At the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring, the new Mercedes-AMG GT4 will complete its first racing laps of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. This weekend’s fifth round of the clubsport race series (18/19 August) will see two AMG GT4 on the grid, run by Mercedes-AMG Testteam Uwe Alzen Automotive and Mercedes-AMG Testteam BLACK FALCON for development runs in race conditions. The latest Mercedes-AMG Motorsport family member in the GT segment is to get its final fine-tuning through the experience from the teams and additional racing mileage at the demanding Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
Nürburg – During the ROWE 6 Stunden ADAC Ruhr-Pokal Rennen (18/19 August), further testing mileage will be added to the comprehensive test and development programme of the Mercedes-AMG GT4 that already includes, among others, a 30-hour endurance test at the Lausitzring: both Uwe Alzen and BLACK FALCON have been Mercedes-AMG Motorsport partners in GT3 racing for many years. With test races in selected VLN rounds, they are to acquire further insights for the final fine-tuning prior to delivery of the new Mercedes-AMG GT4 to the first Customer Racing Teams at the end of 2017. During the fifth round of the Langstreckenmeisterschaft, the teams will be competing in the SPX class as the car hasn’t yet finally been rated for the GT4 category. Thus, the focus isn’t on the sporting achievements, but rather on collecting further relevant data in racing conditions.
Uwe Alzen will be controlling the test race from the pit wall while Fabian Hamprecht, Mercedes-AMG Test and Development Driver Thomas Jäger and Mike Stursberg (all GER) will be alternating behind the wheel of the new GT4 race car. BLACK FALCON has entered the quartet of Stefan Karg, Fidel Leib, Mercedes-AMG Test and Development Driver Jan Seyffarth (all GER) and Alexander Toril (ESP) for the six-hour race.
Production-base meets racing technology
The Mercedes-AMG GT4 is based on the Mercedes-AMG GT R that was introduced in June, 2016 and already has a particularly high level of race track performance. The highly dynamic characteristics of the road-legal sports car were developed further in a consequent way. In every area where the production specification could mean a compromise for racing purposes, it is replaced by racing technology for the Mercedes-AMG GT4. The many years of experience from the GT3 segment have clearly been incorporated into the development.
Stefan Wendl, head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing: “I am looking forward to the first test outing of the Mercedes-AMG GT4 at the Nordschleife in racing conditions. This is the next step in our comprehensive test and development programme. In the process, we are working together with long-standing partners and teams who are running our cars. Thus, we are not only collecting further technical insights, but also feedback from the various drivers which we can still incorporate into the car. Before we can deliver the first Mercedes-AMG GT4, we will carry out some more of these tests in racing conditions. Not only at the Nordschleife, but also internationally and with various teams.”
