The eventful years of Mercedes in the sportscar-racing
Posted on 27-03-2014 at 19:31 by autoblogger – 12 Comments”
Mercedes-Benz has a huge autosporthistorie in which it has been successful in the DTM and Formula 1. In the prototype sportscars, the brand has a very turbulent history, with major highs and lows. All cars are to see on the big klassiekerbeurs Techno Classica (Essen), which today has begun.
The German brand focuses nowadays on the Formula 1 and the DTM, and by customer teams in GT racing with the Mercedes SLS AMG. Those programs are tightly separated, but in the past it was common for drivers in addition to their Formula 1 commitments in other classes at the start came. In the fifties, that happened very often. While Mercedes, in 1951, began his sportwagenprogramma to build up again, was at the same time, participation in the Formula 1 Grand Prix races prepared, in anticipation of the new regulations that, in 1954, of strength would be.
For the racing season of 1952 Mercedes a new car designed which would participate in the Mille Miglia and other sportwagenraces. The basis was an ingenious tubular frame equipped with a six-cylinder in-line with 170 hp. Many components come from the existing Mercedes 300 sedan, but the tubular frame dictates the shape of the body. Because the tubes high in the side went through, there was no room for a simply hinged door. Thus, the hinged door or Gullwing was born.
The car book was a huge success, in 1952 with a first and second place in Le Mans, and later that year also a dubbeloverwinning in the Carrera Panamericana. In Essen, the car in the outfit with the distinctive blue color accents as he did in South America, driving. This 300 SL was there first as a racing car, before there was a street version of was designed. that we have to thank the American importer Max Hoffman who at Mercedes in Germany wanted to bring the street-legal car to go for his rich clientele.
As Mercedes from 1954, getting in Formula 1, it develops the Formula car and the sports car on one basis, the W196. Although the sports car for the Mille Miglia and Le Mans events Mercedes 300 SLR is going to be called, so technically nothing to do with the 300 SL. The name is pure marketing to make the link with the Gullwing that in the meantime, the public are very in the taste. At the Techno Classica is the 300 SLR with starting number 658 Juan Manuel Fangio (the sister car of Stirling Moss had the famous number 722). The 658 is in a beautiful arrangement with his predecessors and his successors, with the progress in technical development and aerodynamics.
The direct successor that Mercedes battle at Le Mans between the Sauber-Mercedes C9 Group C, 1989. This car, which the name and the livery of Mercedes is wearing, is actually a further development of the Sauber C8 from 1985. Mercedes supported the Swiss team (the current eponymous Formula 1 team) as motorleverancier because the Germans for financial reasons initially, not as a full factory team wanted to join in.
After the departure of a major sponsor came in 1988, the name Mercedes still on the cars. A year later came the great success with a first, second and fifth place at Le Mans. Of the other sportscar races that year won the C9 on one after all. The car has a 5.0 liter V8 with a turbo that 720 out of range. During the qualification at Le Mans so he 398 km/h on the straight stretch of Hundaudières, where as yet no chicanes were. From 1990 it was a real factory team and the car was renamed the Mercedes C11. The year was C291.
For many people, there is not much known that Michael Schumacher in that car has driven. He got halfway, 1990, in the junior coureursprogramma of the Mercedes and drove 3 races in the Mercedes C11 for the world-sportwagenkampioenschap. Schumacher did with Mercedes C291 in 1991 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with as teammates Karl Wendlinger and Fritz Kreuzpointner. They were fifth and the best of the three participating Benzes. At the exhibition in Essen late Mercedes the name of Schumacher be mentioned, perhaps out of piety because of the situation around the sevenfold world champion in Formula 1 after his skiing accident.
Today, the sports car and GT class quite often as a habitat for drivers who because of age or lack of success flowing from the formula classes. That Schumacher as a youngster at the time, in a Group C car got, was when particularly. Such a doorstromer is former Red Bull F1 driver Mark Webber this year with Porsche’s new hybrid weapon is going to drive at Le Mans. But actually, the Australian herintreder on the Circuit de la Sarthe. Because just like Schumacher should also Webber prior to his Formula 1 career for his talent show in the sportscarwereld. Webber has raced in 1998 and 1999 for Mercedes in the CLK-LM and CLR.
Mercedes had re-entered in 1997 made in the sportcars with the CLK-GTR. Bernd Schneider won the championship. For the season after left Mercedes 6.0 liter V12 engine for a more compact vijfliter V8 and there were new drivers in the team, among them Webber. For the same Webber was at Le Mans in 1999, an experience never to be forgotten. In the training sessions on Thursday evening rose the car on the asphalt at the Indianapolis-turn, and got heavily damaged. The engineers built the car from scratch, and on Saturday morning during the warm-up went Webber back on the track for a shake-down. He got no further than a half lap because at the hump at the end of Hunaudères chose the car again to the skies. Dazed but unhurt got Webber. Mercedes had the car pull out of the race. To make matters worse went in there during the race a Mercedes fly. Peter Dumbreck drove closely behind another participant, causing a lack of downforce on the nose, and the car’s spectacular somersault made for the eye of the whole world. Also, Dumbreck was not injured.
Immediately took Mercedes the third CLR to the inside and threw the door of the pitsgarage close. That meant the end of the ambitions of the brand with the star at Le Mans.
With thanks to Robert van den Oever and Maarten van der Pas for this guest article!
Gallery: more Mercedes autosport2
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