Race teams and drivers looking to compete in the 2018 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge now have yet another option to consider.
As part of the build up to this weekend’s 24-hour race at the famed Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, Mercedes-AMG officially unveiled the new Mercedes-AMG GT4 race car, which is based on the Mercedes-AMG GT R road car. Built to international GT4 technical regulations, the car is eligible to compete in the Continental Tire Challenge Grand Sport (GS) class.
“The GT4 segment is getting more and more popular,” said Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management for Mercedes-AMG GmbH. “The production-based concept is an important factor, especially when you want to get started in motorsport as a team or as a driver.
“For some teams, the GT4 category also serves as a sensible addition to their existing involvement in GT3, for instance, to support young drivers. For us as a manufacturer, GT4 competition is a logical next step to extend our Customer Racing Program. After the achievements in GT3 racing, the Mercedes-AMG GT4 is opening another valuable platform for us to prove our competence as a globally successful sports car and performance brand.”
The Mercedes-AMG GT3 race car is in its first year of competition in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) class and has three victories this season. Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen won the Advance Auto Parts Sportscar Showdown at Circuit of The Americas in May and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida in March with Mario Farnbacher also part of the Sebring driver lineup in the No. 33 Riley Motorsports-Team AMG entry.
Cooper MacNeil and Gunnar Jeannette won the BUBBA burger SportsCar Grand Prix at Long Beach in April in the No. 50 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.
“Our customers have high expectations when we are presenting a new car,” said Stefan Wendl, head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing. “And rightfully so: the SLS AMG GT3 and the Mercedes-AMG GT3 were capable of winning from their very first lap of racing onwards and were able to prove it in an impressive way.
“That also is the benchmark for the new Mercedes-AMG GT4. Therefore, we have taken the time that was necessary for development and testing to be able to offer a perfect product in the end. We aren’t entering a new segment to finish second.”
Mercedes-AMG plans to deliver its first GT4 cars to customer teams at the end of this year. The 2018 Continental Tire Challenge season kicks off in January at Daytona International Speedway.