For the 41st running of the toughest race on earth, Black Falcon, the privately owned local team from Meuspath took on the world’s biggest racing teams and Won! A monumental achievement for all those involved, in some of the most difficult racing conditions imaginable.

What a difference one year can make. In May 2012, the Black Falcon team started the 24 Hour race at Nürburgring with high hopes of victory. Having qualified in 3rd position, the team tasted bitter disappointment after the car was crashed following a high-speed tyre puncture on the fourth lap. Now one year later, that bitterness has been replaced by the sweet taste of success. A whole year in planning. Is what it took from the entire team including all the partners, drivers, team members and sponsors. With three SLS AMG GT3’s and two Porsche cup cars entered, the build up to this race, left the team with no time to spare. The start of the racing season was blighted by poor weather. Heavy snow and freezing conditions meant the first race and test days were cancelled. Leaving little time and fewer opportunities to make the final set up and preparation for the cars.

With two test days and two VLN races, the team worked alongside their partners: Dunlop, Bilstein, Pagid and AMG, to get the best working combination of tyres, dampers, brakes and chassis, to produce the number one performing car in the field. With this combined effort and many late nights the Black Falcon team worked tirelessly to have all the cars ready to go for the 24 our race.

For the 2013 entry, Black Falcon entered with car number 9, one of the strongest driver combinations in the field. Five times DTM champion and one of the living legends of Motor racing, Bernd Schneider, teamed up with his Dubai race winning team mates and Carrera Cup super stars, Sean Edwards, Jeroen Bleekemolen and new for 2013 Nicki Thiim. In car number 10, Andrii Lebed, Harri Proczyk and Dennis Rostek, making a second strong entry, joined Andreas Simonsen. For the third entry, sporting the number 63, Christian Bracke and 24-hour Nürburgring first timer, Khaled Al Qubaisi and their Pro driver, Daniel Keilwitz, joined Vimal Mehta.

After a washout on the Friday practice sessions, Saturday saw the sun come out over the Eifel and all three cars breeze into the Top 40 qualifying sessions. Andreas Simonsen topped the time sheets in both Qualifying 1 and 2. With the order of the Top 40 qualifying being decided by lottery, it was to the misfortune of Sean Edwards in car number 9 that he should get stuck behind slower traffic and therefore miss out on taking a place on the front row. Not that is would have mattered anyhow as the car 9 would also have to serve a five grid penalty for a yellow flag infringement in qualifying 1, meaning that Sean would start the race in P11. For Simonsen in car 10, a fantastic lap saw them taking P9 against some of the best teams and drivers in GT racing. For Keilwitz in car 63, in his first race in the SLS a respectable P17.

With the race starting unusually at 5pm on Sunday and the weather predicted 24 hours of rain, the teams were all happy to set off from the start line under dry conditions. However, for car 9 stating in P11 the challenge was going to be tough. With the Audi’s, Aston Martin and BMW steaming ahead from the start line, the Black Flacon number 9 was quickly losing time to the leaders and by the first pit stops already had a mountain to climb!

Sadly for Simonsen in Car 10 after a great start, had contact with a SEAT and damaged the right rear axle. Limping back to the pits where the Black Falcon mechanics worked furiously to have the car back on track, having lost only 6 laps. A great job by the team, but sadly now putting a podium finish well out of reach. The drivers would now be fighting to keep some pride and get into the top 20!

Meanwhile, Car 9 and 63 continued the battle on track. With Schneider at the wheel, the team moved in and out of the top 5 as the teams made their pit stops, and soon into early evening the rain started. By the time Bleekemolen took over the deluge had begun and cars were crashing off the track all over the place. Conditions continued to worsen with fog sitting on the track and soon after 11 pm the race organisers took the decision to temporarily stop the race. For car 9 this was a shame, as Bernd Schneider was now cutting his way back through the field to make up some to of the lost time from the opening stages of the race, the new Dunlop rain tyres, proving to be unbeatable in these conditions. However, this was to be cut short and the race would not start again until 8am the following day.

During the break, the cars were quickly cleaned up and made ready for the restart, unusually giving the drivers and team members some time to sleep. However with the race clock still ticking, time was getting short for Black Falcon to get to the front.

With great relief the race restarted at 8am and all three SLS were on track in what was still a very wet race. In conditions like these, the drivers had to be extra cautious to avoid getting involved in any accident, but for car 9 this was not the time to be too careful. There was a race to be won and Bernd Schneider had a point to prove. With the full Dunlop rain tyre working at its best, Schneider set the fastest laps in the field and pushed the car into the top 3. A driving stint that saw the team have their hearts in their mouths on many occasions. Soon Edwards took over and proved he too could be the fastest man on track. Car 63 in the hands of Nürburgring 24 hour first timer, Khaled Al Qubaisi taking the restart had crept its way into the top 20. Vimal Mehta took over for a clean stint before handing the car over to Christian Bracke.

