AMG Market News/Source: PR news from TRG Motorsports/Mooresville, N.C. (July 22, 2009) - TRG Motorsports and Circle B MotorCars of Texas are ready for the No. 71 Circle B MotorCars Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT to make its North American racing debut in round six of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Series at Autobahn Country Club Sunday, July 26.

TRG’s Spencer Pumpelly will pilot the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722 GT this weekend at the 3.56-mile, 21 turn Autobahn Country Club circuit located in Joliet, Illinois.  This will be the first visit to this circuit for the series.

“The car is a lot of fun to drive,” Pumpelly said.  “I am looking forward to my first World Challenge race and to see how the SLR GT stacks up against the competition.  The TRG Motorsports guys have done a tremendous amount of work to get the car ready for this weekend.”

Autobahn is new to each competitor, so the playing field will be level.

“The track is new to everyone.  It helps us that all of the competitors will be new to the track.  They just can’t unload with the setup they ran last year.  We are new to the car and to the Toyo tires.  We ran the tire recently and I was surprised by the amount of grip it has.  It is a lot like the Hoosier we used to run on our GT cars.   We should have a good crowd there to debut our new ride.  The long layout of the track will suit the car.  Long straights with the restrictions we have will hurt this car, like at Road America.  The car has great brakes and we will get it handling, so the tighter and more turns, the better the SLR GT will be.”

Pumpelly has done nothing but endurance racing for the last eight years.  A 50-minute sprint race is a welcomed new element to his resume.

“The last time I ran a race this short was in the Skip Barber Series in 2000.  When we run the 24-hour in the TRG GT cars our mentality is to run flat-out the whole time.  That is also how I am going to approach this weekend.”

The drama infused standing starts will also be new to the driver from Atlanta.
“We have not been able to practice any of the standing starts.  My first ever effort at a standing start will be on the grid, on TV Sunday in the Autobahn race.”

The team has realistic expectations for the car headed into this weekend.

“I want to be competitive and be able to run with some of the regular competitors.  We have a lot of restrictions on the car so there is really no telling how far off of the cars real potential we will be in the race.  I have a great chassis underneath me and great team behind me.”

Car owner of the No. 71 Circle B Motorcars SLR 722 GT, Peter Blom, is ready to see the car race.

“We have been working toward this weekend for the better part of six months,” Blom said.  “What better place than Autobahn Country Club to debut the SLR GT?  We have had the opportunity to test it three times to see exactly what we have.  The series is very competitive and we are hoping to have a successful first run with the car.  Spencer has done an excellent job getting an initial setup on the car and Bill (Rader, TRG SLR GT team manager) will take care of the rest once we get it on the track on Friday.”

TRG owner Kevin Buckler is ready for the team’s first race in SPEED World Challenge.

“The guys have done an awesome job preparing the SLR GT for this weekend,” Kevin Buckler, TRG owner said.  “It is tough to bring a new race car into a series when their schedule is halfway completed.  Spencer is ready and we have modest goals going into this weekend.  The track map looks like it will suit the SLR GT.  There is a nice mix of fast stuff and challenging turns.  I can’t wait to see and hear it on the track.  We have long term plans for the SLR program including starting a strong club following as well as a place to service, drive and race these great cars.  We want to put our money where our mouth is and showcase the capability of the car and TRG Motorsports and start by building and racing the GT.”

The team has committed to four races in the series including this weekend at Autobahn, Mid-Ohio, Road America and Road Atlanta.

The Harrah’s Autobahn Grand Prix presented by Mazda SCCA Pro Racing GT race will take the green flag on Sunday, July 26 at 3:10 p.m.  The 50-minute race will then be televised on the SPEED Channel, Tuesday, August 18 at 2:00 p.m.

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT is an exotic race car that features a Super Charged Mercedes V-8 engine capable of producing 680 horsepower.  The car is running SCCA Speed World Challenge GT series trim with a restricted 550 HP V-8 engine developed by RML (Ray Mallock Limited) in England.  The supercharger has been removed.  The car was designed and built by RML, in accordance with McLaren Automotive & Technology, and is a limited edition racer, with only 12 built for racing.  The name SLR stands for “Sport, Leicht, Rennsport” (Sport, Light, Racing).

For more info, contact Kyle Chura at (248) 821-0468 or via emailTeam websites: TRG Motorsports

Our friends at TRG Motorsports sent us the press release below. Along with Circle B Motorscars of Texas, they will debut the SLR McLaren 722 GT in Joliet, Illinois on July 26:

Petaluma, Calif., (June 30, 2009) – TRG Motorsports together with Circle B Motorcars of Texas will debut the No 71 Circle B Motorcars Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT car in the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Series at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois on July 26.

The Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722 GT is an exotic race car that features a Super Charged Mercedes V-8 engine capable of producing 680 horsepower, but will run in the World Challenge GT series with a restricted 550 HP V-8 engine developed by RML (Ray Mallock Limited) in England.  The car was designed and built by RML, in accordance with McLaren Technology, and is a limited edition racer, with only 15 in existence.  The name SLR stands for “Sport, Leicht, Rennsport” (Sport, Light, Racing).

TRG and RML are currently homologating the SLR 722 GT to comply with the SCCA World Challenge GT specifications.  The project is being headed by Bill Rader, No. 71 SLR GT project manager, at TRG Motorsports’ facility in Mooresville, North Carolina.

TRG sports car ace Spencer Pumpelly has performed an initial shake-down at Virginia International Raceway earlier this month.  Pumpelly will pilot the car in four races this season.

