Following a great start to the 2014 season with three podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Dubai, Team Black Falcon now looks forward to new challenges ahead.
Team Black Falcon, who won several international events in 2013 including the prestigious 24 Hours of Nürburgring, has a busy racing program this year; the team plans to contest all five rounds of the popular Blancpain Endurance Series that are held on some of the world’s most famous racetracks: Monza, Silverstone, Paul Ricard, Spa and the Nürburgring.
The Blancpain Endurance Series is the biggest GT3 series in the world, featuring more than 50 cars from 12 different car manufacturers.
Team Black Falcon will field two cars in the Blancpain Endurance Series: a Pro class car and a Pro-Am class car. Abdulaziz Turki AlFaisal, Hubert Haupt and Andreas Simonsen will share driving duties in the Pro class throughout the season. All three drivers have already proved their worth, with the former two finishing third overall at the Dubai 24 Hours in the Black Falcon #2 Mercedes SLS AMG GT3.
This will be the team’s full Pro entry in the Blancpain Endurance Series, and Abdulaziz Turki AlFaisal and Hubert Haupt‘s first full season with Team Black Falcon.
The team’s new line-up for the Pro-Am class consists of Russian drivers Mikhail Loboda, Yury Loboda and Vladimir Lunkin, all of whom are accustomed to the taste of success in their home country; the latter also enjoyed success with Team Black Falcon by finishing second in the 997 class of the Dubai 24 Hours this year.
Additionally, Team Black Falcon will be defending their 24 Hours of Nürburgring victory this season by entering two cars in the Pro class, with four drivers sharing each car. The confirmed driver line-up so far is as follows: Jeroen Bleekemolen, Andreas Simonsen, and Christian Menzel in the first car, and Abdulaziz Turki AlFaisal, Hubert Haupt and Adam Christodoulou in the second one.
On top of their Nürburgring 24 Hours participation, the two cars will contest rounds 3 and 4 of the VLN Championship, and they will race in one ADAC Qualifying race.
“Team Black Falcon is looking forward to the season ahead with great anticipation. 2013 brought a great amount of success and will be a hard act to follow, but we have new drivers and new partners for 2014 and our target is for success in the Blancpain Endurance Series, with our first Pro entry and of course to defend the 24 Nüburgring win from 2013. Either way, it is going to be an exciting year ahead!” said Team Black Falcon manager Sean Breslin.
Michelin will be the team’s new tyre supplier for both the VLN Championship and 24 Hours of Nürburgring, while Saudi Sports Group also joins the team’s existing list of partners that includes Bilstein, Pagid, and Fuchs.
The team’s season resumes at the ADAC Qualifying race on the 5th of April, followed by the first round of the Blancpain Endurance Series in Monza on the 13th of the same month.