Sadly for car 10, a technical issue saw the car stopping on track leaving no chance for a top 20 finish. The team did manage to get the car restarted and safely back into the pits.

By midday on Monday, with the rain easing and the track beginning to dry, car 9 moved onto the superior Dunlop cut slick. Demonstrating the great set up, fantastic strategy and awesome driving skills, car 9 was soon leading the field.

With careful planning and a little bit of luck the Black Falcon pit wall team chose a strategy that would allow them to make one less pit stop than their competitors. By the final stint with a four-minute lead, Sean Edwards was able to adopt a fuel saving mode and despite the hard charging Z4 from Marc VDS, Edwards was able to cruise to the finish line.

Finally all five Black Falcon cars finished the 24h Nurburgring race, the two Cup Porsche finished in the upper places in the strong SP7 class. No scratches or dents, only tires, fuel and brakes were used by the Porsche drivers, which have done a real zero-mistake-job under extreme conditions.

Winning the Nürburgring 24hrs has been the dream for all those involved with Black Falcon. The emotions ran high as this; the ultimate goal of winning was deservedly achieved. Giving Mercedes their first ever 24hr win at Nürburgring. A success like this is only possible, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Black Falcon team. Most especially mechanics, but also, the strategic planning on the pit wall, the support from Dunlop, Bilstein, Pagid and of course AMG, their team, and the all dominating GT3 car they have built.

After the strong opening race in Hockenheim, the Project 1 Team was aiming high this weekend. But at 12.45pm, as the chequered flag marked the end of the third race in the Porsche Carrera Cup in the Eifel, it was clear that this race would not be going down in the annals of racing sport history at ‘Team Deutsche Post by Project 1’.

The weekend started out really well. In free training with P2, directly after in Qualifying Sean Edwards put in the quickest lap. But for reasons which are not yet clear, the subsequent technical inspection revealed that there was too little fuel in the tank. The result was the same for two of the three Project 1 drivers, for Sean Johnston’s car also had less than the minimum permitted 2 litres remaining. Accordingly, the cars of the two Seans were put back three positions on the grid. Unfortunately Jeffrey Schmidt could also not go maximum speed with a defective car. The Project 1 trio therefore started the four laps of the Nordschleife from P4 with Sean Edwards, P17 with the Swiss driver Jeffrey Schmidt, and from P18 with the 22 year old Sean Johnston.

From the start, the race was strongly fought and during the 4 x 25 km laps, Sean Edwards battled hard with Norbert Siedler. However, in the last lap, Edwards had to admit defeat and finished the race in a disappointing sixth place. “I’m not happy with the race at all. I could definitely have done better. We didn’t have the right speed and the engine wasn’t giving full power. During the race I had a lot of oversteer and understeer, and I hardly had a chance against the others. Others will have to judge Norbert Siedler’s overtaking manoeuvre in the last lap, but from my point of view it was clearly too risky.” said a disappointed Sean Edwards, who subsequently took the wheel in the 24 hour race.

The Swiss driver Jeffrey Schmidt finished his Porsche Carrera Cup Nordschleife debut in 13th place. “I had a good start and there was a fair bit of traffic in the first lap. I can live with 13th place and a couple of points, but the experience counts here as well, and I’ve still got a lot to learn.” Jeffrey Schmidt is also taking part in the following Nürburgring highlight, the 24 hour race, again driving a 911.

The race was less successful for the American, Sean Johnston. It was also his first Carrera Cup race in the “Green Hell”, and one that he definitely won’t be looking back at with fond memories. He started in 18th position and had a real battle for position in an attempt to progress further forward. Eventually, his race finished in the crash barrier, following an accident. “I’m really disappointed about the race and the accident. I was definitely hoping for more but I have to take responsibility for the situation. There was an accident and a car spun in front of me. I tried to avoid it and for a brief moment I was careless and didn’t concentrate properly. It was a small mistake that immediately resulted in me finishing up in the barrier at Nordschleife.” The 22 year old complained about rib pain after the accident, and was taken to hospital for a check-up. “I took a hefty blow to my side but the x-rays showed that there’s nothing broken and there are no serious injuries. I’m ok and I’ll be fit for the next race again.” said the ambitious driver, who has made Dinklage into his adopted home.

