Why is Mercedes AMG not present in GT races.

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Apr 13, 2005 | 12:39 AM

fastneutron

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Why is Mercedes AMG not present in GT races.

I was watching the GT race held in Florida on Speedchannel this past weekend and there wasn't a single car from Mercedes AMG. There were several Dodge Vipers (which won the race), Porsche 911s, Cadillac CTS-Vs, Audi, and even Volvo S60-Rs.

So, when is Mercedes going to present the AMG cars against some of its competitors. I would have loved to see any AMG cars in the line-up.

Apr 13, 2005 | 12:35 PM

Chappy

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AMG

They run the C-class in the DTM series. But hey, I'm with you on having some recognizable Mercedes-Benz cars running around the track in the USA.

Apr 13, 2005 | 01:29 PM

trench

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Quote:

Originally Posted by fastneutron

So, when is Mercedes going to present the AMG cars against some of its competitors. I would have loved to see any AMG cars in the line-up.

I think part of the problem is that the Speed World Challenge requires use of "showroom stock" cars as a starting point. The rules limit what you can do with the engine (to keep it "fair"), considering that the stock AMG engines tend to be a bit more powerful than the competitors my guess is that they have to be de-tuned somewhat to be legal. Unfortunately, a stock Mercedes is a pretty heavy car, so a detuned AMG motor may not be able to be competitive considering the excess weight of simply being a Mercedes. In the Touring division a team has been attempting to run C230 Coupes, but the pudgy little car seems simply to be too heavy for that class as well (with engine power comparable to the rivals).

I think this leaves Mercedes with the option of only racing in classes where you can use a purpose built race car, such as the ALMS GT1 and GT2 - which unfortunately, they don't seem to be interested in doing. My guess is that the American public's general lack of interest in anything that isn't NASCAR has convinced DaimlerChrysler and MBUSA that it isn't worth the money developing cars for an American series that hardly anyone watches.