Silver Cup class victory at Silverstone

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BLACK FALCON have taken class victory in the Silver Cup at the second round of the 2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, as well as a fine sixth place overall. All three BLACK FALCON AMG scored important points in their respective classes at Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, and BLACK FALCON retain third place overall in the Teams championship while moving up to take the lead in the Silver Cup.

There was an impressive 50-car field at Silverstone, and bright sunshine over the Northamptonshire track set up perfect conditions for the weekend. The circuit was resurfaced earlier this year, resulting in lap-times almost two seconds faster, with improved grip all around the track and less tyre degradation. This reset the order and made results from the opening round in Monza less indicative of possible outcomes at Silverstone: results were to be won through hard work. The race used the full Grand Prix circuit but made use of the original pit-lane complex, making the iconic Copse corner the opening high-speed challenge for the drivers.

Abdulaziz Al Faisal (Saudi Arabia), Hubert Haupt (Germany) and Gabriele Piana (Italy), competed in the Silver Cup category. After strong opening sessions, Qualifying didn’t go as planned, and #6 ended up 31st overall and sixth in class. However, come the race the car was a revelation, and Hubert quickly stormed to the front of the class. A tight battle with the class-pole Jaguar ebbed and flowed throughout the race, the lead swapping back and forth until eventually #6 gained the upper hand, thanks to the constant pressure exerted by Hubert and Abdulaziz. Having secured the lead, Gabriele had his hands full fending off other Silver Cup competitors but came through to take the class victory and a fine 18th overall.

The Pro-class Mercedes-AMG Team BLACK FALCON #4 AMG GT3 starred Yelmer Buurman (Netherlands), Maro Engel (Germany) and Luca Stolz (Germany). In Free Practice, Luca was the first driver to set a lap-tine under 1:59 with a 1:58.999 as the session approached its final 10 minutes, and #4 finished the session as the second quickest car in the field. The track got faster as the event progressed, and after a frantic three-part Qualifying #4 ended up with the sixth fastest time overall. Maro made one of his typically aggressive starts and gained a place almost immediately – he would remain part of a nose-to-tail train of leaders for entire opening hour. #4 pitted early to gain some clear air, Maro handing over to Luca, though unfortunately pit delays lost the car a number of places. Luca got his head down, and spent the middle stint of the race scything back through the field, rapidly regaining the car’s original starting position and then battling through to as high as fourth with some superlative driving. Yelmer continued the fight, but minor contact lost him momentum and #4 slipped to sixth after a desperate last lap battle.

Rui Aguas (Portugal), Saud Al Faisal (Saudi Arabia) and Kriton Lendoudis (Greece) continued to cement their driving partnership in the #5 AMG GT3 at Silverstone, gaining speed and moving up the Pro-Am class order session after session. After a tentative Qualifying, #5 started 10th in class and 45th overall, but Kriton laid the foundations in his opening stint for a strong result. Saud continued the good work, moving further up the order, before handing over to Rui to bring #5 home. The experienced Portuguese driver put in a fantastic performance, making up another 10 places to deliver an excellent fifth in Pro-Am and 28th overall.

There’s just a short two-week break before the third round, which will be held at the impressive Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France – a track that this year will also host the first French Grand Prix in a decade. You can support BLACK FALCON across all social media platforms: follow them via twitter.com/TeamBlackFalcon, facebook.com/teamblackfalcon/ and instagram.com/teamblackfalcon to get live action updates directly from the tracks, as well as fantastic images of the team in action.

RACE DATES
Blancpain Endurance Series
Round 3: 1-2 June (Paul Ricard)
Test Day: 3 July (Spa)
Round 4: 26-29 July (Spa 24 Hours)
Round 5: 29-30 September (Barcelona)