As soon as the information on the sale of Ducati came out, speculations of a possible takeover by Daimler emerged. Soon after, we learnt that Audi has reached an agreement with the Italian motorcycle manufacturer to secure the 'first refusal' option. In other words, theIngolstadt-based carmaker has priority in the acquisition process in case Ducati gets eventually sold. We discussed this theme and the chances Mercedes-AMG and parent company Daimler have in this business. The consistent marketing partnership between the Affalterbach company and the Italian constructor began back in November 2010, when the partnership was officially announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Up to the moment, a series of joint products have already been released, together with the involvement in advertising and motorsporting activities, through which both entities benefit.
In a recent interview, a Daimler official denied the Germans are interested in acquiring the biggest stake in Ducati. This news inherently leads us to a logical question: why did Daimler spend an important amount of money on this partnership? The financial situation of Ducati was already known since 2010 and raising visibility for the two brands is a poor argument, we say. There were also intense rumors that Mercedes-AMG plans to unveil its own motorbikes using technical expertise from Ducati as part of a coherent growth plan.
Anyway, this could be a unique chance that might not come in the future and Daimler seems to afford the position of losing it without the blink of an eye.
Customer Sports Programme of AMG vigourously starts the 2012 season. Altogether, more than 45 SLS AMG GT3s will be entered for more than 15 race series on four continents. The German team ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport will enter two SLS AMG GT3 for the new FIA GT1 World Championship. Six gullwing cars are expected to fight for the overall win in the 24 Hours Nürburgring. Eight SLS AMG GT3s will be entered in the German ADAC GT Masters. The newly-formed French team, which the eight-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb is part of, will participate in the French GT Championship. The cooperation team and defending winner HEICO-GRAVITY CHAROUZ TEAM will face the competition in the FIA GT3 European Championship. Commanding fights for the lead, top-class drivers and the who's who among sports car brands – this is what national and international race series, in which customer teams enter the SLS AMG GT3 as racing car, have in common. Inspired by 26 race wins in 2011, the 1-2-3 in the Dubai 24-hours race (12th to 14th January 2012) and the second place in the Bathurst 12 Hour Race in Australia (26th February 2012), the gullwing car from Affalterbach has proved that it is a serious rival for competitors. In mid-March, many of the customer teams took advantage of the opportunity to optimally prepare for the season in test drives and setting drives on the race track of Paul Ricard in Le Castellet in Southern France. Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board, Mercedes-AMG GmbH:"Mercedes-AMG is proud of the fact that the SLS AMG GT3 is given such a positive feedback by customer teams. In the motorsport season of 2012, AMG takes part with a team of three: With the gullwing car in the customer sports programme, the new Mercedes-AMG C-Coupé in the popular DTM and the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS team in Formula 1 we are active all over the world. As AMG celebrates its 45th birthday, the best conditions for an exciting anniversary year are provided!" Uli Fritz, head of AMG Customer Sports:"We want to thank the teams, which are already with us for the second year, for their confidence in us and we appreciate the new teams in the family of AMG Customer Sports. The fact that more than 45 SLS AMG GT3s are meanwhile taking part in races around the globe does not only show the great performance of the gullwing car but also proves our philosophy of using the SLS AMG GT3 merely for customer sports, not for factory entries." Thomas Jäger, coordinator of AMG Customer Sports:"The popularity of the SLS AMG GT3 is based on four factors: Performance, reliability, its uncomplex driveability and a good parts supply. We are working hard to continue improving all of those factors in the new 2012 season as well. The gullwing car is also appreciated for its exceptional safety level with the carbon safety cell for the driver, known from the DTM cars." Eight SLS AMG GT3s in the ADAC GT Masters With the first ADAC GT Masters held in 2007, the racing series has meanwhile become very popular. Not only is the number of 44 inscripted sports cars from 13 brands impressing, but also the fact that eight SLS AMG GT3s will be fighting for the title in 2012. HEICO Motorsport will enter four cars (Alex Margaritis / Lance David Arnold, Kenneth Heyer / Christiaan Frankenhout, Harald Proczyk / Dominik Baumann and Andreas Simonsen / Maximilian Buhk). Thus HEICO Motorsport has the former Mercedes-Benz DTM driver Alex Margaritis, who is the current champion of the GT Masters, among their drivers. In a cooperation, the teams HEICO