Dubai (UAE) – 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.

source: Daimler AG

Stuttgart – Daniel Juncadella (Spain, 20, Prema Powerteam) won the 58th Macau Grand Prix on Sunday, securing his first victory on this challenging street circuit. The Spanish driver concluded his second season in the Formula 3 Euro Series in third place overall, with four victories and 14 podium finishes. Four drivers using the Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engine finished in the top seven of the Macau Grand Prix.

The Macau GP is one of the most prestigious races of the year. The event has been staged on the Guia street circuit since 1954, with Formula 3 regulations being adopted in 1983. Previous winners of the Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix include F1 legend Ayrton Senna (1983), record F1 title winner and MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver Michael Schumacher (1990), plus current Mercedes-Benz DTM drivers David Coulthard (1991) and Ralf Schumacher (1995). In three successive seasons between 2004 and 2006, victory in the Macau GP went to a driver powered by a Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engine: Alexandre Prémat, Lucas di Grassi and Mike Conway.

Promoting young racing talent is a long-standing tradition at Mercedes-Benz. Since the Formula 3 Euro Series was first staged in 2003, drivers powered by Mercedes-Benz engines have won almost 80 percent of all races (149 victories out of 185, of which 113 were one-two finishes) and seven out of nine drivers’ championships. In the same period, 13 drivers made the step up to Formula One, having served their apprenticeship with Mercedes-Benz power in Formula 3. One third of the 2011 F1 starting grid learned their trade in Formula 3 with a Mercedes-Benz engine, including world champions Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, 2010 DTM champion Paul Di Resta, Adrian Sutil, Kamui Kobayashi, Sébastien Buemi, Jaime Alguersuari and Bruno Senna.

Similar successes have been achieved in other top racing series by former members of the Mercedes-Benz junior development programme. Of the nine Mercedes-Benz DTM drivers in the 2011 season, five started out in Formula 3 driving a Mercedes-Benz powered car.

Daniel Juncadella: “For me, victory in Macau is the perfect way to round off the season. It is a tremendous honour to win such a prestigious race that has seen such well-known names in our sport as Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher finish on the top step of the podium. That’s what makes the Macau GP on this very demanding street circuit one of the highlights of the racing calendar. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Mercedes-Benz for the support they have given me along the way. Without the Mercedes junior development programme, the success I have had this season would not have been possible.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “A great performance by Daniel and the Prema Powerteam. The Formula 3 race in Macau is certainly the most prestigious on the calendar, and to win there against the world's best Formula 3 drivers is consequently no mean feat and of great importance. Congratulations to Daniel and his excellent team. After winning the Formula 3 Euro Series with Roberto Merhi, our partner team Prema has delivered a fitting end to a great season with this victory in Macau. This represents a further major success for the Mercedes-Benz junior driver programme, from which have emerged world-class drivers such as 2008 Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton and 2010 DTM champion Paul Di Resta.”

Quelle: Daimler AG

Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) won the 2011 DTM season finale at Hockenheim by 7.6 seconds from Martin Tomczyk (Audi) after starting from second place on the grid. It was Green's seventh DTM victory and his second at Hockenheim. This was the 17th podium for the British driver, his sixth in a DTM race at Hockenheim and podium number 480 for a DTM driver at this track.
It was the fifth consecutive victory Mercedes-Benz at their home race in Hockenheim. Since 1988, Mercedes-Benz has won a total of 31 out of 64 DTM races at the Hockenheimring. In the ‘new DTM’ since 2000, a Mercedes driver has won nearly three-quarters of all races at the circuit (19 victories in 26 races).
The season finale was the last race for the AMG Mercedes C-Class, the most successful vehicle in DTM history (85 wins in 159 races). Since 1988, more than half (51%) of the 165 Mercedes-Benz wins have been secured with the C-Class.
To make a direct comparison with Audi, from 202 races, Mercedes-Benz has won 109 times and Audi 62.
Jamie Green set the fastest race lap in Hockenheim – 1:34.114 – for the fifth time at this track. In all, since 1988, Mercedes-Benz drivers have set the fastest lap in 35 of 64 DTM races at Hockenheim. Since the revival of the DTM in 2000, a Mercedes-Benz has set the fastest race lap in 76% of all races (20 of 26 races).
Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished his 80th DTM
race in fifth position after starting from seventh on the grid. Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) came home ninth. Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished 11th and 12th. Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class), Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) and David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) crossed the line in 14th, 15th and 17th positions respectively. Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) was forced to retire from the race.
A total of 120,000 spectators attended the DTM finale (Fri, Sat, Sun) in Hockenheim.

