours Nürburgring brings together the apex teams of the GT racing world in the crucible of the Norschleife, a race that features more than 150 cars from classes ranging from the fastest GT3s representing luxury brands to stripped-out hatchbacks, all competing on the narrow, sinuous strip of public road that makes up the circuit. Team BLACK FALCON’s 2017 entry includes a trio of GT3-specification Mercedes-AMG GT3s entered in the top-line SP9 class, along with three Porsches.

The #1 Mercedes-AMG GT3 stars three of the winning crew from the epic 2016 race, Adam Christodoulou (United Kingdom), Manuel Metzger (Germany) and Maro Engel (Germany), who for 2017 are joined by Yelmer Buurman (Netherlands). The #3 crew will comprise Dirk Müller (Germany), Thomas Jäger (Germany), Jan Seyffarth (Germany) – and Maro Engel (Germany), Team BLACK FALCON’s super fast, not-so-secret weapon in the race, who will be placed tactically in either car as the race develops. In #4, the line-up of regular partners Abdulaziz al Faisal (Saudi Arabia) and Hubert Haupt (Germany) will be stiffened by DTM star Dani Juncadella (Spain) and Luca Stolz (Germany).

The three Porsches are entered under the BLACK FALCON Team TMD Friction banner: a pair of 991 models and a Cayman GT4. Jürgen Bleul (Germany), Stefan Karg (Germany), ‘Takis’ (Switzerland) and Alexander Toril (Spain) drive the #65 991 GT3 Cup in SP7, a car that’s brand new for 2017 and will be looking to get in amongst the GT3s should the conditions allow. The #133 991 Carrera is in the V6 class, with a crew comprising Saud Al Faisal (Saudi Arabia), Thomas Bolz (Germany), Aurel Schoeller (Germany) and Fidel Leib (Germany). The #72 Porsche 981 Cayman GT4 runs in SP10, with VLN regulars Mustafa Mehmet Kaya (Turkey), Carlos Gomez (USA) and Ronny Lethmate (Germany) joined by Gabriele Piana (Italy).

Last year’s emotional second victory was underscored by achieving pole position and the fastest lap of the race, whilst also scoring two more class wins with BLACK FALCON Team TMD Friction’s Porsches. The pressure is on for the 2017 race, but the team’s drivers and mechanics are more than up to the task, and all three Mercedes feature driver line-ups that should be in contention for that third win.

Team Principal Sean-Paul Breslin: “Winning the 24 Hours Nürburgring in 2016 was a dream come true for the whole Black Falcon Team, having taken the win back in 2013 with the then dream-team of Edwards, Bleekemolen, Schneider and Thiim, followed by a hard fought second place in 2014 and equally hard fought fifth in 2015. The team, with the support of partners AMG and Bilstein, prepared every detail to have the best chance of victory among one of the toughest fields in endurance racing, at what is the by far the toughest track. 2017 represents a new challenge. We prepare with the same tenacity and the same level of detail as always. The race is long and we want to ensure we are there to fight to the end.”

The action starts on the Thursday May 25th with the Free Practice and initial Qualifying sessions, building up to the Top 30 shoot-out on Friday evening when the fastest GT3 cars will vie for pole position. Live timing and video feeds will be available online at www.24h-rennen.de, and you can support Team BLACK FALCON across all social media platforms. Follow the team via twitter.com/TeamBlackFalcon, facebook.com/teamblackfalcon/ and instagram.com/teamblackfalcon to get live action updates direct from the tracks, as well as fantastic images of the team in action.

PROVISIONAL RACE TIMETABLE (All times CET)
Thursday May 25th
15:30-17:30 – Free Practice
20:05-23:30 – Qualifying 1
Friday May 26th
09:30-11:30 – Qualifying 2
19:50-20:30 – Top 30 Qualifying
Saturday May 27th
08:15-09:15 – Warm-up
15:30 – Race start
Sunday May 28th
15:30 – Race finish