Mercedes-AMG and Blancpain GT Series Asia organiser, SRO Motorsports Group, have renewed their official Safety Car partnership ahead of the upcoming season, which begins at Sepang in Malaysia on April 14/15.
The German manufacturer, whose AMG Customer Racing outfit – GruppeM Racing – claimed the 2017 GT3 Overall Drivers’, Pro/Am Drivers’ and Teams’ titles, will continue to supply the championship’s Safety and Medical Cars after first signing an agreement ahead of last season’s penultimate round in Shanghai.
A range of AMG models will now take centre stage when they lead the series’ 30-strong GT3 and GT4 field to the start line at all six rounds, as well as performing the Safety and Medical Cars’ essential duties in the event of an accident.
AMG will showcase several models throughout the year and has selected its AMG C 63 S Coupe as Sepang’s designated Safety Car. Its four-litre V8 biturbo engine produces 510hp and 700Nm of torque, and is capable of 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds. It’s ably supported in Malaysia by the AMG GLE 43 Coupe Medical Car.
AMG’s involvement also extends to this year’s entry list, which will include GT3 and GT4 variants of last year’s championship-winning GT model. While GruppeM Racing has yet to comment on its title defence, two new AMG Customer Racing squads – Indigo Racing and iRace.Win – recently confirmed their respective GT3 and GT4 entries.
Thomas Erb, Head of AMG Greater China: “AMG is delighted to continue its role as Blancpain GT Series Asia’s official Safety Car partner in 2018. This is an important market for the manufacturer and one that has already witnessed championship wins for Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing. This year we’re hoping to achieve further podiums in Asia’s leading GT category thanks to an even stronger presence in GT3 and Mercedes-AMG’s new GT4 car, which is entering for the first time.
“Also, our Blancpain GT Series Asia commitment has extended to providing on-site technical and spare-parts support, with HWA engineers available to assist our customer teams. And at the season finale we will invite even more AMG customers and fans to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy a fantastic experience at the race track.”
Benjamin Franassovici, Blancpain GT Series Asia Championship Manager: “AMG enjoyed a fantastically successful season with us as competitors and partners in 2017, and I’m delighted to see them increase their support as a result by becoming our full-season Safety Car partner. The championship’s regional significance is also highlighted by AMG’s increased support for customer teams competing in Blancpain GT Series Asia, which we value greatly. Indeed, AMG’s commitments emphasise the progress made by the championship since its maiden race less than a year ago.”
Blancpain GT Series Asia’s 2018 campaign begins at Sepang in mid-April before heading to Chang International Circuit in Thailand, Suzuka and Fuji in Japan, and Shanghai and Ningbo in China.