Race summary
The start: Jamie Green overtakes pole-sitter Miguel Molina (Audi) at the start of the race and goes into the lead. Gary Paffett moves up one position to sixth place.
Lap 4: Green extends his lead on Martin Tomczyk (Audi) to more than two seconds.
Lap 10: The pit stop window is now open. Paffett is the first C-Class driver to pit. David Coulthard and Christian Vietoris also come in.
Lap 11: Bruno Spengler and Renger van der Zande complete their first mandatory pit stop. Vietoris retires.
Lap 12: Ralf Schumacher and Susie Wolff pit for the first time.
Lap 13: Green comes in for his first stop with a five-second lead.
Lap 18: Second mandatory pit stop for Paffett.
Lap 19: Schumacher and Wolff come in for the second time.
Lap 20: Green has a six-second lead after the first round of pit stops. Van der Zande comes in for the second time.
Lap 21: Coulthard pits for the second time.
Lap 22: Final mandatory pit stop for Engel.
Lap 24: Spengler pits lying in sixth position.
Lap 26: Green comes in for his final pit stop in the lead.
Lap 29: The pit stop window has now closed. Green leads by 8.6 seconds.
Final lap (Lap 38): Jamie Green wins the 2011 DTM season finale at Hockenheim after 38 laps and a total race distance of 173.812 km. Gary Paffett climbs two positions from seventh place on the grid to finish P5.

Comments after the race:

Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Winner:
“I feel very proud to have won this race which is also the final outing for the AMG Mercedes C-Class, the most successful car in DTM history. My car was perfect and I’m so pleased to have won here at Hockenheim for the second time. Now I can start the winter break on a high as a race winner this year. Many thanks to my team for all their work today and throughout the season. I’m looking forward to the new DTM era which starts in 2012. I’m sure it will be just as exciting as the old one, if not more so...!”

Gary Paffett (AMG Mercedes C THOMAS SABO-Class) – Fifth:
“That was a good race – I started from seventh place, and moved up two positions to fifth. My C-Class ran really well and I would like to have got past Mike Rockenfeller, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. Nevertheless, it was a good finish to a difficult season. I'm already looking forward to 2012.”

Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) – Ninth:
“Unfortunately, my bid to end the season as runner-up in the championship didn’t quite come off, but all the same, I take satisfaction from having won two races and having started from pole position in four. That’s much more important than finishing second in the standings. So all in all, this has been a good year for us. The team worked really hard and, right up to the final lap, we gave it everything. I was faster than Oliver Jarvis and Timo Scheider today, but they proved too difficult to overtake.”

Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Eleventh:
“Congratulations to Jamie on his victory in our home round of the championship – he drove a great race. Unfortunately, I couldn’t manage a points finish today because I started from too far back on the grid. I’m satisfied with the way my season has gone, and from now on, I’ll be focusing all my attention on developing and testing the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé that we’ll be driving in 2012. You can be sure that we’ll be back on the attack then.”

Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Twelfth:
“Twelfth place is a decent result for me. I was running really well today and was able to keep up with Ralf. The atmosphere in the stands was terrific – especially in the Motodrom and at the Mercedes grandstand. Overall, I’m pleased with my first DTM season, particularly since my form improved significantly towards the end of season.”

Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 14th:
“I had obviously been hoping for better than P14 in the last race of the season, but I was boxed in by a lot of other cars on the first couple of laps, which cost me several positions. That was just bad luck. I’m very pleased for Jamie. It’s nice to have given the C-Class a fitting send-off in its last race.”

Susie Wolff (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 15th:
“I had, of course, hoped to do better than 15th place in my first race as Susie Wolff, but it was tough to move up the field more than a couple of places from P17 on the grid. Like all the team, I’m pleased for Jamie and his victory – the 85th for the C-Class – I love this car!”

David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 17th:
“This was an unlucky race for me – my first pit stop wasn’t brilliant, unfortunately. After that my race was more or less over, since I had no chance to move up the field. I would of course have wished for a better result for the end of the season.”

Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) – retired:
“Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end to the season that I had hoped for. My pit stop didn’t go as intended: the right front wheel wasn’t on properly, which can happen. Up until that point, I had been very satisfied with the way the race was going. I was the best driver of an old-model Mercedes-Benz and had good pace. Too bad that I didn’t finish the final race of the season.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“That was the final race to be contested under the current DTM regulations, and for Jamie Green to have won it in such a convincing manner today is a tremendous achievement. Well done to everyone who played their part in making it happen. This is a victory that will go down in the record books and Jamie showed his true calibre today. With our C-Class, we have now won 85 out of 159 races – more than half, in fact – which makes this car the most successful and victorious in DTM history. Since the DTM was revived in 2000, Mercedes-Benz has won 19 races out of 26 at Hockenheim – a fabulous win rate for our home race. Next year, the DTM will welcome a third competitor, BMW, and that affirms the good work done over the last six years by Audi, Mercedes-Benz, the ITR, the DMSB and all our sponsors and TV partners, who always believed in the success of this remarkable championship. At the end of an era, thank you to everybody who has made the third generation of the DTM possible from the start of 2012.”

Quelle: Daimler AG

Affalterbach – For the first time in four years, former Formula One and DTM driver Mika Häkkinen will climb into the cockpit of a racing car for the season finale of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup on 13th November in Zhuhai (China). Häkkinen will be driving a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 for the six-hour race along with 2010 Mercedes-Benz DTM driver CongFu Cheng and Lance David Arnold of Germany. The Finn is making an appearance in his capacity as a Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador and this will be the first time the gullwing SLS has raced in China. The car has been entered by an independent team, Customer AMG Sports Team China.

Häkkinen’s most recent race appearance took place on 14th October 2007 when he drove an AMG Mercedes C-Class in the DTM season finale at Hockenheim. Between 2005 and 2007, he competed in 31 DTM races for Mercedes-Benz, securing three wins, three pole positions and eight podium finishes.

In the period between 1991 and 2001, the Finn contested 161 Grands Prix, signing for McLaren-Mercedes in 1995. At the wheel of the Silver Arrow, Häkkinen claimed the Formula One world championship twice (1998 and 1999), won 20 Grand Prix races, secured 26 pole positions and posted 44 podium finishes (51 overall). Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard (who drives the Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class in the 2011 DTM season) hold the record for the longest team-mate partnership in the history of Formula One; they drove together from 1996 to 2001.

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 is the competition version of the legendary gullwing, designed for customer motorsport. The car contested its first full racing season in 2011, including the ADAC GT Masters, the VLN Endurance Championship at the Nürburgring and the FIA GT3 European Championship. In its debut season, the SLS AMG GT3 scored victories in all three of these series; in the FIA GT3 European Championship, customer outfit Heico Motorsport won the team title, the first trophy for the gullwing.

Mika Häkkinen: “It’s a great honour for me to be able to contest the first SLS AMG GT3 race in China. Although I’ve visited China many times, I’ve never raced there, which is why I’m really looking forward to Zhuhai. It will be a tough race in a competitive field, but I’ll do my best for Customer Sports Team AMG. Of course, being a guest driver in such a line-up should be a lot of fun, especially in the SLS AMG GT3. It’s a great customer motorsport vehicle which is both fast and extremely good-looking.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “Mika Häkkinen is one of the most successful, best-known and best-liked racing drivers in the world. He won back-to-back Formula One world championships in 1998 and 1999 with our McLaren-Mercedes Formula One team and later had a successful career in the DTM. For over fifteen years, he has been a prominent, world-famous member of the Mercedes family. Mika enjoys enormous popularity, especially in China, and that’s also why he was so willing to play an active role in the race debut of the Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 at Zhuhai. Lining up on the grid for us is more than just a great gesture by Mika – he still possesses the same competitive spirit as in the days of his great Formula One battles with Michael Schumacher in the late 90s and early 2000s.”

Ola Källenius, Chairman and CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “We are very proud that a fan favourite like Mika Häkkinen will be a guest driver in the SLS AMG GT3 at Zhuhai. His participation is unique, and we want to use his appearance to inspire race fans in China both for the vehicle and for the AMG customer sports programme. The GT3 version of the gullwing was designed for customer sport and will be raced in China – as in all other markets – by private teams. Experience gained from over 40 years of motor racing is encapsulated in that vehicle. As the first complete in-house development and production car from the AMG factory, the SLS AMG embodies all our expertise in developing high-performance vehicles.”

Klaus Meier, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz China Ltd. “Although AMG first came to China in 2007, the brand has already proved to be a great success. By 2010, China had already become AMG’s third-largest market, and sales to August of this year are already 50% up on 2010. Chinese customers appreciate the incomparable blend of speed, handling, driving dynamics, exclusivity, design and exhaust note of the AMG. The commitment to customer motorsport with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 as a style icon will further contribute to increasing Chinese enthusiasm for AMG.”

