Eventful Carrera Cup season opener for BLACK FALCON

Hits: 1798

Porsche Carrera Cup Germany – Race Report Round 1

BLACK FALCON looks back with mixed feelings on the opening round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany at the Hockenheimring. The outcome after two action-packed races: two remarkable recovery runs, a fourth place overall, three podium positions in the amateur classification and a strenuous night shift for the team after an accident without fault in the first race.

The qualifying on Saturday morning took place in wet track conditions. Best placed BLACK FALCON driver was David Kolkmann, who twice qualified in the top-10 for starting positions nine (Saturday) and five (Sunday). Tim Zimmermann placed his car in 13th and 15th place, while Carlos Rivas achieved the fourth fastest time in the amateur classification for both races. Sören Spreng was fifth and sixth fastest in the amateur classification after the 60-minute session.

On Saturday afternoon, the 31-vehicle field started into the 30-minute race almost without exception on slick tyres, although the track was still partly wet after continuous rain until noon. After a good start by all BLACK FALCON drivers, a safety car period temporarily neutralised the race. The re-start of the race was followed by a moment of shock: in the well-known hairpin corner of the Hockenheimring, Kolkmann was hit on the passenger side by a competitor at high speed and had to retire his Porsche 911 Cup - in spite of the heavy accident, both drivers remained unhurt.  After the resulting second safety car period, Rivas and Zimmermann secured the first points of the season with two races to catch up: Zimmermann, who had started from position 13, fought his way up to fourth place. Rivas crossed the finish line in 14th place overall and second place in the amateur classification, while Spreng finished sixth in the class.

After the return of Kolkmann's damaged car it was immediately clear that the car could not be repaired on site. With the support of colleagues from the company headquarters in Meuspath and a great team effort, a replacement car was built overnight and Kolkmann was able to start in the second race of the season on Sunday. Due to the vehicle change, the 22-year-old had to start from 30th place, but fought his way up to eleventh position with a strong performance and thus secured his first points. For Zimmermann, on the other hand, the race was already over in corner two: He missed the braking point and collided with a competitor. In the amateur classification Rivas and Spreng celebrated on the podium together after a flawless 16 laps. The Luxembourger again moved up from fourth on the grid to second, while Spreng overtook three rivals and moved up from sixth to third.

The next race of the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany will take place in two weeks at the Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic.

General Information About the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany
In 2019, the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany will host eight events, each with two championship races each lasting 30 minutes. The DTM will serve as the stage twice, at the season opener at Hockenheim and at the season highlight at the Norisring, as well as the ADAC GT Masters six times. In the overall standings for all participating drivers it's all about the championship title of the Carrera Cup as well as the team championship. Drivers without a professional background in motorsport fight for an additional title in the amateur classification.

TV Broadcasting, Live Streaming and Social Media
This year the German TV station Sport1 broadcasts all Saturday races of the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany live on free TV. The Sunday races are broadcasted with a time delay in the evening programme of the same day. In addition, there is a comprehensive live streaming service for all qualifying sessions and races on the official Porsche website as well as on Facebook and YouTube. Further information about the BLACK FALCON team is also available daily on the team's social media channels:

instagram.com/teamblackfalcon   facebook.com/teamblackfalcon

Race Calendar Porsche Carrera Cup Germany 2019
03 - 05 05: Race 1 & 2, Hockenheimring
17 - 19.05: Race 3 & 4, Autodrom Most
07 - 09.06: Run 5 & 6, Red Bull Ring
05 - 07.07: Race 7 & 8, Norisring
09. - 11.08: Run 9 & 10, Zandvoort
16 - 18.08: Race 11 & 12, Nürburgring
13 - 15.09: Race 13 & 14, Hockenheimring
27 - 29.09: Race 15 & 16, Sachsenring