On December 14, 2013, Team Black Falcon took its maiden Gulf 12 Hours victory after a dominant performance by its Team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 that was driven by Jeroen Bleekemolen, Bernd Schneider and Khaled Al Qubaisi.
In 2014, the team aims to emulate that success and keep its crown by producing a similar performance with its two Mercedes SLS AMG GT3.
Last year’s winning driver combination of Khaled Al Qubaisi, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Bernd Schneider will return once again this year to race under the “Abu Dhabi Racing Black Falcon” name.
The sister Black Falcon Mercedes will have Abdulaziz Turki AlFaisal, Hubert Haupt and Richard Muscat behind the wheel.
The fourth edition of the Gulf 12 will be held at the beautiful 5.5-kilometer Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The track features nine right turns and 11 left turns and is run in an anti-clockwise direction. There are high-speed sections, tight corners for overtaking, and a twisty street circuit-style sector. Overall, its diverse elements come together to create one of the longest and most demanding tracks in the world.
An untimed test session is scheduled on Thursday, December 11, followed by two similar sessions on Friday, December 12. Friday’s Qualifying will be split into four 15-minute sessions, with drivers swapping seats in each session.
The Gulf 12 Hours is quite unique as it consists of two six-hour races, split by a three-hour break during which the teams are allowed to work on their cars.
The race kicks off on Saturday, December 13, at 9:00 AM before coming to a halt at 3:00 PM for a three-hour break; it resumes under the floodlights at 6:00 PM, with the chequered flag eventually coming out at 12:00 AM.
