Christodoulou returns to Dubai with ProSPORT

Posted By Adam Christodoulou / AMG, Dubai, Endurance, Race Update / AMG, Career, Dubai / No Comments

Adam Christodoulou will kick start his busy 2018 racing calendar at the 24H Dubai this weekend (January 12-13), teaming up with the German ProSPORT; he returns after a year away at the wheel   with the team in the newly-acquired Mercedes-AMG GT3, which will wear the No. 85 and be entered in the A6-AM class. .

Christodoulou has a faultless record finishing on the podium three times in each of his last three starts at the event and charged from 98th on the grid to finish second in 2016.

 
The 28-year-old AMG driver, became the third Briton to win the Nurburgring 24 Hours in 2016 and last year finished second at the Daytona 24 Hours; Adam last raced for ProSPORT at Bathurst two years ago, but has continued to work with team boss Chris Esser as a driver coach and strategist, so was the natural choice to lead the team step up to the GT3 ranks for the first time.

“It’s great to be back at Dubai and racing with ProSPORT, a team I’ve been lucky enough to work and race with since 2012 as a driver, strategist and driver coach,” said Christodoulou.

“In our very first race we finished 3rd in the Nurburgring 24 hours, eventually going on to win the European GT4 teams’ and drivers’ championship in 2013, with multiple wins in the VLN championship and many other races over the years.

 
“I’m really looking forward to being a part of their new AMG GT3 programme, it’s going to be a new challenge for the team but we’re all excited to see what we can do.”

Christodoulou will be joined by 24H Series regulars Joe Foster, Charlie Putnam and Charles Espenlaub, the American trio making their third attempt at Dubai after two previous outings in the 991 class.

Christodoulou is optimistic the team can challenge for a podium finish in a competent  A6-AM class featuring six other Mercedes-AMG GT3s, however, knows that caution will be just as great a virtue as outright speed if the team is to reach the finish on Saturday afternoon in one piece; 94 cars will start on the grid sharing the tight and twisting 5.39km Dubai Autodrome, including Porsche Cup, GT4, TCR and Clio Cup machinery.

 
“It’s always tough at Dubai due to the amount of cars, this year there will be 26 GT3 cars and a huge entry list of 94 cars in total, so we are going straight in at the deep end for ProSPORT’s first outing with the Mercedes-AMG GT3,” he said.

“The team has great spirit and knowledge of the circuit, having worked with all three of my American team mates before I know the speed and consistency is there, but you always have to be realistic in 24 hour races. Anything can happen, but with a little bit of luck, we’ll be fighting at the end of the 24 hours for our first GT3 podium.”

Christodoulou, who will also contest the Daytona 24 Hours in January (27-28) will confirm his full 2018 programme with AMG in due course.

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Christodoulou wins Pro-Am class in VLN 6

Posted By Adam Christodoulou / AMG, VLN / AMG, Career, VLN / No Comments

Adam Christodoulou led Team Black Falcon to a Pro-Am class victory in the seventh round of the VLN Endurance Series at the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Sharing his usual Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Abdulaziz al-Faisal and Erik Johansson, the 2016 Nurburgring 24 Hour winner navigated changeable conditions to secure class honours and a creditable sixth place overall in the 17-car SP9 field.

The Pro-Am win capped off a positive weekend for Christodoulou, whose primary focus was to develop a further understanding of the Dunlop tyre and welcome new teammate Johansson.

“Erik tested with us in the previous VLN but only on the Grand Prix circuit, so this was his first ever GT3 race on the Nordschleife and I thought he did a great job,” explainedChristodoulou.

“Like everybody else, he’s out there to make a name for himself and I think he did himself extremely proud.

“Aziz did a great job as well, his best times and race pace were right in the ball park. It was one of his best performances yet, which was really encouraging. Unfortunately during the race there was some minor contact that damaged the steering and allowed the Muecke car to take fifth on the final lap, but we still ended up sixth overall and it didn’t affect our Pro-Am win which was our ultimate goal for the weekend.”

Christodoulou was left frustrated during qualifying by a Code 60 in qualifying which cost him a clear lap when track conditions were at their best. The 27 year old had been second earlier in the session running on intermediates, but as the track dried and times tumbled,Christodoulou’s best lap was stymied by oil left from Brunchen to the Stefan Bellof Curve.

Rather than a potential front-row grid slot, he would instead have to make his way forward from 12th, turning the race into a recovery exercise.