Motorsport and Gravity-Charouz Racing will enter another gullwing car. The drivers for the HEICO-GRAVITY CHAROUZ TEAM will be Erik Janis / Jan Stovicek. MS Racing will enter two SLS AMG GT3s (Maximilian Götz / Sebastian Asch and Daniel Dobitsch / Florian Stoll). Seyffarth Motorsport (Jan Seyffarth / Maximilian Meyer) will enter one car. The ADAC GT Masters begins on 31st March in Oschersleben and comprises 16 races. Per racing weekend, two races are held and the private television station Kabel 1 will show live broadcasts of all races in full length. VLN on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife with ten races The Nürburgring VLN endurance championship came into existence more than 30 years ago. The race series is traditionally held on the legendary Nordschleife ("north loop") and the short layout of the Grand Prix track. The teams of Black Falcon, HEICO Motorsport and ROWE RACING will each enter two cars for the VLN. Black Falcon Team Manager Sean Paul Breslin: "We have already known the SLS AMG GT3 since 2010. It is a fast, reliable car with a level of security which is currently unmatched by any other race car. The first of a total of ten VLN races will take place parallelly to the ADAC GT Masters on the 31st of March. About 200 cars are expected. 24h race Nürburgring - highlight of the season The motorsport scene is awaiting this year's 24h race Nürburgring with much excitement. The event will already take place from 16th to 20st of May and is defined as the highlight of the 2012 season by many German motorsport fans. As in the VLN, the teams of Black Falcon, HEICO Motorsport and ROWE RACING will be facing the traditional Eifel marathon with two cars each. Bernd Schneider (HEICO Motorsport) and Thomas Jäger (ROWE RACING) will be supporting the customer teams as part of the AMG support programme and will actively take part in the race. More than 700 drivers and almost 200 race cars will be entered for the traditional endurance race. FIA GT1 World Championship with two SLS AMG GT3s None of the races of the new FIA GT1 World Championship will take place in Germany. However, there are many indicators that the World Championship will be offering exciting motorsport: Each car brand will have two cars in start positions and nine teams of the international sports car elite confirmed their participation with cars of different manufacturers. Due to the change in regulations from the GT1 to the GT3 category, even an increase in the number of excellent performances can be expected. The German team ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport will participate with two SLS AMG GT3s. The gullwing cars will be driven by Marc Basseng / Markus Winkelhock and Thomas Jäger / Nicky Pastorelli. As part of the AMG support programme, Thomas Jäger will be supporting the team during the beginning of the season. Team manager René Münnich: "We want to win the World Championship this year. We fought for the drivers' and the team title for a long time in 2011. The new SLS AMG GT3 is a fast and reliable race car – the conditions for the new season could hardly be better." The FIA GT1 Championship comprises ten races in nine countries, among which you can also find emerging markets such as China, India and Russia. The first race of the season will take place in the French location Nogaro on 8th April 2012 and the final is scheduled for 2nd December 2012 on Buddh International Circuit near New Delhi. FIA GT3 European Championship with defending winner in start position The FIA GT1 World Championship and the FIA GT3 European Championship will start at the same time. The first six of a total of 12 races will be held on the same tracks. Every weekend, two races will take place. The defending winner HEICO Motorsport will participate with two SLS AMG GT3s in cooperation with Gravity-Charouz Racing here as well. The cockpits of the HEICO-GRAVITY CHAROUZ TEAM will be shared by Dominik Baumann / Maxi-milian Bukh as well as Max Nilsson / Mika Vähämäki. The team of the eight-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb forms a new part of the 2012 season. Sébastien Loeb Racing will face the competition in the French GT Championship with one gullwing car (Frédéric Gabillon / Gilles Vannelet). Blancpain Endurance Championship with four teams from four countries Four teams from four countries will participate in the Blancpain Endurance Championship: The Belgian team Viage KRK-Racing will enter two gullwing cars driven by the teams Karl Wendlinger / Anthony Kumpen / Koen Wauters und Raf Vanthoor / Dennis Retera / Marius Ritskes. Black Falcon will also enter two gullwing cars. As in 2011, the British team Preci-Spark with the twins David Jones, Godfrey Jones and Mike Jordan will also participate in the Championship. Premium Motorsports Poland will participate for the first time with one car. In face of the Blancpain Endurance Championship's starting field with 50 cars, it will definitely be an event with commiting motorsport. The first race will take place in Monza, Italy on 15th April 2012. The highlight of the season will be the 24-hour race of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on 28th July 2012. An endurance race from the Blancpain race series is also scheduled for Germany: The penultimate race out of a total of six races will be held on the Nürburgring on 23rd September. From Malaysia to Brazil and as far as Australia Besides the big Championships, which are mainly held on European tracks, customer teams will also be driving the SLS AMG GT3 on the continents of Asia, South America and Australia as well as in smaller national race series. - Malaysian Super GT International Series: Petronas Syntium Team
