On the back of the successful dress rehearsal with a victory and a further podium result in the 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport is optimistically looking ahead at the anniversary edition of the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring (26th till 29th May). A total of seven Mercedes-AMG GT3s with a first-class driver line-up will be on the grid for the endurance racing highlight at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
The 24-hour race at the Nürburgring ranks among the top highlights on the Mercedes-AMG motorsport calendar. Even more so this year as two anniversaries are coming together: the 50th running of the classic in the Eifel and the 55th anniversary of the performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach. The goals for Mercedes-AMG in the prestigious endurance racing event are accordingly high: after 2013 and 2016, the third overall win is to be secured this year. To do so, the five customer sport teams have high-class line-ups that were revised compared to previous years. Three of the seven Mercedes-AMG GT3s will be racing with three rather than the previous four drivers.
The Mercedes-AMG GT3s with starting numbers 3 and 4 will be run by Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed. Adam Christodoulou (GBR), DTM champion Maximilian Götz and Fabian Schiller (both GER) will be alternating behind the wheel of the #3 car. In the car with starting number 4, Maro Engel (GER), Jules Gounon (FRA) and Daniel Juncadella (ESP) will be driving. At Mercedes-AMG Team Bilstein, there are some changes compared to the 24h Qualifiers: in the #12 car, Philip Ellis (SUI) is replacing Manuel Metzger (GER), who isn’t fully ready to race again following his accident in the qualification race a fortnight ago. His teammates will be Raffaele Marciello (SUI) and Luca Stolz (GER). In the #6 Mercedes-AMG GT3, Marvin Dienst (GER) will be filling the seat that Ellis left vacant. New on board of the #6 car is Gabriele Piana (ITA). He will be taking on the race together with Marvin Dienst, Nico Bastian (GER) and Hubert Haupt (GER). Because of this new constellation, this car will now be running in the Pro-Am classification of the SP9 class. Julien Apotheloz (SUI), Patrick Assenheimer (GER), Dominik Baumann (AUT) and Luca-Sandro Trefz (GER) will be participating in the 50th running of the 24-hour race with the #55 Mercedes-AMG GT3 run by Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf.
The Schnitzelalm Racing team (#34) with its drivers Marek Böckmann, Kenneth Heyer (both GER), Yannick Mettler (SUI) and Johannes Stengel (GER) is making its debut in the SP9 class during this race. The #21 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of the CP Racing team will have the experienced Americans Charles Putman, Charles Espenlaub, Shane Lewis and Joe Foster as its drivers.
Three Mercedes-AMG GT3s (#4, #12 and #34) have already secured their slots for Top Qualifying 2. All further cars (#3, #6, #21 and #55) still have the opportunity in Top Qualifying 1 to advance into the final shoot-out for the best starting grid positions in the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring.
Comprehensive programme at the Mercedes-AMG Fan Base
The return of the spectators along the full circuit as well as into the paddock at the Nürburgring is another highlight of this year’s 24-hour race. After an absence of two years, fans will again create that special atmosphere around the Nordschleife that makes this event so unique. In the paddock, the Mercedes-AMG Fan Base will be ready again for all spectators and fans. The Fan Base includes a beer garden with a wide range of food and beverages again this year, just like the fan terrace with the live broadcast of the race action. Interviews with the drivers of the Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Teams and the traditional autograph session on Friday, 27th May, from 12.15pm till 1.15pm are also on the programme again. Under the motto “World’s Fastest Family”, there will be an extended range of activities for young and old this year. The Fan Base provides a comprehensive programme for the entire family with a driving simulator, the popular pit stop challenge, a paint table, a slot car track, car painting and attractive raffles. An exclusive exhibition with race cars from the successful Mercedes-AMG Motorsport history and numerous new models rounds out the interesting support programme at the Mercedes-AMG Fan Base.
The first qualifying sessions for the 50th ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring start on Thursday, 26th May 2022 at 12.30pm and 8.30pm. On Friday, 27th May, the field takes on third qualifying from 2.10pm, followed by Top Qualifyings 1 and 2 from 5.50pm. After warm-up at 11am, the starting lights for the Eifel classic will finally switch to green on Saturday, 28th May, at 4pm.
Christoph Sagemüller, head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport: “For us as the AMG brand, the 50th running of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring is all about our 55th anniversary. At the occasion of this anniversary, we are even happier to be able to welcome the fans along the track and in the paddock again. At our Fan Base, spectators can again look forward to a great programme, among others an exhibition with unique cars from our portfolio, some of them shown in public for the very first time. In sporting terms, we are participating to win, of course, and we want to use the momentum from the 24h Qualifiers and repeat this success.”
Stefan Wendl, head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing: “We are full of anticipation going into this year’s running of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. The 50th running, combined with the 55th anniversary of Mercedes-AMG, is making this event very special for us. In this special race, next to the weather, trouble-free stints and a perfect strategy are decisive in particular. Therefore, we have partly opted for driver trios. Our Customer Racing Teams have shown during the qualifiers that they are well prepared and I am certain that with the right calls concerning the race strategy, we can be all the way up there in front.”
Source. Mercedes
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