“Qualifying was disappointing because I was set for being in the low 8 minutes on the predicted time but ended up losing eight seconds with the oil – I was just concerned with keeping it on track,” he said.

Tasked with getting the team back into contention, Christodoulou drove a committed opening double stint up to fifth position and was impressed by the Dunlop consistency underneath him despite the typically tricky Eiffel weather.

“It’s the second time I’ve been on the Dunlop and it really does transform the car,” he reported.

“I found that I was able to rotate the car a lot better although it felt a little looser, so you have to have the confidence to push it and to know that it’s going to stick.”

Although he narrowly missed out on the honour of being the first Mercedes home by 0.52 seconds, Christodoulou was pleased with the final outcome.

“All in all everyone is extremely happy to bring home a win in class,” he added.

“Both of my team-mates did an awesome job, the strategy from Black Falcon was the correct one throughout the day and we showed really good pace compared to what we’ve had before this season, which is very positive and shows we’re heading in the right direction.”

Next up for Christodoulou is the final British GT round of the season at Donington Park (23-24 September), where he will again team up with Richard Neary and the Team ABBA by Rollcentre Racing outfit in pursuit of a first British GT podium of the season.

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Christodoulou takes determined top 10 finish in Spa 24 Hours

Posted By Adam Christodoulou / AMG, Blancpain, Endurance / Career, Mercedes, news / No Comments

Adam Christodoulou banished the painful memories of his late DNF from the 2016 Total 24 Hours of Spa by taking a top 10 finish on his return to the Belgian endurance classic with Mercedes-AMG Team Black Falcon.

Joined by regular team-mates Yelmer Buurman and Luca Stolz for the pinnacle of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, the 2016 Nurburgring 24 Hour winner starred in the changeable conditions of the early morning to put the No. 4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 into podium contention, but eventually came home eighth after cutting a tyre on debris which forced the team into making an unscheduled stop.

Nevertheless, 28-year-old Christodoulou was pleased to equal his best result in the world’s oldest endurance event, first held at Spa-Francorchamps in 1924, and register points in the world’s toughest GT3 series for just the second time this season.

“After last year where we managed all but the final 26 minutes, to finish the 24 hours is an achievement in itself and to finish eighth is a great achievement as well,” saidChristodoulou.

“It equals my highest finish in the 24 hours from 2013, but the championship has grown a lot since then and the competition is three or four times harder.

“With around eight hours to go, it looked like we have had a shot at getting to the podium, but it just slipped through our fingers with safety cars that didn’t play into our hands, and we had a puncture as well which dropped us down a lap. But in the end there were only 35 cars that finished, which shows just how hard it was.”

Christodoulou focused on race setup in Qualifying on Thursday, but despite this only narrowly missed out on a place in the Superpole, as a record 36 cars were separated by less than a second. However, a productive warmup on Friday evening suggested the Mercedes-AMG GT3 would be a force to be reckoned with over the longer runs and meant he was high on confidence heading into the race.

From 22nd on the grid, Buurmann had gained 11 places by the end of the first hour and handed over to Stolz on the fringes of the top ten. Stolz, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Saturday, kept the team on the lead lap before Christodoulou climbed in for his first of four double stints approaching nightfall.

More consistent, mistake-free driving from his team-mates lifted the Mercedes-AMG to seventh by Christodoulou’s next stint in the early hours, which proved the most difficult of the entire race as the heavens opened in the Ardennes.

The Briton was one of only three drivers who elected not to come in for wet tyres in the worsening conditions, but his instincts proved to be correct as the track soon dried, saving the team an extra pitstop and raising the possibility that a podium could be on the cards.

“It was awesome fun to be out on slicks in the wet,” Christodoulou reflected.

“I knew from previous experience that Spa is quite grippy when it does rain and it tends to dry quickly as well. In GT4 a few years ago I started a wet race on slicks and at the end of the half-hour race, we were the quickest car on track.

“It was about weighing up risk – every pitstop will cost you almost a full lap at Spa, so it’s weighing up whether coming in to put on the rain tyres gains you that lap back. We took the gamble to stay on slicks and we also used the opportunity to do our mandatory technical stop during that period while everyone was circulating at a reduced pace, which was definitely the right strategy at that time.”

Although the puncture had thwarted any hope of a podium by sunrise, Christodoulou was proud of Team Black Falcon’s effort and application at the finish, with one round of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup remaining at Barcelona on October 1.

