Adam Christodoulou enjoyed the most successful season of his career in 2016, and is already looking forward to getting back to business in 2017.
The 27-year-old’s season began on a high note in January with a stunning drive from 97th on the grid to second in the Dubai 24 Hours. Subsequently, Christodoulou was appointed an official AMG driver for the 2016 season, realising a goal he had set out to achieve at the beginning of his sportscar career in 2010. “I was over the moon when the news was announced that I would be an official AMG Driver, it was a dream come true,” Christodoulou said. “It was something I had been working towards for a long time having raced with Black Falcon since 2013, so when it was announced, that was a massive confidence-boost for me.”
As part of the team involved in developing the new Mercedes-AMG GT3, Christodoulou was confident of hitting the ground running and duly completed a last-lap overtake for third on his first outing with the new car in VLN1.
Running alongside Bernd Schneider, Maro Engel and Manuel Metzger, Christodoulou finished second in the final warmup to the Nürburgring 24 Hours at a rain-affected VLN2, but there was more to come at the main event itself.
Conditions were treacherous in the Superpole as Christodoulou opted for a safety-first approach. Starting 17th, he progressed into the top ten during the opening stint before the mother of all storms hit, causing cars to aquaplane off the road and stick on the hill at Adenauer Forst. Thankfully escaping without damage, the team continued their march towards the front when the race restarted and by morning, were mounting a challenge on the lead.
Christodoulou completed his final stint in second, before Engel took the reins for the final assault. The finish was as tense as they come, with the No. 4 Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 relentlessly hunting down the leader lap on lap, before making the pass on the final tour. It was the new car’s first victory in a 24 hour race and made Christodoulou only the fourth British driver to win the event.
“Winning the Nürburgring 24 Hours was without a doubt the highlight of my career so far,” he said. “I’ve been racing on the Nordschleife in various classes since 2011 and the 24 Hours is an event that everybody who competes on it dreams of winning.
“You need absolutely everything to go right in order to win – even if you do your job correctly, set the car up well, hit all your apexes and look after the tyres, there are still so many random elements that can spoil your race.
“Of course, the memory is made even more special because of the way the race ended, I was so nervous watching on the TV screens from the pits, unable to influence the outcome of the race in any way. Afterwards I lost my voice with all the screaming!
“I remember seeing Sean Edwards winning the 24 Hours a few years ago and thinking ‘I want to be like that someday’, so I’m really pleased to do that. Having lost the wheel last year and watching the race slip through my fingers, this year definitely made up for it!”
Christodoulou also contested the full Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, but was plagued by bad luck which prevented him from bettering a season-opening gambit of 7th at Monza. After charging from the pitlane to finish just outside the top 10 on home turf at Silverstone, Christodoulou showed real promise at the Total 24 Hours of Spa alongside Hubert Haupt and Andreas Simonsen. After coming through from the back of the grid to fourth, his hopes of a strong finish were dashed when the car was hit by a competitor in the final hour. Thankfully, the structural integrity of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 stood up to the test and Simonsen was able to walk away uninjured.
“Spa was such a disappointment for us as the car was really quick, but we just had a few problems that set us back before Andreas got hit. It's all part of the learning process with the new car, but we know that we've got a really strong package underneath is going into next year.”
Christodoulou’s 2017 programme will be announced in the New Year.
He added: “I’m thankful to have been given the opportunity by AMG for welcoming me to the family. I’d also like to thank Sean Paul Breslin and all the guys at Team Black Falcon for their hard work. I’ve had an amazing year with some unforgettable memories and I look forward to building on it next year.”
