VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring: round 1 - Third and fourth place for Mercedes-AMG in VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft season opener

April 4, 2016 by Mercedes-Benz

Nürburgring (GER). A successful season opener in the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft: AMG-Team Black Falcon claims third place with its #6 Mercedes-AMG GT3, HARIBO Racing Team-AMG comes fourth with its #8 Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. In total, six Mercedes-AMG GT3 and one SLS AMG GT3 competed in the first VLN round of the 2016 season.

No less than 174 competitors, 30 of them in the GT3 class alone, took the start in the first VLN round with a duration of four hours. After a thrilling finale, Bernd Schneider (GER), Maro Engel (GER), Adam Christodoulou (GBR) and Manuel Metzger (GER) secured third place overall for the AMG-Team Black Falcon, driving their Mercedes-AMG GT3 with starting number #6. The quartet of Uwe Alzen (GER), Lance David Arnold (GER), Maximilian Götz (GER) and Jan Seyffarth (GER) followed immediately behind, bringing the HARIBO Racing Team-AMG Mercedes-AMG GT3 with starting number #8 across the finish line in fourth place.

AMG-Team HTP Motorsport with Christian Vietoris (GER), Renger van der Zande (NED), Christian Hohenadel (GER) and Marco Seefried (GER) saw its #16 Mercedes-AMG GT3 finish 13th overall after 28 laps while the sister car with starting number #26 retired after having innocently become involved in an accident. The HTP Motorsport gullwing with starting number #14, the only SLS AMG GT3 in the field, finished in 27th place. Moritz Oestreich (GER), Clemens Schmid (AUT) and Steve Jans (LUX) alternated behind the wheel.

AMG-Team Black Falcon's second Mercedes-AMG GT3, the #9 car with Hubert Haupt (GER), Nico Bastian (GER), Yelmer Buurman (NED) and Dirk Müller (GER) was classified 14th. The #7 Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 retired early after innocently having become involved in a collision.

Adam Christodoulou, AMG-Team Black Falcon: 'I am very happy with this podium finish in the season opener. The entire team has done a great job. Of course, we still have work to do.'

Lance David Arnold, HARIBO Racing Team-AMG: 'Today's season opener was a thrilling affair and driving the new Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the Nordschleife was highly enjoyable. Unfortunately, we just missed out on a podium finish, but I am looking forward to the future outings.'

Jochen Bitzer, head of AMG Customer Sports: 'We are happy with the result of the first VLN round. However, the opposition is strong and we know that we still have some work to do before the season highlight, the 24-hour race.'