- Brazilian GT Championship: AMattheis Motorsport, BVA Racing
- Australian GT Championship: Erebus Racing
- Spanish and Portugese GT Championship: Sports & You
- British GT Championship: Preci-Spark, Eurotech Racing
- French GT Championship: Graff Racing
- Austrian GT Series and Touring Car Series: Lechner Racing
- Super Touring Car Trophy: Land Motorsport
- DMV-TCC: ANTeam
- Italian Endurance Race Championship ECC: G-Private Racing AMG Driving Academy: SLS AMG GT3 driving for sports car enthusiasts The AMG Driving Academy paves the way for sports car enthusiasts who want to drive the SLS AMG GT3 and offers race track training adjusted for the individual person. The participants of MASTERS SLS AMG GT3 profit from the modular concept with four levels adjusted with one another: EXPERIENCE, WARM-UP, TRAINING and COMPETITION. The participation in all MASTERS events is possible with a provided or one's own SLS AMG GT3. Among others, AMG brand ambassadors like Bernd Schneider, Karl Wendlinger and Thomas Jäger, Coordinator of AMG Customer Sports, will be functioning as personal instructors providing moral and practical support. The MASTERS programme of the AMG Driving Academy is directed to private customers as well as to hobby race car drivers and customer teams.
Mercedes-Benz has once again called on the services of experienced DTM driver Susie Wolff for the 2012 season. The fastest woman in touring car racing has competed in the series since 2006 and started 63 DTM races to date.
In 2012, Wolff will drive the TV Spielfilm Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, continuing with Team Persson Motorsport, which she joined in 2008. Wolff was an instant hit with the fans when she made her debut at Hockenheim in 2006, finishing in the Top Ten.
The 29-year-old scored her first championship points with a seventh place in the 2010 Lausitzring race. She repeated the result that same year in the season finale at Hockenheim. Her most successful season so far was 2010 in which she scored four points – good enough for 13th in the drivers’ standings.
Susie Wolff:“Since making my DTM debut in 2006, I have always felt at home in the Mercedes-Benz family, so I am delighted that the relationship continues into 2012. I’m really motivated and I have been working hard all winter to prepare myself physically and mentally for what is bound to be a very close and competitive season; with the introduction of new cars and regulations, the playing field is going to be more level for all of the drivers. We now have three premium manufacturers lined up against each other – Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz – which promises to make the battle all the more intriguing and exciting.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:“Susie has set her sights very high for 2012 and cannot wait to get out there and achieve good results. I have often admired her speed in races, and there is not a single DTM driver or DTM champion around who has not had to contend with Susie’s fighting spirit on the racetrack. Provided she can secure a good position on the grid in our new-generation DTM C-Class Coupé, and get off the line well, then Susie will be even more of a force to be reckoned with in 2012. We are all looking forward to having Susie in our team of drivers for a seventh season -- and I am confident that seven will be her lucky number, you’ll see!”
Racing driver Karl Wendlinger (Austria) is now part of the Mercedes-AMG team. The 43 year-old will be on hand at AMG events as a new AMG brand ambassador, alongside DTM championship record holder Bernd Schneider and David Coulthard. Karl Wendlinger will also be bolstering the team at the AMG Driving Academy as an instructor and supporting the SLS AMG GT3 Customer Sport teams.
SLS AMG GT3 customer teams can book Karl Wendlinger for test or racing sessions as part of the driver support programme from AMG Customer Sports and draw on his great knowledge as a sports car expert. The 43 year-old will be supporting his colleagues Bernd Schneider and Thomas Jäger, who have accompanied the SLS AMG GT3 throughout its entire development and testing programme. Jäger has been working as a coordinator for AMG Customer Sports since 2010.
In his new role for Mercedes-AMG, Karl Wendlinger will be on hand as a point of contact at press and customer events. As a new member of the AMG Driving Academy's team of instructors, he will also be on location at race tracks. Here too, he will join forces with Bernd Schneider and Thomas Jäger, who belong to the AMG Driving Academy's core team, along with Bernd Mayländer (driver of the official F1™ Safety Car).