Quelle: Daimler AG

Stuttgart – Ralf Schumacher will continue to race for Mercedes-Benz in the 2012 DTM season. Schumacher has been competing in the world’s most popular touring car championship since 2008, and next year will be his fifth in the series. This season saw him score his first two podium finishes – in the opening race at Hockenheim and DTM’s return race at the Austrian circuit of Spielberg.

Between now and the start of the 2012 season, Schumacher will be heavily involved in the development and testing programme for the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé. HWA AG began work on the new Mercedes-Benz DTM car in June 2010 and the first test of the C-Coupé took place in early September 2011 at the Lausitzring with Gary Paffett. Schumacher drove the car for the first time at the same circuit between 12-13 October and, before the end of the year, he will complete another test in the new C-Coupé.

Between 1997 und 2007, Schumacher completed eleven seasons in Formula One – a total of 180 Grand Prix races. His six wins during this period make him the third-most successful German F1 driver after his brother, MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver Michael Schumacher, and double champion Sebastian Vettel.

Ralf Schumacher: “DTM is a fantastic championship and, after four years as part of the Mercedes-Benz family, I feel in the best place possible. So I’m all the more delighted to be starting a new era next year together with Mercedes-Benz. With the new technical regulations and the arrival of BMW on the scene as the third premium manufacturer alongside Audi and Mercedes-Benz, DTM has an exciting future, and I feel privileged to be playing my part in development of the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé. My first impressions from testing are positive, and I’m very excited about racing this car next year. At the start of this season, I was determined to take the next step forward in my DTM career, and I feel I have accomplished that by finishing on the podium twice – at Hockenheim and Spielberg. During testing this winter, we intend to lay the groundwork to ensure that I can improve my results even further with the new C-Coupé in 2012.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “Ralf Schumacher isn’t only the best-known driver in the DTM, he’s also one of the most-liked and most successful in international motorsport. I rate very highly the fact that Ralf walked the difficult road from Formula One to the DTM, boosted the series’ popularity and continuously improved until he scored his first podium. Ralf is now one of the drivers aiming for his first win and he has shown that everything is possible with talent, determination and hard work. That approach is a perfect fit with Mercedes-Benz and that’s why we are delighted to extend Ralf’s DTM contract beyond 2011. We and the fans have a lot of enjoyment ahead of us as we watch him racing.”

Quelle: Daimler AG

Stuttgart – When the Hockenheimring stages the finale of the 2011 DTM season next weekend, this will also mark the end of an era in the world’s most popular touring car series: the AMG Mercedes C-Class will be retired after 158 races in DTM and ITC. With a grand total of 84 victories (win ratio: 53%), it ranks as the most successful vehicle in the 27-year history of the DTM. The C-Class accounts for almost half of the 164 Mercedes-Benz wins in the 341 races since 1988 (win ratio: 48%). A further 30 victories were achieved with the AMG Mercedes CLK (2000 to 2003) and 50 more with the AMG Mercedes 190E (1988 to 1993).

Three generations of the C-Class raced in the years 1994 to 1996 (DTM/ITC) and 2004 to 2011 (‘New DTM’). Mercedes-Benz gave the C-Class its DTM debut in the 1994 season; it scored its first victory on the second race weekend and, by the end of the season, had brought home both the drivers’ title for Klaus Ludwig and the constructors’ title. “The C-Class came along at just the right time,” recalls Ludwig. “We immediately made a big step forward. It was the key to championship success and was an instant hit with the fans. Then as now, touring cars like the C-Class were a favourite of the German crowds.”

In the second year, too, the title went to a C-Class driver as the current DTM record champion Bernd Schneider celebrated the first of his six championships in the DTM/ITC with Mercedes-Benz. Schneider is now the only driver to have won a title in both the DTM/ITC era (up to 1996) and the ‘New’ series since 2000.

“The AMG Mercedes C-Class was one of the best racing cars of my career,” says Schneider. “It was a thoroughbred racer that was spectacular to drive and made a great noise, which drivers and fans enjoy in equal measure.” With six championship victories in the DTM/ITC in the years 1995, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006, Schneider is the most successful driver in DTM history. He also holds the record for most wins (43), most pole positions (25) and most fastest laps (59).

Between 1994 and 1996, the C-Class triumphed 34 times in 74 DTM and ITC outings. When the C-Class returned to action in 2004, it took over from the AMG Mercedes CLK which had performed sterling service for Mercedes-Benz in the 2000 to 2003 seasons. Since then, the C-Class has won 50 out of 84 races (win ratio: 60%) – more than any other car since the revival of the DTM in 2000.

