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AMG Customer Sports in the 24 Hours Nürburgring: Third place for the SLS AMG GT3

By Adji | Published Sunday, 27 May 2012

After 24 hours and 155 driven laps the AMG customer sports teams crossed the finish line with three of the six entered SLS AMG GT3. The gullwing car with race number 66 of the Hankook Team HEICO Motorsport, which finished the race with the highest position and was driven by Lance David Arnold (GER), Christiaan Frankenhout (NL), Pierre Kaffer (GER) und Andreas Simonsen (S) ended the endurance race in the third overall position after a commanding finish. The sister car with race number 65, which was driven by double starter Lance David Arnold (GER), Kenneth Heyer (GER), Alexandros Margaritis (GER) and Bernd Schneider (GER), had to end the race in the 152nd lap in the third position approximately 15 minutes prior to the end of the race because of an engine cooling circuit failure.

The SLS AMG GT3 of ROWE RACING with race number 21 which was driven by Mark Bullitt (USA), Marko Hartung (GER), Roland Rehfeld (GER) and Michael Zehe (GER) finished tenth. The sister car with race number 22 and Klaus Graf (GER), Thomas Jäger (GER), Alexander Roloff (GER) and Jan Seyffarth (GER) as drivers had to end the race on Sunday morning while being in the front position because of problems with the right wheel suspension at the rear.

The Team Black Falcon came 14th with race number 16, which was driven by Christian Bracke (GER), Andrii Lebed (UA), Hannes Plesse (GER) and Reinhold Renger (GER). The sister car with race number 15, which was driven by Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL), Sean Edwards (GB), Manuel Metzger (GER) and Ralf Schall (GER) started in the third position and had to end the race already towards the end of the fourth lap at Döttinger Höhe because of a tyre failure.

In the commanding race with only slight discrepancies between the leading cars in the GT3 category, numerous changes in the lead took place. The SLS AMG GT3s with race numbers 65 and 66 of the Hankook Team HEICO Motorsport as well as number 22 of ROWE RACING were able to quickly establish themselves among the front runners and all of them took over the lead at different times of the race.

Ola Källenius, chairman of the board, Mercedes-AMG GmbH: „We are proud of all three of the customer teams which took part in the 24 Hours Nürburgring with the SLS AMG GT3. Congratulations to the entire Hankook Team HEICO Motorsport for finishing third.“

Uli Fritz, head of AMG customer sports: „With the third place for the customer team Hankook Team HEICO Motorsport we finished with respectable results with our AMG customer sports programme compared with numerous teams which are supported by their company. Due to various problems, we were unfortunately not able to cross the finish line with three cars, which had proved competitive in the qualifying as well as the race.“

Pierre Kaffer, Hankook Team HEICO Motorsport, race number 66: „We are happy that our strategy to put our direct competitor under pressure towards the end of the race was successful, so that it was possible for us to finish among the top three. However, it is a pity that our sister car had to end the race 15 minutes prior to time. I want to thank my team colleagues and the Hankook Team HEICO Motorsport for the perfectly prepared car.“

Norbert Brückner, team manager Hankook Team HEICO Motorsport: „It was a narrow and commanding 24 hours race. We are satisfied with the third place – however, it is clearly very disappointing that our sister car had to end the race only 15 minutes prior to end. I want to thank all members of the Hankook Team HEICO Motorsport.“

Thomas Jäger, ROWE RACING, race number 22: „We are obviously disappointed by the fact that being in the front position, we had to abandon our chances to win prior to the end of the race because of technical difficulties with the rear wheel suspension. Until 10 o'clock today, our SLS AMG GT3 ran without any problems. Especially when it rained on early Sunday morning the gullwing car with the Dunlop rain tyres ran fantastically. My team colleague Klaus Graf drove by far the fastest laps in the field. After the race is before the race and that is why I am already looking forward to the 24 Hours next year. I want to thank the entire team of ROWE RACING. Congratulations to the Hankook Team HEICO Motorsport for the third overall position.“

Anniversary edition: Fortieth jubilee of the famous endurance race

For many motorsports fans, the 24 Hours Nürburgring is the annual highlight in the motorsports season. 235,000 spectators came to watch the famous endurance race in the Eifel, which was held for the fortieth time in 2012. The anniversary edition of the race which is 24 hours long was held at the 25 kilometres long combination of the Nürburgring Nordschleife ("north loop") and the Grand Prix track. 169 cars and 650 drivers from 34 nations faced the competition, while 31 cars were entered in start positions in the most efficient and popular GT3 category.

Six Instructors of the AMG Driving Academy employed in the race

The six instructors of the AMG Driving Academy supporting the SLS AMG GT3 customer teams in the 24 Hours Nürburgring were Lance David Arnold, Thomas Jäger, Roland Rehfeld, Reinhold Renger, Bernd Schneider and Jan Seyffarth. Chief instructor Reinhold Renger is responsible for the entire programme and the specific course of instruction. It is part of the AMG Driving Academy's philosophy that the participants profit from the knowhow of the professional drivers – this is perfectly implemented in the MASTERS SLS AMG GT3.

MASTERS SLS AMG GT3: The highest level in the AMG Driving Academy programme deploys the racing version of the gullwing model as a training vehicle. With Bernd Schneider and Thomas Jäger as competent partners, the instructors, which were also responsible for all development and test drives of the SLS AMG GT3, are employed in the race. The AMG Driving Academy participants benefit from the modular design of the MASTERS SLS AMG GT3: four complementary stages guide the aspiring racing drivers to the finishing line – EXPERIENCE, WARM-UP, TRAINING and COMPETITION. Participants can take part in all MASTERS events in their own SLS AMG GT3 vehicles or in corresponding cars provided by AMG.

