The three cars are being entered by the customer teams Black
Falcon and Heico Motorsport. The 24-hour race in Dubai will serve to accumulate
test kilometres and fine-tune the SLS AMG GT3 before deliveries begin at
the end of February 2011. The SLS AMG GT3s will compete with high-calibre
international sports car competitors in Class A6. The private team Black
Falcon is entering two cars: start number 7 will be driven by Thomas Jäger
(Munich, aged 34), Jan Seyffarth (Querfurth, 24), Kenneth Heyer (Wegberg,
31) and Sean Paul Breslin (London/Great Britain, 31). The cockpit of start
number 8 will be shared by Ralf Schall (Dornstadt, 41), Timothy Pappas
(Boston/USA, 37), Bret Curtis (Valencia/USA, 44) and David Horn (Steinbach,
37). The customer team Black Falcon has taken part in every 24-hour race
in Dubai since the inception of the event in 2006. The SLS AMG GT3 with start
number 9 entered by Heico Motorsport will have Bernd Schneider
(Bottighofen/Switzerland, aged 46), Lance David Arnold (Duisburg, 24), Andreas
Wirth (Heidelberg, 26), Brice Bosi (Luxembourg, 24) and Christiaan Frankenhout
(Amsterdam/Netherlands, 28) behind the wheel.
Race starts at 2 p.m. (local time) on Saturday,
15 January 2011
The official starting time is 2 p.m. (local time) on Saturday, 15 January
2011. The 24-hour race on the 5.39-kilometre Grand Prix circuit of the Dubai
Autodrome is being held for the sixth time in 2011. Around 90 cars are expected
to take part, with drivers and teams from more than 30 countries registering
for this long-distance race.
One victory and one third place in the autumn
2010 VLN races
As part of the development and test programme that started
in June 2010, the customer sport version of the gull-wing was entered in
three VLN races (VLN = Association of Nürburgring Endurance Cup Organisers)
in autumn 2010. The ninth VLN race was won by Thomas Jäger and Christopher
Haase in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 entered by Black Falcon, and in the
tenth race Bernd Schneider and Christian Mamerow (Mamerow Racing team) achieved
third place overall. Bernd Schneider and Thomas Jäger have absolved
the entire development and test programme for the SLS AMG GT3. With five
championship titles in the DTM, one in the ITC and one in the FIA GT
Championship, Bernd Schneider is one of Germany's most successful racing
drivers. Jäger was a DTM driver for Mercedes-Benz from 2000 to 2003.
Last year he won the championship title in the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany,
and in 2010 he took part in the ADAC GT Masters (Germany). Like Bernd Schneider,
Thomas Jäger is a member of the instructor team at the AMG Driving Academy.
Since 1 October 2010, Jäger has also acted as a coordinator for the
AMG customer sport department. As the central point of contact, he supports
the customer teams in all organizational and technical matters.
Deliveries commencing from end February 2011
after FIA homologation
Production of cars intended for customers began at the end of December. After
homologation and definition of the "Balance of Performance" by the FIA,
deliveries of the SLS AMG GT3 will commence at the end of February 2011.
The selling price is 334,000 (excl. VAT)/ 397,460 (incl. 19
% VAT).
SLS AMG GT3 integrated into AMG Driving Academy
from 2011
In the coming year, customers of the AMG Driving Academy will be able to
drive the SLS AMG GT3 on the racetrack themselves during selected events.
The programme for 2011 envisages that only SLS AMG GT3 cars will be used
for the "Masters" level, the most demanding level in terms of driving skills.
With these unique events, the AMG Driving Academy will be offering a motor
racing experience at first hand, and at a previously unattained safety level,
from 2011. |