“The C-Class is a great car,” says Gary Paffett. “I first drove it when I launched my DTM career in it 2004 and I then went on to win the championship in 2005.” The Englishman, who is driving the THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class this season, is the most successful driver currently competing in DTM, with 17 wins to his name. “I also had great success with the later model from 2007 onwards and missed out on the title by only the narrowest of margins.”

Scotsman Paul Di Resta won the 2010 DTM drivers’ championship driving an AMG Mercedes C-Class. This year, he races for Force India-Mercedes in Formula One. “The first DTM car I drove was a C-Class at the 2004 McLaren BRDC Autosport Young Driver Award,” says di Resta, “and I remember the experience to this day: a car that felt like a single-seater, but with great power, fun to drive… and a roof over my head! I spent four seasons racing the car in DTM and was able to join the ranks of the drivers who became champion with the car – an achievement I am incredibly proud of. Working with the C-Class taught me a lot about setup and how to work with the technical team to get the most out of the car – the racing is so close that you need to squeeze out every last bit of performance. It was a perfect preparation for the demands of Formula One.”

Mercedes-Benz can look back with pride on a long and successful tradition in the DTM. Since the company first entered a works team in 1988, no rival manufacturer has won as many races as Mercedes-Benz. The three-pointed star has won the drivers’ title ten times, the constructors’ championship nine times and the team title on 13 occasions – no other manufacturer has enjoyed greater success in the DTM. In 2000, Mercedes-Benz was also instrumental in establishing the ‘new DTM’. The introduction of new technical regulations in the 2012 season marks the next chapter in the world’s most successful touring car series. The closing race of the 2011 season will also be the last race contested by the AMG Mercedes C Class, the most successful DTM car of all time. In the 2012 season, Mercedes-Benz will respond to the changed circumstances with the launch the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé.

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “Our C-Class has written a success story unmatched by any other car in DTM history. To win 84 races from 158 races is a fantastic achievement, for which I would like to thank all of our teams and drivers. Foremost among them, of course, is our partner HWA AG and its executive and technical director Gerhard Ungar, as well as his team - with these successes, you have written a chapter in motorsport history. The C-Class will stand as the most successful car of the 'old' DTM up to 1996, as well as in the 'new' era from 2000 to 2011. Thank you for all your hard work and extraordinary achievements; they are unique, and that's why we are so pleased to commemorate this success story in Hockenheim, when the C-Class will race for the last time.”

Quelle: Daimler AG

Comments from the drivers and the team principal:

Bruno Spengler (28, Canada, Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class):

• won the last race of the 2006 season and the first race in 2011 at Hockenheim
• achieved a “hat trick” in the 2011 season opener (win, pole, fastest lap)
• was on pole for the opening races in 2007 and 2011
• set fastest race lap three times at Hockenheim (2006, 2010 and 2011)

“Unfortunately, the title race was decided early in Valencia, but even so, I’m really looking forward to our home race at Hockenheim. The Hockenheimring is one of my favourite tracks, and the season opener in May went really well for us – it was the second win in my career at the circuit. I especially like the combination of fast corners and slow sections such as the hairpin. This course is technically very demanding and you need good brakes and impressive top speed. It’s a lot of fun racing here. As this is the last race for the DTM AMG Mercedes C-Class, we’re aiming to send our fans home happy with a victory and to win the team championship.”

Jamie Green (29, England, AMG Mercedes C-Class):

• won the 2007 season finale at Hockenheim
• has been on the podium at Hockenheim five times
• has started twice from pole position at Hockenheim (2005 and 2006)
• has posted the fastest race lap at the Hockenheimring on four occasions

“The season finale in Hockenheim is the perfect way to round off the year in DTM– the track is a sort of spiritual home for German motor racing, and the fans make a lot of noise at every race. In some ways, this year marks the end of an era, because it will be the last time we drive the AMG Mercedes C-Class in competitive conditions – from 2012, we’ll be driving the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé. The general standard of performance in DTM is extremely high, but we have a strong car and aim to get back to winning ways in this last race of the season. I’d love to get my sixth podium at Hockenheim driving the AMG Mercedes C-Class.”

Ralf Schumacher (36, Germany, Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class):

• achieved his first DTM podium in the 2011 season opener at Hockenheim
• won the 2001 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim

“The grand finale at Hockenheim is one of the major highlights of every DTM season and we can always count on a fantastic atmosphere at our home race. I’m looking forward to hearing all the Mercedes-Benz fans cheering us on at Hockenheim. In my career, I’ve driven in a lot of races at the Hockenheimring and have good memories of the season opener in May when I achieved my first DTM podium. My target for next weekend is to finish the season with a strong performance and a good result.”

