Black Falcon Tops Wednesday Test in Dubai

Photo: John Dagys

Team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon picked up where they left off in Dubai twelve months ago, atop the time sheets.

The German-run squad led the way in Wednesday’s test session, as GT and touring car teams prepare for Friday’s Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai.

A 1:59.212 lap time by Jeroen Bleekemolen in the No. 1 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG came late in the four-hour session. Black Falcon seeks its third consecutive 24H Dubai victory.

The Dutchman, who will share the brand-new gull-wing beast with Bernd Schneider, Khaled Al Qubaisi and Andreas Simonsen, edged out the No. 4 Fach Auto Tech Porsche 997 GT3 R of Martin Ragginger by 0.358 seconds.

Of note, the Swiss-run Fach Auto Tech squad features Porsche junior driver Connor de Phillippi, who makes his 24-hour race debut this week.

Ram Racing’s chrome-liveried Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 of Johnny Mowlem, Matt Griffin, Jan Magnussen and Cheerang Arya were third quickest, thanks to Magnussen’s 2:00.322 lap time.

The top-five overall was completed by the No. 76 SX Team Schubert BMW Z4 GT3 of Bill Auberlen, Dirk Werner, Dane Cameron and Paul Dalla-Lana and the No. 5 Spirit of Race Ferrari, featuring the driving strength of Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander.

A total of 60 cars turned laps in the optional test, which featured only one red flag period.

Official practice kicks off on Thursday beginning at 11:30 a.m. local.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John