#blancpaingt – RACB Sport National Court of Appeal rules on Mercedes-AMG Team Black Falcon disqualification

The RACB Sport National Court of Appeal has concluded its judgement on the #4 Mercedes-AMG Team Black Falcon entry following the penalty applied at the final round of the 2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup (30 September).

After finishing first in the race, staged at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the car was discovered to have self-adhesive tape placed at its air-intake. This was not in accordance with the car’s FIA homologation and was deemed a potential performance advantage.

The #4 Mercedes-AMG Team Black Falcon entry was subsequently disqualified from the race for non-compliance with articles 6 and 11 of the Blancpain GT Series 2018 Sporting Regulations. The team was informed of its right to appeal and chose to do so.

In their decision, the RACB Sport National Court of Appeal upheld the infringement and the findings of the Technical Delegate but ruled that the disqualification of the #4 Mercedes-AMG Team Black Falcon car should be withdrawn and a fine be imposed instead.

As such, the team will be subject to a fine of €5,000 and reinstated in the results. Black Falcon has accepted this and will not appeal the decision further. The #4 Mercedes-AMG Team Black Falcon entry is therefore confirmed as the 2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup champion.