Gary Paffett (30, England, THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class):

• has won at Hockenheim on three occasions (2004, 2009 and 2010)
• has been on the podium at Hockenheim six times
• started the season opener in 2010 from pole position
• set the fastest race lap in the 2009 season finale

“Hockenheim has always been a successful track for me – I’ve been on the podium six times there, including three times as a winner. This year, we’ll be saying a fond farewell to the most successful car in DTM history, the AMG Mercedes C-Class, in which I’ve won 17 races over the past few years. Since the beginning of September, I’ve been involved in the development and testing programme for the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé, and I’m looking forward to driving it in next year’s race at Hockenheim. But first, I’d like one more podium finish before the season ends, driving my THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class.”

David Coulthard (40, Scotland, Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class):

• broke into the Top Ten in the 2011 season opener at Hockenheim
• competed in 14 Formula One races at Hockenheim

“Of all the tracks we race on in DTM, Hockenheim is the one I know best, not just from my time in Formula One but also from the three DTM races I’ve contested here during the past two seasons. With every race on this track, I gain more valuable experience, because a DTM car is very different from a single-seater. I also enjoy the great atmosphere at our home race in Hockenheim – the support and enthusiasm shown by the fans in the Motodrom and the Mercedes-Benz grandstand are always fantastic. After my strong performance in the last race in Valencia, I want to finish the season with an equally good result.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:

“It has become a tradition to start and finish the season at Hockenheim – and this track is seen as the heart and soul of DTM racing. Hockenheim is the home race for Mercedes-Benz and, just like every year, thousands of our colleagues and the many fans of our company will be there to cheer us on. In the past, their support has obviously given us a real boost: since 2000, when the DTM was revived, Mercedes-Benz won 18 out of 25 races staged at Hockenheim, which is a win rate of over 70 percent. We want to finish our season on a high in this year’s finale, so we’ll have a number of surprises on and off the track, especially for the spectators in the Mercedes grandstand.”

Quelle: Daimler AG

The success was rounded off by Mike Parisy at the wheel of a Graff Racing SLS AMG GT3 who ended the season runner-up in the Drivers’ Championship. In the final race, he and his team mate Gregoire Demoustier finished third. Philippe Giauque and Thomas Jäger in Graff Racing’s second gullwing car came home fifth which meant that four Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 ended up amoung the top six at Zandvoort, underlining the excellent performance of the gullwing car.

The successful race was another highlight of the Mercedes-AMG customer sports programme. Six gullwing cars based on the production Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG which had been entered by private teams from Czech Republic, France and Germany were among the 31-car field. On Saturday, in the season’s penultimate round, the two Heico Motorsport gullwing cars both started from the front row. On Sunday, the SLS AMG GT3 od Gravity Charouz Racing was on the front row with the two Graff Racing cars lining up on the second row of the grid, separated by only four thousandths of s econd.

Zandvoort saw the final of the most exciting GT3 European Championship season after the series’ inauguration in 2006. Mercedes-Benz was one of seven victorious manufacturers in this year’s 12 races. Prior to the finale, 20 drivers and seven teams were still in reach of a title win. Combined, Heico Motorsport and Graff Racing took seven podium finishes, including two race wins.

Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH:
“We are very happy about the title win in the team championship for our customer sports team Heico Motorsport, the first one for our Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. This year, the FIA GT3 European Championship was extremely hard fought which was also shown by the fact that seven manufacturers shared the 12 race wins. This makes the success of Heico Motorsport even more valuable. They got the maxmimum out of the performance and reliability of the SLS AMG GT3 – congratulations to all of them.”

Quelle: Daimler AG

Stuttgart – Roberto Merhi (20 years old, Spain, Prema Powerteam) is the new Formula 3 Euro Series champion. The Spanish driver clinched the title during the penultimate race weekend of the season in Valencia and, as an additional reward, has been invited to test for DTM at the wheels of the new AMG Mercedes C-Coupé. After 24 races out of 27 this season, Merhi achieved nine wins, seven pole positions and 17 podium finishes, driving a car powered by the Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engine.

Promoting young racing talent is a long-standing tradition at Mercedes-Benz. Since the Formula 3 Euro Series was first staged in 2003, drivers powered by Mercedes-Benz engines have won almost 80 percent of all races (145 victories out of 182, of which 110 were one-two finishes) and seven out of nine drivers’ championship titles. In the same period, 13 drivers managed to make the step up to Formula One, having served their apprenticeship in Formula 3 with Mercedes-Benz power. One third of the 2011 F1 starting grid learned their trade in Formula 3 with a Mercedes-Benz engine, including world champions Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, 2010 DTM champion Paul Di Resta, Adrian Sutil, Kamui Kobayashi, Sébastien Buemi, Jaime Alguersuari and Bruno Senna. 

