(video) Group-C Mercedes-Benz C11

[Frank Uhlig]

Sauber/Mercedes-Benz C11 at the nurburgring in summer 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yh9qLMmt0w

[Fantuzzi]

Thanks for the vid.

The merc looks great from the front

[Derek Smith]

Thanks for that, Frank.

I saw them race twice in 1990 (I think), once at Donington and then at Brands.

At Donington we camped opposite their social area and took great joy in flying the Jaguar flag. The race had the most exciting 90 mins or so I've ever seen, with the Mercs battling the Jags and the lone Aston but then the Mercs dominated and, unfortunately, could take things easy for the remaining four and a half hours. Post race we were invited in for food and drinks and they were a great crowd. They even let us bring in our flag.

At Brands I expected another battle but the two Mercs ran nose to tail early on and then one lost it at Clearways, coming back onto the track to take out the second one. Not even 90 mins there. One came back into the race but was nowhere.

Thanks for bringing back the good memories. A fabulous and exciting formula.

[coppice]

Go to Silverstone Classic next week and you can see the Merc in action; last year I watched it from the pit wall in testing - as it went past at a gazillion mph into Copse it sounded like the end of the world- just soul stirring. Bob's team very accessible too if you want to look round the Gp C machinery

[t1grm]

Derek Smith said:

Thanks for that, Frank.

I saw them race twice in 1990 (I think), once at Donington and then at Brands.

At Donington we camped opposite their social area and took great joy in flying the Jaguar flag. The race had the most exciting 90 mins or so I've ever seen, with the Mercs battling the Jags and the lone Aston but then the Mercs dominated and, unfortunately, could take things easy for the remaining four and a half hours. Post race we were invited in for food and drinks and they were a great crowd. They even let us bring in our flag.

At Brands I expected another battle but the two Mercs ran nose to tail early on and then one lost it at Clearways, coming back onto the track to take out the second one. Not even 90 mins there. One came back into the race but was nowhere.

Thanks for bringing back the good memories. A fabulous and exciting formula.

Wasn’t that Brands in 89? The first Merc driven by Jean Louis Schlesser was lapping a pink Tiga at Clearways which moved across on the Merc and put him into the outside barrier. It was a huge impact. The Merc rebounded off the barrier into the path of the second Merc driven by Maruo Baldi who did a great job of throwing the car into an avoiding spin and just missed him. The race was red flagged. The second Merc got going again and joined the restart. The first Merc was out. The Tiga was repaired and took the restart from the pit lane. Jag won the race.

I was there. Happy days. A golden era of racing.

I’m sure it’s on YouTube. I’ll dig it out this evening when I’m not in the office.

[Thundersports]

1988 carried on under safety car I was at Paddock and saw a flash of flame and a Sauber Mercedes shedding it's body. The car Berridge runs is a C9 owned by Gareth Evans. If you have never seen these cars you are missing a treat as they are awesome and the top 5 or so in the historic series drive them hard.

[Rude-boy]

coppice said:

Go to Silverstone Classic next week and you can see the Merc in action; last year I watched it from the pit wall in testing - as it went past at a gazillion mph into Copse it sounded like the end of the world- just soul stirring. Bob's team very accessible too if you want to look round the Gp C machinery

The best memory of last year was the Practice session for the Group C.

One minute you were looking at 3 LC2's the next a Mazda being passed by one of these thunderous machines and then Minassian would appear into my view out of Becketts in the 905Evo hard on it, down a couple like rifle shots into Stowe, and off through the vale into Club. Shivers down my spine just recalling it.

Managed to chat to NM about it at LM this year and he was very animated about how much he enjoyed driving the car, obviously still gutted nearly a year on that a very small breakage in the 'box meant that the car could not race, and would love the chance to get out in the car again on a proper track like Silverstone.

[Derek Smith]

t1grm said:

Wasn’t that Brands in 89? The first Merc driven by Jean Louis Schlesser was lapping a pink Tiga at Clearways which moved across on the Merc and put him into the outside barrier. It was a huge impact. The Merc rebounded off the barrier into the path of the second Merc driven by Maruo Baldi who did a great job of throwing the car into an avoiding spin and just missed him. The race was red flagged. The second Merc got going again and joined the restart. The first Merc was out. The Tiga was repaired and took the restart from the pit lane. Jag won the race.

I was there. Happy days. A golden era of racing.

I’m sure it’s on YouTube. I’ll dig it out this evening when I’m not in the office.

Wow! What a memory. Indeed, you gave me enough info for it all to come back. I was in the stands at Paddock and the big cars diving for the inside to overtake lesser mortals, to the complete surprise of the driver of the less powerful car, was stunning. So exciting.

As you say, a golden era. Just the sound of the cars brings it back.

Edited to add: When I was at Donington I was standing at Coppice for a while with my face pressed up against the chicken wire fence that used to be there, this during the first half hour or so when things were hairy. A lump of tyre came off one of the cars and hit me in the eye. It wasn't going particularly fast but it hurt - causing me to drop my camera and break it. I put my hand to my eye, as you do, and inadvertently pressed the bit of tyre harder into my face. It really stung. I pulled it off, unknown to me taking a bit of eyebrow with it. It didn't hurt much and in any way the tyre lump was bloody hot so it was already hurting. Not only that, but my eye continued to water for about 10 mins meaning that I had difficulty seeing the race.

None of my mates told me I had this strip of eyebrow missing and when we were in the Merc area after the race for food people kept looking at my eye, or just above it. I thought there was a burn or something. It wasn't until I looked in the wing mirror of my car, as we were going home, that I saw how stupid I looked. My mates said they couldn't believe no one mentioned it to me.

My wife put eye shadow on it when I went to work, telling me that it would not grow back, but thankfully she was wrong.

Edited by Derek Smith on Thursday 18th July 20:16

[dtrump]

Great vid

One of those where you realise you had your mouth dropped wide open the whole time watching
Enjoyable video no doubt

[MotorsportTom]

I have little goosebumps starting during the on board stuff.

It looks incredible and I have to see this in person at some point, it's definitely on the bucket list!

Thanks for sharing