Three new Prototypes participate in 24 Hour race

Hockenheim. DaimlerChrysler presented the new Mercedes CLR and the drivers' squad for the Le Mans 24 Hours (12/13 June) at the Hockenheimring on 20 April. The new, only one metre high Silver Arrow is lower than a Formula 1 car and will meet strong competition from four manufacturers' works teams in the 24-hour classic.

Team AMG Mercedes will run three Mercedes CLR sports-prototypes at Le Mans with the following driver teams: Jean-Marc Gounon (36, FRA), Marcel Tiemann (25, GER), Mark Webber (22, AUS) in car number 4, Christophe Bouchut (32, FRA), Peter Dumbreck (25, GBR), Nick Heidfeld (22, GER) in car number 5 and Bernd Schneider (35, GER), Franck Lagorce (31, FRA), Pedro Lamy (27, POR) in car number 6. Two cars have to be qualified during the pre-qualifying on 2 May, the number 4 car has already been confirmed for the race because Mercedes-Benz has won last year's FIA GT Championship.

Of the 34 entered cars of the LMP and LM GTP categories (open and closed sports-prototypes) only 26 will be allowed to race, so that eight cars will drop out after the pre-qualifying.

The extensive test programme for the long distance classic included a number of 24-hour race simulations with 35,000 kms being covered to date. The programme was started on the super speedway at Fontana in California on 22 February. Already during the second long run in March, at Fontana again, the new Mercedes sports-prototype covered 5.000 kms.

"We experienced no major problems with the CLR, it ran like clockwork," stated Mercedes-Benz Motorsport manager Norbert Haug, "we have developed a solid base, which was demonstrated during our last 30-hour test at Magny-Cours last weekend. There we ran for more than 30 hours and more than 5,000 kilometres with the same car. The team was very pleased with the 13,000 kilometres covered by the three cars at Magny-Cours."

The Mercedes CLR is a completely new car powered by a six-litre V8 normally aspirated engine. The appearance shows the relation to the Mercedes product family with the CLR featuring the face of the new Mercedes CL coupe. The CLR has a smaller frontal area than its predecessor, the CLK-LM, and with 1,012 mm it is more than 10 cm lower. The weight of 900 kg complies with the weight limit specified by the Le Mans regulations.

A production engine provided the basis for the engine block and the crankshaft of the six-litre V8 power unit of more than 600 hp that was run on the dyno for the first time at the beginning of December. Until 1998 the M 119 was used to power S-, SL- and E-class cars. A five-litre turbocharged version of the M 119 had already taken a Le Mans victory in 1989, the year of the Le Mans debut in the new Mercedes-Benz motorsport era.

Besides Le Mans more races with the CLR are being planned. Hans Werner Aufrecht, the owner of motorsport partner H.W.A GmbH, whose company is in charge of the design, construction and running of the Le Mans CLR, said: "We are concentrating our efforts on Le Mans and will then compete in select international races later on, for example in the American Le Mans Series, for sure in the invitation race at the Norisring. The German fans deserve to watch the CLR race live."