Unfortunate ending of a strong performance at Bathurst 12H

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Intercontinental GT Challenge – 12H Bathurst 2019: Race Report

Maximum attack was the mission of Team BLACK FALCON in the 2019 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hours, as they returned to Mount Panorama, Australia’s legendary racing circuit. With their elite drivers setting a qualifying time that put them on the front row of a 38-strong field, the team put everything into the race, and a strong opening phase saw them lead overall. However, the team were one of many to fall victim to the tight confines of the circuit: during the eighth hour their Mercedes-AMG GT3 was pushed off track and blocked radiators caused engine overheating. This hobbled the AMG, and soon after the team were forced to retire.

BLACK FALCON had teamed up with regional specialists Craft Bamboo Racing to race a solo Mercedes-AMG GT3 at Bathurst. The #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft Bamboo Black Falcon line-up starred team veterans and Blancpain champions Maro Engel (Germany) and Luca Stolz (Germany) alongside multiple DTM champion Gary Paffet (United Kingdom). 

Five practice sessions were scheduled to help the truly international field get up to speed, but even by the second session BLACK FALCON were near the top of the time sheets – and there they would stay throughout the race build-up. In the first segment of Qualifying, #77’s crew set a benchmark that put them fourth on the timesheets, as the fastest AMG in the race. Into the second half-hour #77 improved another position, setting the third quickest lap. That put the team in a great position for the Top 10 Pole shoot-out, and Maro was handed the responsibility for #77’s single flying lap. As ever, he set a stunning time, finishing up just a tenth of a second from the pole time and putting #77 on the front row. 

The 12-hour race blasted into life with the majestic environs of Mount Panorama still swathed in darkness. The 05:45 early start mean the opening phase of the race would be a blaze of headlights until the first light of dawn announced the arrival of the relentlessly bright Australian summer sunshine. After a relatively calm first hour, where Luca kept #77 in second, shadowing every move the leader made, the action really started. The circuit’s combination of long, flat-out blasts at its lower points are a total contrast to the claustrophobic climb up and over The Mountain, where the walls close in and punish any mistake – often with race-ending consequences. There were multiple safety car periods required to clear up accidents in hours two and three, but Luca avoided the incidents and pushed through to take the lead before handing over to Gary. 

The safety periods threw all the teams’ strategies up in the air, including Black Falcon’s, and the lead of the race would constantly change in the run to the halfway mark. The team’s strong run continued, but in the eighth hour the BLACK FALCON AMG was pushed off the track by another car, resulting in debris blocking the radiators. This quickly affected the performance, and a frustrated Gary was forced to bring #77 to a halt at Forest’s Elbow as engine temperatures soared. 

Despite the disappointment of not finishing, the team can be proud of their efforts. As ever, the team and drivers demonstrated relentless dedication and professionalism, and the pace during qualifying and race showed a better result was deserved. But it’s easy to forget that this is just the beginning of the season: BLACK FALCON will soon be announcing their full endurance racing programme for 2019, so the anticipation is building. Keep up to date with BLACK FALCON’s activity across all social media platforms: follow the team via twitter.com/TeamBlackFalcon, facebook.com/teamblackfalcon/ and instagram.com/teamblackfalcon to get live action updates directly from races, as well as fantastic images of the team in action.