Mercedes-AMG eying third overall win at Nürburgring endurance race
Mercedes-AMG Targets Third Overall Victory at ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring
Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing heads to the 53rd edition of the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring with ambitions of standing atop the podium in the endurance classic on the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife, taking place from June 19 to 22. Two factory-supported racing vehicles from Affalterbach, one in the SP9 PRO category and two in the SP9 PRO-AM and SP10 classes, have been entered.
The Mercedes-AMG Performance Team GetSpeed will be competing with two top-stacked Mercedes-AMG GT3s in the SP9 PRO category, traditionally the class from which the overall winner emerges. The team's cars sport the distinctive BILSTEIN design.
Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz will share the cockpit of car #14. Maro Engel, one of the most experienced AMG drivers with 15 starts at the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring, aims to repeat his 2016 victory in this race. Maxime Martin, a debutant in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the endurance classic, has finished second three times so far. Fabian Schiller, who has been regularly competing in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring since 2019, achieved second place with the team in 2022. Lastly, Luca Stolz, a fixed part of the AMG lineup at this race since 2017, has already finished on the podium three times in this event.
Car #17, piloted by Ralf Aron, Lucas Auer, Adam Christodoulou, and Mikael Grenier, sports the "PRPL Beast" livery, blending elements of the legendary "Beast of the Green Hell" with a lilac foil. The drivers are veterans of the 24-hour race with extensive experience on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Meanwhile, SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm is fielding two strongly staffed Mercedes-AMG vehicles: a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the SP9 PRO-AM class and a Mercedes-AMG GT4 in the SP10 class. The team aims for a successful and safe race.
The ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring is part of the prestigious Intercontinental GT Challenge for the second consecutive year. The race includes four other endurance classics in Australia, Belgium, Japan, and the USA.
Mercedes-AMG heads into this event with high ambitions, aiming to achieve a third overall victory in the history of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. The last overall victory was in 2016, when Mercedes-AMG celebrated a historic quadruple triumph. The team has proven its competitiveness over the years and aims to change its nine-year-old last overall victory streak.
Fans can visit the AMG Showroom in the ring°boulevard during the event, offering a diverse Mercedes-AMG world with exhibition vehicles, a fan shop, a racing simulator, and autograph sessions with selected drivers.
The Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed used the last opportunity to test on the Nürburgring Nordschleife before the legendary 24-hour race. In the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 #14 finished fifth on Saturday and achieved a pole position in qualifying and fourth place in the race on Sunday. The sister vehicle with starting number 17 also demonstrated strong performance, finishing second on Saturday and ending the Sunday race in sixth place.
Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport, expresses excitement and determination: "We are traveling to the Nürburgring with big ambitions and a clear goal: to achieve the third overall victory for Mercedes-AMG in the history of the 24-hour race. Our driver lineups, well-thought-out racing strategies, and a strong Mercedes-AMG GT3 car make us a serious contender. We have always been a serious contender, having proven this with numerous podium finishes. But the last overall victory is now nine years ago - it's time to change that."
Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing, echoes Sagemüller's sentiments: "The 24-hour race at the Nürburgring stands for emotion, tradition, and pure competition. Despite the tight scheduling of the three major 24-hour classics in Le Mans, the Nürburgring, and Spa-Francorchamps, we're bringing two strongly fielded performance vehicles to the start with GetSpeed. SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm will also compete in the SP9 PRO-AM and SP10 classes with a promising driver lineup. Everyone involved has worked hard in recent weeks. I look forward to the event and wish all teams and drivers a successful and safe race."
Photo: Mercedes-AMG targets third overall victory at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.
The Mercedes-AMG GT3s in the SP9 PRO category, driven by experienced drivers aiming for podium finishes, are gearing up for an intense battle on the track, with the goal of claiming overall victory in the sports racing competition. Ralf Aron, Lucas Auer, Adam Christodoulou, and Mikael Grenier in car #17, and Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz in car #14, are tackling the challenging ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring, aiming to carve their names in the annals of racing history with another Mercedes-AMG triumph in this prestigious event.