Return to the Mercedes fold
For Karl Wendlinger, this collaboration marks a return to the Mercedes fold: from 1990 to 1991 the Austrian was a member of the Mercedes junior team competing in the sports car world championship along with Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. In 1991 he switched to Formula 1. In 1994, Wendlinger raced for the Sauber-Mercedes team alongside Heinz-Harald Frentzen. "I'm happy to be returning to the Mercedes family," says Karl Wendlinger. "I'm looking forward to many joint projects with AMG. I'm relishing the opportunity to work alongside Bernd Schneider, Thomas Jäger and David Coulthard at selected AMG events."
"We are proud to welcome such a successful racing driver as Karl Wendlinger to the AMG team," says Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. "Karl Wendlinger is the likeable sort of character with whom people are keen to talk at our AMG events. His comprehensive technical knowledge and driving expertise will also be a boon to the AMG Driving Academy and the SLS AMG GT3 customer teams."
Successful career in sports car racing
Karl Wendlinger's motor sport career began in go-carting at the age of 14. In 1989 he won the German Formula 3 Championship. He subsequently competed in the DTM, Formula 3000 and the 24-hour Le Mansrace. After retiring from Formula 1, Karl Wendlinger raced in various touring and sports car series. His most outstanding successes on the race track include winning the FIA GT Championship (1999), 1st place in the 24-hour Le Mans race in the GTS-Class (in the same year), overall victory in the 24-hour Daytona racein 2000 and 2nd place in the 24-hour Nürburgring race (2003). Karl Wendlinger raced for various teams in the FIA GT Championship from 2004 to 2011. In 2007 he was runner-up with Jetalliance Racing.
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.
It appears this year will mark the premiere of the first solely AMG-branded sports vehicle - so no Mercedes-Benz star on this one. We found out the new supercar is slated to appear towards the end of 2012 and be slotted below the SLS AMG. According to initial reports, the new model from Affalterbach will wear the SLV title, with the last letter hinting at various variants of the car, like a coupe and a cabriolet and who knows what else. There's hardly any clue about the construction of the upcoming model, but we guess AMG engineers will focus on downsizing in order to improve stability, handling and overall performance. Most probably, the SLV won't get a V8 under its bonnet, but likely a new, supercharged V6 unit rated at over 350 hp. The strange thing is that, up to now, nobody has ever seen at least an intriguing test mule to sustain the beliefs about the new AMG supercar debuting later this year.
We've previously showed you several spy shots featuring the updated G-Class for 2012. Along with the standard model, the AMG variant is also programmed to undergo a makeover. The revamped offroader lineup is tipped to make the official premiere either at the upcoming Detroit Motor Show or later in March, at the Geneva Auto Salon.
The revision process includes minor changes to certain exterior styling elements. The design of the radiator grille will become slightly prominent and beefy and new LED daytime running lamps will be added to the front fascia. The bumper will receive a revised styling to keep it attractive as well as aggressive and dynamic for the high-end sport models. The side and back end could should retain their present aspect, but we expect the tail lights to receive LED technology, at least. The major novelties are destined to happen inside, where the dashboard features a new, 3-spoke steering wheel, a new instrument cluster, an updated center console and the latest communication and assistance systems premiered by Mercedes-Benz on its latest models.
Reports suggest that the G 55 AMG will be renamed to G 63 AMG and receive company's newest twin-turbo, boasting a displacement of 5.5 litres and a total output of 525 hp (557 hp if one opts for the performance pack). Time will tell whether the first rumor is true or false, but the engine shift is more than certain to happen as the rugged 4x4 is the last Mercedes-Benz to house the old 5.5-litre KOMPRESSOR V8 under its massive bonnet. Furthermore, AMG is also set to reveal an exclusive, limited series G 65 AMG, manufactured in less than 500 units, that is expected to deliver hardcore driving sensations thanks to the 6.0-litre V12 powerplant with up to 630 hp and the extensive chassis tweaks carried out by the engineers from Affalterbach.
First test prototypes for the so-perceived future B 25 AMG have began hitting roads since the end of August. Now, after a deeper analysis and an interview awarded by an official from Mercedes-AMG, it might come as a surprise to find out that those vehicles are in fact just test mules used for developing and evaluating certain technical components for the forthcoming A 25 AMG and CLC 25 AMG. Rather contradictory to what the various reports that appeared during the last year indicated, we say. The main explanation offered is the compact tourer is not suitable enough to undergo the AMG treatment in order to convert it into a hot people carrier. According to the "insider", the new B-Class will likely stay in its current, traditional form, which is far more appealing to the clients targeted by this model.