Similar successes have been achieved in other top racing series by former members of the Mercedes-Benz junior development programme. Of the nine Mercedes-Benz DTM drivers in the 2011 season, five started out in Formula 3 driving a Mercedes-Benz powered car: Jamie Green (2004 Formula 3 Euro Series champion), Bruno Spengler, Maro Engel, Christian Vietoris and Renger van der Zande. 

The 2012 DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé is the successor to the AMG Mercedes C-Class, which is the most successful vehicle in the 27-year history of DTM, having taken 84 victories from 157 races and five drivers’ championship titles. The new car is based on the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupé which had its world premiere in summer 2011 and offers a new, improved safety concept with optimised carbon-fibre monocoque, roll cage and crash structures. Development, design and construction of the vehicle began in June 2010 at HWA AG, and the first test drives took place in September 2011 at the Lausitzring with Gary Paffett at the wheel. 

Roberto Merhi: “Being asked to test for DTM in the new AMG Mercedes C-Coupé is the icing on the cake after winning the Formula 3 Euro Series championship title. It’s a great honour for me to follow in the footsteps of such successful drivers as Lewis Hamilton, Jamie Green and Paul Di Resta, who all won the Formula 3 Euro Series title with Mercedes-Benz in recent years and then went on to compete in Formula One or DTM.
I would like to say a very big thank you to Mercedes-Benz for their support. I would not be where I am today, but for the Mercedes Young Driver Programme, which has enjoyed a terrific amount of success for a number of years. I’m going to push as hard as I can to justify the confidence placed in me and my dream is to remain in the Mercedes driver line up.” 

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “Roberto Merhi is an exceptional talent, and his title win in the Formula 3 Euro Series 2011 will be an important milestone in the international racing career he has ahead of him. Mercedes-Benz Motorsport has overseen his development to date in the same way that we brought on the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Paul Di Resta, Jamie Green, Bruno Spengler, Christian Vietoris and Renger van der Zande, to name just a few of the drivers who have since gone on to even greater things in Formula One and DTM after starting out with Mercedes in Formula 3. Seven championship titles out of a possible nine since the Formula 3 Euro Series was first staged in 2003 clearly demonstrate that our development programme for young talent is founded on a system that leads to success – and ultimately to the Formula One world championship, as in the case of Lewis Hamilton driving a McLaren-Mercedes in 2008, or to the DTM title, which Paul Di Resta won last year before graduating to Formula One.
We will continue to work with Roberto Merhi and his test in the next-generation DTM C-Coupé is a further step in his career. Congratulations, Roberto, on a first-class season. And congratulations also to our partner team Prema. Without perfect teamwork in Formula 3, there can be no perfect results. In 2011, Roberto Merhi and Prema delivered these in abundance - and in convincing style.”

Quelle: Daimler AG

Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) finished in the penultimate race of the season contested in Valencia in seventh position. The race was won by Mattias Ekström (Audi). Spengler has 51 points in the drivers’ standings and goes into the grand finale in Hockenheim on 23rd October in second position. Martin Tomczyk (Audi) clinched the drivers’ championship in Valencia with one race still left on the calendar.

Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) and David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home in fifth and sixth place. After qualifying in Valencia, race stewards handed down a penalty to both Coulthard and van der Zande for running rear wings that allegedly did not conform to regulations. Their teams have lodged an appeal – the two drivers were allowed to start from their original grid positions, but for the moment, their results will not stand.

Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished eighth, Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) was tenth, Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class), Christian Vietoris (Young Stars AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished in P11, 12 and 13. Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) was 15th.

Across the race weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), a total of 16,000 spectators visited the Valencia circuit to watch the DTM race.
Race summary

