Two victories for Black Falcon at fantastic season finale

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At the season finale of the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany, Black Falcon scored a victory and another podium in each driver category. Overall winner of the 13^th race of the season on Saturday was Christian Engelhart (DE), while Carlos Rivas (LU) scored a phenomenal second place in the amateur cup. On Sunday morning Black Falcon achieved another victory in the last race of the season: Rivas was victorious in the amateur cup with an impressive gap to the second placed car of 10 seconds. Engelhart secured himself another podium finishing third overall. Gabriele Piana (IT) fought back after a tough qualifying session and gained several positions in both races finishing eighth (Saturday) and eleventh (Sunday).

Start number 4 ­– Gabriele Piana – RN Vision Team Black Falcon
Gabriele Piana showed a flawless and solid performance during the last race weekend of his first Porsche Carrera Cup Germany season. In the first race on Saturday he started from position 12 into the race and battled his way up to ninth place within the first lap. A few laps before the end, he took the eighth place and kept this position until the end of the race. At the final race on Sunday, he started from position 14 and once again managed to make ground moving up by three positions. He defended his position very well until the end and thus finished eleventh. Gabriele Piana finished his debut season in position nine of the driver’s championship.

Start number 5 – Christian Engelhart – Black Falcon
Christian Engelhart had big plans for the season finale. During qualifying he quickly demonstrated his will to turn them into reality by scoring a double pole position. At the start of Saturday's race he came off well, but had to give up the lead after a tough battle with Dennis Olsen. In lap five Engelhart fought back and took the lead again in the second turn of the circuit and brought the victory home for the second time this season. On Sunday morning however,  he was defeated by two competitors after an exciting race finishing 3^rd with a tiny margin of 0.6 seconds behind the winner. Christian Engelhart finished the season as 6^th in the driver’s championship despite missing four of fourteen races.

Start number 6 – Carlos Rivas – Black Falcon
At the Hockenheimring Carlos Rivas eventually got lucky. During qualifying, the entrepreneur drove to starting position two for Saturday and position four for the Sunday race. During the first race Rivas managed to stay within striking distance of the leading Wolfgang Triller but did not manage to overtake. He finished second. At the final race on Sunday morning he then went on to show a stunning performance taking the lead within just two laps. During the full 18 laps distance he built an impressive gap of nearly 10 seconds and eventually enjoyed a final champagne shower on the highest step of the podium. Carlos Rivas finished his first Porsche Carrera Cup Germany season in the amateur driver’s championship as runner-up.

The team after the race

Eve Wallenwein – Team manager Black Falcon:
“What a great final race weekend! I’m proud of the whole team. We clearly demonstrated our capabilities in our first season of the Porsche Carrera Cup and we achieved fantastic results. This final weekend were a perfect end of the season for us.

Wolfgang Drabiniok – team speaker RN Vision Team Black Falcon:
“Gabriele had a difficult qualifying but managed to fight back excellently in both races. Considering our starting positions, we’re very happy with the results as well as with the entire season. Gabriele and the Black Falcon team have shown an outstanding performance over the year.

Gabriele Piana – driver start number 4:
“We had a great car this weekend. Unfortunately, I did not manage to get a good lap and had to start from the midfield. The car worked perfectly in both races and I was sometimes even faster than the leaders, but overtaking in cars with the same specifications is extremely difficult. Nevertheless, I’m happy with the weekend and with the whole season. Thanks to the team for a great job during the whole year!

Christian Engelhart – driver start number 5:
“We had a great weekend. The double pole position and the second victory of the season complement our great season. I’m especially happy for the team that has put in so much work  during the season and once again built an amazing car for the weekend. Looking back at the season we can be happy with four pole positions, two victories and several podiums. I want to thank the team once again for the opportunity to drive for Black Falcon in their debut season.

Carlos Rivas – driver start number 6:
I’m happy that we could show what we’re capable of this weekend. I was able to use all the experience from the first race on Sunday and got everything I could out of the car, winning the race despite a difficult starting position. I learned so much during the season from my team mates and the whole Black Falcon team. The spirit in the team is as amazing and I love the professional atmosphere. Thanks to all people involved! We’ll come back next year and fight for the title in the amateur cup!