“Considering the amazing performance of the street car versions and the history of both Mercedes-Benz and McLaren I could not imagine this won’t be a rocket ship,” Pumpelly said.  “From what I have seen so far I think racing drivers and fans alike have a lot to be excited about with this car.  World Challenge is tough racing. The format is a pure sprint with a daunting standing start to kick it all off.  The expectations going into it can only be that the car is going to be a powerhouse and the team backing it, TRG – one of the best in the business.”

 

Owner of the No. 71 Circle B Motorcars SLR 722 GT, Peter Blom, is anxious to see the car on the track.

“Bearing in mind that these cars have a racing history in Europe dating back to 2008, we are excited to see what it can do in U.S. trim,” Blom said.  “We decided to race the 2009 version of the car here in the states to see if we can draw out the street versions of the cars that are currently in North America.  Some people buy these cars to add to a collection, I bought mine to race.  Together with TRG, we will see exactly what this great car is capable of in competition.  It looks like it is going 200 mph standing still and I can’t wait to see it on a U.S. race track.”

TRG owner Kevin Buckler is looking to the team’s first foray into the SPEED World Challenge.

“We want to show case the performance of this awesome car here in the states as well as our team’s capabilities,” Kevin Buckler, TRG owner said.  “TRG will be making its debut as a team in the series as well.  It will be the car’s first competitive laps in North America and we hope that some of the owners that have the street version in this country will also want to bring their cars out to race, or simply do some track days.  TRG and our awesome Mooresville facility will be prepping the SLR’s for clients to run in a variety of events, not just in full blown race trim.  We want the owners that purchased these vehicles to experience the thrill of learning to push the car to its limits, whether that is in stock trim or at a driver’s education event.  We can prep the cars in a variety of racing trims and we offer upgrade kits that will be available through TRG Motorsports.

Spencer is going to drive the car for us in four races this season at Autobahn, Mid-Ohio, Road America and Road Atlanta to showcase the car and the team’s abilities.  We are looking forward to seeing what exactly this car can do against the established competition in the World Challenge GT Series.  TRG has the full capability to race and service customer SLRs as well.”

TRG was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of motor racing ever since.  The team has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 26, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

TRG is a manufacturer and distributor of high-performance racing parts. The group specializes in engine and chassis tuning as well as full service professional race car preparation. The company also provides electrical and mechanical engineering services, driver development and arrive-and-drive opportunities. TRG is based in Petaluma, Calif., near its home track of Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.  The company’s NASCAR operation is based in Mooresville, North Carolina and a new state-of-the-art facility is coming on-line at New Jersey Motorsports Park in late 2009.

For more information please contact Kyle Chura at (248) 821-0468.  Visit their website for detailed team info. www.trgmotorsports.com or www.theracersgroup.com.

The fifth edition of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin began with the fusion of fashion and automobile. Susie Stoddart, one of the world’s top race car drivers drove with Mercedes-Benz fashion brand ambassador Julia Stegner in the SLR Roadster to the red carpet at Berlin’s famous Bebelplatz. In high style, they were on their way to the joint fashion show of Black Coffee from South Africa and Ramírez from Argentina presented by Mercedes-Benz.

It was the first time that both fashion labels had shown their collection at one of the top international fashion events.

“I think it’s fantastic that Mercedes-Benz, as part of its worldwide fashion activities, gives outstanding talents from domestic markets the chance to present their fashions on a major international runway,” said Julia Stegner.

Along with DTM racing driver Susie Stoddart, the top model was delighted with the extraordinary show and the creative designs presented by the fashion labels from Johannesburg and Buenos Aires.

Both Black Coffee and Ramírez had previously been awarded at fashion events sponsored by Mercedes-Benz in their respective countries. These awards won them the opportunity to stage their own show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin. “Fostering top domestic designers and up-and-coming fashion talents is a key element of our international fashion activities. We’ve established numerous national fashion prizes around the world and sponsor exclusive fashion festivals in order to level the international playing field for exceptionally talented designers,” said Anders Sundt Jensen, Vice President Brand Communications Mercedes‑Benz Cars.

Black Coffee and Ramírez showed extraordinary fashion designs

With their Black Coffee label, designers Jacques van der Watt and Daniça Lepen won the renowned Mercedes-Benz South Africa Award for Art and Culture, which this year was awarded in the field of fashion design. At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, they presented an extraordinary collection that merges past and future to create a new style for today’s South Africa. Faces are covered with helmets and nets reminiscent of colonial Africa, combining contemporary colurs, beading and printing that creates a look that is completely fresh, yet historic. “In a world full of technology, we return to age old finishes to infuse garments with personality and charm,” explained both designers. Black Coffee has always taken inspiration from old African traditions to create contemporary, luxurious fashion.

In late 2008, Pablo Ramírez of Argentina was named top national designer at Fashion Edition Buenos Aires. His spring/summer 2010 collection, which he showed in Berlin, is a tribute to Kouka, the legendary top model from his homeland and guiding spirit of 1960s Parisian designers. “My dresses represent the quintessential of grace. They are an ode to femininity and timeless elegance,” described Pablo Ramírez.

We can answer the "How much?" question rather easily (795,000 €, or about 1.2 million USD), it's the "Where can I get one?" question that's more interesting.

As of Monday, Dec. 17, 2007, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT will be made available to the North American market exclusively through RENNtech, the Florida-based MB tuning house owned and operated by super-tuner Hartmut Feyhl, who also lists "technical director, AMG North America" on his resume.

"It's been a very exciting project to be involved in," explains Feyhl.

You can read the full RENNtech press release here.