“All the guys in Black Falcon and AMG did an awesome job, Yelmer and Luca were on fire all weekend and did a perfect performance,” he said.

“The same goes for the crew, every pitstop was executed perfectly. You can really see where everyone has been fine-tuning and working hard to get the best out of every opportunity.”

Christodoulou reserved special praise for the Pro-Am winning No. 16 Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Oliver Morley, Miguel Toril, Marvin Kirchhoefer and Maxi Goetz.

“I’d also like to give a huge congratulate to Oliver, Miguel, Marvin and Maxi on their Pro-Am win, it’s a really special achievement,” he added.

“I’ve worked with Oliver the last few years doing bits of coaching, we’ve been here to Spa a few times and it’s great to see all the hard work pay off for them boys, well deserved.”

There’s no rest for Adam Christodoulou as this weekend is the next round of the British GT at Brands hatch 5th – 6th August.

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Strong Performance Ends in Heartbreak for Christodoulou in Paul Ricard 1000km

Posted By Adam Christodoulou / AMG, Blancpain, Endurance / Blancpain, Career, news / No Comments

Adam Christodoulou missed out on his best-ever finish in the Blancpain GT Series when mechanical problems struck his No. 4 AMG Team Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG with 30 minutes remaining in the Paul Ricard 1000km.

Together with Luca Stolz and Yelmer Buurman, who qualified the car on pole,Christodoulou was running third in the six-hour prelude to the Spa 24 Hours when he lost drive and was forced to retire the car, costing him a first outright Blancpain GT podium.

“It’s just heart-breaking really to come so close to a result, only to see it slip through our fingers,” said the 28-year-old.

“I just feel sorry for the crew and everyone involved because it looked like we were going to be celebrating last night, but it wasn’t to be.”

Proving his pace in qualifying was no fluke, Buurman built a 1.5 second lead over the 58-strong field by the end of lap one and had increased his margin to 3.5 seconds before the race was neutralised by the safety car on lap eight.

After a brief return to green-flag running, a Full Course Yellow prompted the majority of the field to make an early pitstop, but AMG Team Black Falcon elected to stick with their original plan and stay out until the end of the 65-minute allotted driver time.

Buurman led a pack of four into the pits at the end of their window, with Stolz assuming the controls in 44th position. However another Safety Car meant his deficit to the leaders, due in for their second stops shortly afterwards, was drastically reduced and helped bring the team back into play.

By the end of his 29-lap stint, Stolz had cycled back through to second, beforeChristodoulou climbed aboard for his first stint in 21st position.

The Briton continued the car’s progress through the field as the sun set and executed a fine pass on the No. 2 Audi, which had been stubbornly defending its position for several laps, to get himself into some clear air and chip away the gap to the leading No. 99 BMW, running a similar divergent strategy.

From over 30 seconds, Christodoulou had reduced the margin to 10 seconds when the BMW was forced out of the race, allowing him to lead at half-distance.

“It was a confusing race to follow, which I think was due to us being offset against everyone else,” Christodoulou said.

“There was a lot of discussions trying to figure out whether it would be the right thing to do or not, but we made the decision and stuck with it. I think at one point we ended up on the third page of the timing screens, but as people started to pit we made our way back into the lead.

“It was tough out there in the traffic because we were really strong in the tight and twisty third sector, but it was a little tough to overtake. We weren’t sure where we were going to end up until the final stops were completed, so all we could do was push as hard as we could.”

After pitting on lap 89, Buurman returned to the car inside the top 10 and again cycled through to the lead before handing back to Stolz, now in full darkness, on lap 121.

Stolz resumed in fifth and kept the car in contention as track temperatures dropped before giving the reigns to Christodoulou for the final run to the flag.

Running third and closing on the second-placed No. 72 Ferrari, Christodoulou was feeling positive when the car suddenly lost power at turn 12 and coasted back to the pits into retirement.

“It’s a real shame because we were in third position and things were looking pretty good,”Christodoulou continued.

“It’s extremely unusual because the AMG is known for its durability and being bullet-proof, it’s the first time this has happened.

“We’ve been working extremely hard at Black Falcon and AMG to iron out any problems and optimise our package, but although we didn’t get the result in the end, it was nice to put on an extremely strong performance and it looked like we were going to be the top AMG as well.

“We had a mega qualifying, all of us were quick and at the start of the race we were definitely in control. Everyone knows we were one of the main cars to beat, so it’s definitely given us a good confidence boost heading to Spa and hopefully we can carry the momentum into the 24 Hours.”

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