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| Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Affalterbach, Germany |
| Parent | Mercedes-AMG GmbH |
| Industry | Automotive racing |
Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing is the dedicated division of Mercedes-AMG responsible for the development, sale, and support of competition vehicles for private teams and factory-backed entries. It supplies GT cars and bespoke racing solutions to endurance series, sprint championships, and national cups, partnering with teams, circuits, and organisers across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The programme links AMG's motorsport heritage with customer teams in championships like FIA World Endurance Championship, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, and IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing emerged from the motorsport activities of Mercedes-Benz and AMG as a formal customer racing arm following AMG's increased factory racing commitments in the 2010s. Key early milestones involved homologation efforts for the FIA GT3 class and entries into events such as the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, Spa 24 Hours, and Bathurst 12 Hour. The programme evolved alongside projects like the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 and later the Mercedes-AMG GT3, integrating lessons from campaigns at Le Mans, Intercontinental GT Challenge, and national series including ADAC GT Masters. Strategic collaborations tied Customer Racing to works operations involving personnel from AMG GmbH technical centres, engineers formerly of Daimler AG motorsport departments, and drivers who had competed in DTM, Formula 3, and F3 Asian Championship events.
Customer Racing supports entries across international and national championships. Primary series include the FIA World Endurance Championship, 24 Hours of Le Mans events within various classes, the Intercontinental GT Challenge, and the GT World Challenge circuits such as GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and GT World Challenge America. In North America, programmes span the IMSA SportsCar Championship and SRO America events; in Australia, support targets the Bathurst 12 Hour and regional GT cups like Australian GT Championship. Additional engagement includes one-make cups, national series like ADAC GT Masters, endurance classics such as the 12 Hours of Sebring, and historic partner races at venues like Silverstone Circuit and Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
The core of the offering has been the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 and the subsequent Mercedes-AMG GT3 developed to FIA GT3 specifications, alongside the Mercedes-AMG GT4 for amateur and semi-professional programmes. Other models and special projects include GT2 variants, bespoke touring cars derived from concepts used in series like DTM and one-off racecars tailored for endurance challenges at circuits such as Monza and Suzuka. Vehicles are provided with homologation documentation to bodies including the FIA and national ASN authorities like DAmS and FIA Japan-affiliated organisations for eligibility in series such as Super GT and club championships at Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Customer Racing provides logistics, spare parts distribution, technical documentation, and trackside engineering support through Mercedes-AMG’s race operations. Services include pre-season testing coordination with circuits such as Hockenheimring and Paul Ricard, data acquisition assistance involving suppliers like Bosch and Magneti Marelli, and driver coaching programmes employing ex-professional racers from Formula One, DTM, and World Touring Car Championship backgrounds. The division manages homologation updates, Balance of Performance consultations with organisers like the FIA and SRO Motorsports Group, and spare parts supply chains coordinated from logistics hubs in Affalterbach and partner depots across Europe, Asia, and North America.
Customer Racing has been campaigned by renowned outfits including HTP Motorsport, AKKA-ASP, Eurasia Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG Team Black Falcon, ROW Racing, SunEnergy1 Racing, and Winward Racing. High-profile drivers associated with customer entries encompass champions and internationals from Formula One alumni, DTM veterans, and endurance specialists such as drivers who have raced for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team or competed in Le Mans Series events. The roster has featured names with histories at teams like Aston Martin Racing and Porsche GT Team who cross-entered in GT programmes.
Customer Racing-supported entries have achieved class victories and overall successes in major endurance races including the 24 Hours of Spa, 24 Hours of Nürburgring, and podiums at 24 Hours of Le Mans-associated events. Championships and notable results span titles in GT World Challenge Europe, championship rounds in ADAC GT Masters, and endurance series triumphs across the Intercontinental GT Challenge. Records include pole positions and fastest laps at circuits like Silverstone, Monza, and Circuit de la Sarthe-adjacent tests, reflecting competitive parity with manufacturers such as BMW Motorsport, Audi Sport, Porsche AG, Ferrari Challenge entrants, and Aston Martin Vantage GT3 campaigns.
Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing operates on a business model combining sale and lease of race cars, technical service contracts, and factory-backed support packages to privateer teams. The commercial strategy integrates branding opportunities with partners including tyre suppliers like Pirelli and Michelin, fuel and lubricant partners resembling Petronas and regional sponsors, and hospitality activation at events such as the Monaco Grand Prix fringe activities and endurance classics. The programme leverages AMG’s road-car marketing alongside motorsport partnerships to drive provenance for models promoted at motor shows like IAA Mobility and Geneva Motor Show.
Category:Mercedes-AMG Category:Auto racing teams