Christodoulou takes second in Nurburgring 24 warmup

Adam Christodoulou completed his preparations for the Nürburgring 24 Hours with a strong run to second in a VLN2 race which saw the full spectrum of Eifel weather.

The Englishman drove the final stint of the four-hour enduro aboard the AMG – Team Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 after team-mates Maro Engel, Bernd Schneider and Manuel Metzger had completed their stints and was delighted with a second successive VLN podium that leaves the team in high spirits ahead of their biggest race of the season.Starting from pole after a qualifying session in changeable conditions, Engel found the circuit had dried much faster than anticipated and switched to slicks at the end of Lap One. That put the Mercedes-AMG GT3 into a dogfight with the Phoenix Racing Audi which lasted throughout the first hour, the two cars rarely separated by more than a few seconds.

The two cars were in close attention for the remainder of the race, but a late splash-and-dash as a legacy of the early stop meant Christodoulou was ultimately too far back to capitalise on a final-lap shower that made the Nordschleife resemble a 20.8km ice rink. While several around him found the barriers, Christodoulou was able to bring the car home undamaged, second of 181 starters.

“On the last lap it was pretty interesting – there must’ve been ten different incidents!” reported the official AMG driver. “It was one of those where you were a little unsure how much you could push or what you can get away with – I had a few exciting moments! But you can’t give up, you’ve always got to push because you never know what’s going to happen or whether someone is going to make a mistake.“In the end I’m very happy with how it went, it’s a good confidence-building result going into the 24 hours,” he continued. “With mixed conditions, setup and strategy are always a gamble and we had to manage it as well as we could as the race went on. It was all about finishing the race, being safe and learning from this race for the 24 hours.

“I’m feeling pretty good for it, I’ve got three fast team-mates, a team that’s won the 24 hours before and a manufacturer that’s supporting us really well and giving us the best opportunity to try and go for the win.”

Christodoulou’s next race is at the Home of British Motorsport, Silverstone, on May 14-15, for the second round of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup.

About AdamAMG racing driver Adam Christodoulou is one of the foremost British talents in GT racing, with 30 career wins to date. To find out more about Adam and his achievements, click here.

About AMG Customer SportsEntering customer sports in 2011 with the SLS AMG GT3, private customer teams have claimed numerous victories and international championships – including the “Grand Slam” of the GT3 endurance classics in 2013, with wins in Dubai, Bathurst, at the Nürburgring and the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. This unparalleled success will be continued with the new Customer Sport vehicle, the Mercedes-AMG GT3. A characteristic of the Customer Sports concept is its extensive support structure – from technical training, through on-the-ground service to the online ordering system for replacement parts. An internal championship, test days and a driver pool complete the AMG Customer Sports program. To find out more, click here.

About Black FalconCelebrating their tenth year of competition in 2016, AMG - Team Black Falcon are one of the best regarded teams in international sportscar racing, with success on the Nürburgring something of a speciality. After taking the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 to its first victory in the 34. DMV 250-Meilen-Rennen in 2010, Black Falcon took the SLS AMG GT3 to a first win over 24 Hours in Dubai in 2012. However, the best was reserved for 24 Hours of Nürburgring, as Black Falcon and drivers Bernd Schneider, Sean Edwards, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Nicki Thiim took an emotional victory in 2013. Equipped with the new Mercedes-AMG GT3 for 2016, the AMG Performance Team Black Falcon will be a force to be reckoned with in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, VLN Series and 24 Hours of Nürburgring. To find out more, click here.

About VLNVLN is an endurance championship based around the fearsome Nürburgring Nordschleife. With ten rounds regularly attracting up to 200 entries, the VLN is regarded as one of the most fiercely contested series in Europe. To find out more, click here.


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