‘Team Deutsche Post by Project 1’ will be travelling to the forthcoming Porsche Carrera Cup racing weekend in Austria in third place in the team championship. Sean Edwards, currently second in the drivers’ championship, will be looking to attack at the RedBull Ring. “It’s time for the first victory with Project 1. In Austria, I want to get to the top of the leader board” said the determined Sean Edwards.

For the technicians from Lohne, there is no time to catch their breath. On Whit Monday in Lohne, the equipment from the Porsche Carrera Cup will be adapted ready for the Porsche Supercup. There has to be a seamless transition from the Porsche Supercup in Monaco to the RedBull Ring in Austria, so all the Project 1 911s have to be prepared and ready for departure on this coming Wednesday. For the logistics experts, the lorry drivers and the technicians it will be a logistics challenge and there’ll be no chance to take a break. The Porsche Carrera Cup races at the RedBull Ring will be taking place on 1st and 2nd June.

In the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in the principality of Monaco, alongside the two fixed drivers, Sean Edwards and Sean Johnston, there will be a third car with a high-class driver to marvel at. The race in Monaco will take place on 26th May.

Current news and background information about the race and Project 1 can be found on the Project 1 
website and on 
facebook.

Racing calendar – Porsche Carrera Cup Germany:

Spielberg 02.06.2013
Lausitzring 16.06.2013
Norisring 14.07.2013
Nürburgring 18.08.2013
Oschersleben 15.09.2013
Zandvoort 29.09.2013
Hockenheim II 20.10.2013

The Eifel has lived up to its reputation. The Porsche Carrera Cup teams had to deal with everything from snow to sunshine. The tolimit motorsport driver Sean Edwards was able to show off his skills on a wet track during a very wet qualifying. After setting a best time during qualification on Thursday, Sean, who lives in Monaco, fought to finish in third place. Nicki Thiim, who qualified in 2nd position, started in 7th position as a result of a penalty. Sean Edwards therefore started from the first row in 2nd position. His teammate René Rast, who also received a five place penalty at the Lausitzring, started the race from 10th position instead of 5th position. The Porsche Junior driver, Klaus Bachler, fought his way to a good 11th position in his first qualifying at Nordschleife.

After a flying start the 24 Porsche drivers were involved in plenty of battles for position. In the early stages the `Team Deutsche Post by tolimit` drivers Sean Edwards and René Rast lost places, which they then managed to make up during the course of the race. The British driver fought his way to 2nd place. René Rast, who won the Porsche Carrera World Cup last year, used his experience at Nordschleife to make a successful series of overtaking manoeuvres. He was rewarded with a podium place alongside his teammate. The Austrian Klaus Bachler finished his first race at Nordschleife in 13th place.

It was another successful weekend for the `Team Deutsche Post by tolimit‘. The team from Lohne has again demonstrated its professionalism and passion for motorsport. The constellation of the two experienced Porsche Cup drivers, Sean Edwards and René Rast, round off the team perfectly. Similarly, the Porsche Junior driver displayed real fighting spirit this weekend and confidently drove his first laps on what is considered to be the most difficult race track in the world, Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Klaus Bachler: “The start was good. On the first lap of the Grand Prix stretch I managed to gain a place. On the first lap of the Nordschleife I was able to follow well. But unfortunately my lack of experience meant I wasn’t fully competitive. Then I had a collision and lost my front lip. Without a front lip, Nordschleife is really difficult.”

Paul Schlotmann: „The Nordschleife challenge. We’ve overcome the challenge extremely well, better than we expected. I wasn’t expecting this result. What`s bad luck for one is good luck for another. That`s motorsport.“

Hans-Bernd Kamps: “On our own, we would only have managed 3rd and 4th places, and Klaus would have been able to finish in the top 10. He performed well and sadly the minor impact caused him to drop back. Sean and René`s performances can be improved. We got a good result with 2nd and 3rd places but we need to work harder. We can do better“.

Further information, results and photos can be found at www.facebook.com/tolimit and at www.tolimit-motorsport.de.

On Mondays after race weekends, the news channel N24 broadcasts a 30 minute Carrera Cup programme at 6.30pm, with reports about the race series, the drivers, the highlights and stories about the people involved in the Carrera Cup.

The Racing Calendar:
3rd June 2012 DTM Red-Bull-Ring Spielberg, Austria
1st July 2012 DTM Norisring
19th August 2012 DTM Nürburgring
26th August 2012 DTM Circuit Park Zandvoort, Netherlands
16th September 2012 DTM Oschersleben
21st October 2012 DTM Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg