Autosportfoto

Black Falcon swoop on top spot at Nurburgring

The No.18 Mercedes SLS AMG of Congfu Cheng (CHN), Mike Parisy (FRA) and Jeroen Bleekemolen (NLD) was the fastest of the PRO runners with a best lap time of 1:57.952.

It was a change of fortunes for Bleekemolen who earlier in the day crashed heavily at the Schumacher S in the Reiter Lamborghini in the FIA GT1 World Championship Qualifying Race. The Dutchman is sharing the Lamborghini with Parisy besides linking together in the Blancpain Endurance Series.

Parisy was pleased to contribute to a solid overall team performance. "The team did a fantastic job because we have the two fastest cars in the Blancpain," he said.

"We have a good package of performance with our three drivers, so we have the potential to have a very strong race in Germany. Today was a good start to the weekend."

The No.19 Black Falcon PRO-AM Mercedes of Oliver Morley (GBR), Steve Jans (LUX) and Sean Edwards (GBR) were second fastest overall with a best lap set by Edwards of 1:57.998.

Third overall and second in PRO was theVita4One Racing Team BMW Z4 No.66 of Germany's Frank Kechele, Mathias Lauda (AUT) and the 2011 drivers' champion Greg Franchi of Belgium. 

The championship leaders Belgians Bas Leinders and Maxime Martin and Finland's Markus Palttala were fourth in class with a time of 1:59.157 as they struggled to find an optimum balance.

"In the first session we ran with quite old tyres and it was difficult to find a balance. We didn't know how much it was down to tyres or from the car itself," Palttala said.

"We all did our different things, I did the aero check from which we gained something, then Maxime did a Qualifying run with new tyres and in the end Bas evaluated a longer run and looking at the tyre wear.

"All those runs were good and we learned from all of them. So now we need to put all the data and hope we can find some pace. It's still quite a gap to the front for us.

"We are here for the Championship fight so we need to maximize the race efficiency and try to score as many points as possible. It's going to be a tough race for us, Mercedes is quick, Audi is a bit quicker and so is the Porsche, Ferrari and McLaren. So it will be tight."

Valentino Rossi, the nine-time world motorcycle champion, is making his second appearance in the series at Nürburgring after featuring in the opening round at Monza.

"El Dottore" is sharing a Kessel Racing Ferrari 458 Italia with fellow Italians Alessio Salucci and Andrea Ceccato. The trio were in 15th place overall and 10th in PRO-AM with a best lap of 1:59.444.

"I'm very happy to be back again in the Blancpain Endurance Series," Rossi said. "We enjoyed a lot our previous race in Monza but we were a little unlucky in rain conditions. After that experience we will try again in Nurburgring.

"With myself and Alessio Salucci (Uccio) we have Andrea Ceccato this time as a part of our three drivers team. Kessel Racing is making a big effort for us and we just want to enjoy the weekend with them."

The Swedish JB Motorsport trio of Jan Brunstedt, Mikael Bender and Daniel Bender led the way in the Gentlemen Trophy class with a quickest lap of 2:03.330.

Today's Qualifying starts at 09:5 with the Race timed for 14:30.

About Blancpain: a tradition of innovation for over 275 years

In 1735, the pioneer Jehan-Jacques Blancpain created an establishment that is now the world's oldest watch brand. Blancpain is committed to the renewal of mechanical watchmaking, guaranteeing the transmission of craftsmanship expertise from one generation to the next through continuous investment in human resources as well as in production facilities. This approach is our strength and the expression of our long-term vision.

In tune with this spirit, each Blancpain watch embodies values firmly rooted in our historical heritage making reference to the past as much as to the future, to tradition as much as to innovation. Innovative technological breakthroughs, stemming from the thorough knowledge of our origins and the strength of our roots, and traditional designs are thus combined over the years to give rise to timepieces epitomising the very pinnacle of the watchmaking art.

While remaining unswervingly loyal to its values, Blancpain associates with partners that share its passion for excellence. In the field of motorsports, the Manufacture is proud of its partnerships that represent far more than mere co-branding. Precision, reliability and creativity are key values shared on the races both with the car and the last watch
L-evolution R.

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