British GT Championship as framework programme at the Nürburgring

The third and fourth of the British GT Championship took place on May 18th and 19th of 2012 as framework programme of the 24 Hours Nürburgring. Both of the races were 60 minutes long and were held at the Grand Prix track of the Nürburgring. The British AMG customer sports team Preci-Spark with the twins David und Godfrey Jones as drivers of the SLS AMG GT3 with race number 22 finished sixth and tenth.

* Official photos and details courtesy of Mercedes-AMG GmbH *

Copyright © 2012, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Posted in 2012, 24 hours, amg, customer motorsport, Nurburgring, sls amg gt3 | Leave a comment

A perfect start of the season for AMG Customer Sports: A 1-2-3 for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in Dubai 24 Hours

By Adji | Published Monday, 16 January 2012

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 scored a commanding 1-2-3 in the Dubai 24-hour race (January 12th till 14th, 2012). The Abu Dhabi Black Falcon team claimed victory with Thomas Jäger (GER), Sean Edwards (ENG), Jeroen Bleekemolen (NED) and Khaled Al Qubaisi (UAE). After setting a new distance record of 628 race laps, final driver Al Qubaisi drove the Gullwing with starting number 3 across the finish line. This first place was also the maiden victory for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in a 24-hour race.

The first of HEICO Motorsport’s Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3’s came home second, two laps down. Driving duties in the car with starting number 6 were shared by Maximilian Buhk (GER), Christiaan Frankenhout (NED), Max Nilsson (SWE), Andreas Zuber (AUT) and Bernd Schneider (GER). Schneider, the five times’ DTM champion and AMG brand ambassador, drove in both of HEICO Motorsport’s cars as a part of AMG’s Customer Sports driver support programme. In the team’s sister car with starting number 16, he had been entered to partner Kenneth Heyer (GER), Andreas Simonsen (SWE) and Rodolfo Gonzalez (VEN). In a dramatic finish, final driver Simonsen managed to bring a small margin home to round out the clean sweep of the podium by finishing third.

The fourth of the four SLS AMG GT3s that were entered for the race also finished among the front-runners. The Gravity Charouz Racing team with Vincent Radermecker (BEL), Loris de Sordi (BEL), Eric Lux (LUX), Gerard Lopez (ESP) and Tomas Enge (CZE) was classified seventh to complete the good overall performance for the Gullwing cars.

All four Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s put their mark on the Dubai 24-hour race by showing a commanding performance from the very beginning. In the field of the 72 cars, the Gullwings were among the fastest entries right away. Having started from 15th place on the grid, the Abu Dhabi Black Falcon SLS AMG GT3 moved up into the lead for the first time after two hours. Consistently fast lap times also allowed the other Gullwings to move up quickly into the ranks of the front-runners as well.
During the night, the teams from the AMG Customer Sports programme continued their largely trouble-free run on the 5.39 km long Grand Prix circuit, maintaining their fast lap times and partly alternating in the lead. After one third of the race, the Gullwing with starting number 3 finally took over the lead and held on to it until it crossed the finish line.

Thomas Jäger: “This is an optimal result for the Abu Dhabi Black Falcon team. It shows in an impressive way how performant and reliable the SLS AMG GT3 is. The driver changes went perfectly and, admittedly, we also had the necessary bit of luck: we didn’t get involved in any collisions, which isn’t self-evident with so many cars on such a short track. I want to thank the entire team for a great performance.”

Marc Schramm, managing director Black Falcon: “We came to Dubai to win. That is what we have said prior to the race and we lived up to it thanks to a strong team performance. As usual, the focus of our strategy was on consistency and that worked out in a fantastic way. Of course, I am also happy with having covered a new record distance of 628 laps. Thanks to the entire team and, of course, also to Mercedes-AMG and HWA for the support.”

Bernd Schneider: “During the night, we had a minor problem, that’s why we stood in the pits for a couple of minutes. Had it not been for that, it could even have been slightly better. To be honest, I now feel a little bit knocked out after having raced with both cars, but the success more than makes up for this. After all, finishing second and third at the same time doesn’t happen every day. Congratulations also to the Abu Dhabi Black Falcon team for this well-deserved race win.”

Ola Källenius, chairman of the board, Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “This is a great success! Especially considering that the participation in Dubai was only the fifth 24-hour race for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. Today’s clean sweep of the top three is a great reward for our efforts. I sincerely want to thank our customer teams, drivers and everyone involved. I am looking for a great 2012 motor racing season!”

Most successful newcomer in the 2011 motor sport season

This year's Dubai 24-hour race marks the beginning of the second racing season for the SLS AMG GT3. In its debut year of 2011, the Gullwing became probably the most successful newcomer in the 2011 motorsport season: from March 2011 on 40 race cars were delivered to international customer teams that took part in races on four continents and won a total of 25 races. The success story was crowned by the team title of the FIA GT3 European Championship for HEICO Motorsport and its two Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 – the first title for the Gullwing in its first full racing season.

The race car: performance and safety

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 is the racing version of the SLS AMG for the customer sport. It is designed for sprint and endurance races and is developed and produced by Mercedes-AMG in close cooperation with HWA AG. HWA is responsible for the development and deployment of the AMG-Mercedes DTM racing team on behalf of and in constant consultation with Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. The near-production SLS AMG GT3 provides not only an athletic performance but an exemplary level of safety that is unmatched by any other current GT3 car.