The start: David Coulthard and Renger van der Zande defend their starting positions three and four. Jamie Green moves up from P11 to P8 on the opening lap. Bruno Spengler goes up two places, from 12th to 10th.
Lap 11: The pit stop window is now open. Coulthard is the first C-Class driver to come in. Susie Stoddart also makes her first mandatory pit stop.
Lap 12: Van der Zande, Jamie Green and Christian Vietoris come into the pits.
Lap 16: Spengler pits for the first time.
Lap 17: First pit stop for Gary Paffett.
Lap 18: Ralf Schumacher completes his first mandatory pit stop.
Lap 19: Maro Engel is the last C-Class driver to make his first pit stop.
Lap 24: Second pit stop for Bruno Spengler. He reemerges ahead of Edoardo Mortara (Audi).
Lap 25: Paffett and Vietoris change tyres for the second time.
Lap 26: Second mandatory pit stop for Stoddart, Green and Coulthard.
Lap 27: Van der Zande pits for the second time and returns to the track before Coulthard.
Lap 30: Paffett overtakes Mortara (Audi), moving into eleventh place.
Final lap (Lap 45): After 45 laps and some 180.22 km, Renger van der Zande and David Coulthard finish in P5 and P6 - but their positions won’t count in the standings for the moment. Bruno Spengler and Gary Paffett come home in seventh and eighth place.

Comments after the race:

Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) – seventh:
“This was unfortunately not the championship outcome that we had wanted, but we didn’t lose the title today – that happened much earlier. Congratulations to Martin Tomczyk and Phoenix-Audi – they deserved to win. It was a tough race. We fought hard and the guys did a very good job – pit stops went perfectly, enabling me to move up a position, but more was not possible. My team gave their all, but it wasn’t enough to win the title, it’s a pity. Many thanks to the guys for their brilliant support. We now intend finishing the season with a win at our home race in Hockenheim. I’m a fighter and will push hard again next year.”

Gary Paffett (AMG Mercedes C THOMAS SABO-Class) – eighth:
“The C-Class drove really well today. Although Bruno is no longer able to win the title, we still have one more race ahead of us, and we intend to go back on the attack. From a personal point of view, I’ve had a difficult season, but as a team, we’ve done a good job. Though at the end of the day, Audi have finished on top. I’d like to congratulate Martin Tomczyk on a well-deserved title win. It’s all the more to his credit that he put in such a great performance in an old car.”
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) – tenth:
“The start was good, and the speed of the C-Class promised a lot for the race. Unfortunately, I got stuck in traffic early on and wasn’t able to show my true potential. Now I’m focusing on Hockenheim and hoping that I’m able to pick up points again.”

Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 11th:
“Starting from last on the grid didn’t exactly make for an easy race. Even so, I managed to keep up with my team-mates. I got the maximum out of the C-Class today and hope that I can put in another good performance at Hockenheim. I feel so sorry for Bruno that things didn’t work out for him in his title challenge.”

Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 12th:
“This was a very tough race. Our starting position on the grid wasn’t easy, but we did our best. I wasn’t able to improve my position during the race, unfortunately – I'm of course very disappointed not to have finished in the points.”

Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 13th:
“That was not an easy race for us drivers today. I would have like to have finished further up the field, but it just wasn’t possible. My focus is now on the final race of the season at Hockenheim where I intend to lay on a great show for our fans in the Motodrom and the Mercedes grandstand.”

Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 15th:
“From a motor racing perspective, this year’s Valencia weekend wasn’t the best for me: P15 in both qualifying and the race are not satisfactory results as far as I am concerned. So I’m looking forward all the more to the closing race at Hockenheim where I recorded by best ever DTM result in 2009. I’d very much like to put in a repeat performance in the last race of the season.”

Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) – not classified:
“I’m satisfied with where I finished in the race itself. I’m pleased that I was able to put in such a strong performance in Valencia. The heat made it a difficult race, but I gave it everything I’d got. It’s a shame for Bruno and Mercedes-Benz that the championship is now over. Although nobody will be battling it out for the title at Hockenheim, we’ll be on the attack and aiming to cheer up our fans with a decent result in our home race.”

David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) – not classified:
“That was a tough race but enjoyable – it was a lot of fun fighting with the other guys at the front of the field. Shame that Bruno now has no chance of taking the championship; he’s had a terrific season and would have made a worthy winner. The same applies to Martin Tomczyk – well done, but next year we want to bring the championship back to Stuttgart. Season finale in Hockenheim, where I once again intend putting on a good show for our fans in the Motodrom and in the Mercedes stand.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“Congratulations to Martin Tomczyk and Phoenix Audi on winning the championship. Things didn’t work out for us as we would have hoped in the last three races, so we were unable to repeat our title win of last year. Now we are looking forward to the grand finale at Hockenheim where we intend to win the last race to be contested under the existing rules.
Bruno drove well throughout the season, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t to be. Without the retirement in the previous race at Oschersleben caused by a defective shock absorber, I feel sure the title race would not have been decided ahead of the final weekend. Many thanks to all our team members for their hard work and dedication this season. We remain fully motivated for the last race of the season at Hockenheim.”

Quelle: Daimler AG