Mercedes-Benz unhappy, concerned with V8 Supercars team

Mercedes-Benz AMG has questioned the viability of its third-party V8 Supercars team following a dour and controversial season.

Erebus Motorsport, run by Westfield-founder heiress Betty Klimenko, a major customer of AMG, was approved the right to use a Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG body shell as the basis of her private V8 Supercars team in September 2012 by the German operations, despite vocal opposition from the local Mercedes-Benz management team. The team has since, however, been consistently beaten by Holden and Ford, and more recently, second-newcomer Nissan.

Currently, the three drivers of Mercedes-Benz AMG products, Tim Slade, Lee Holdsworth, and Mero Engel, are, within 28 cars on the grid, sitting at 21^st, 26^th and 28^th place respectively.

Tobias Moers (below), head of overall vehicle development and board member of Mercedes-AMG, responded at length to the question of whether the Stuttgart-based performance division is happy with the way Mercedes-Benz AMG is represented on the V8 Supercars grid.

�??That�??s a complicated question,�?� he began.

�??Honestly �?� no we�??re not today, it�??s not really good where we are today in that race series, that�??s clear, there is no sense to talk about we�??re happy with that. No we�??re not happy.

�??The thing is when Erebus started �?� the target was one of the first [top] 10 [results]. Get that and then the chequered flag is coming.�?�

He referred to the indication that Mercedes-Benz AMG would eventually see higher placings in V8 Supercars rounds, but that has not since eventuated.

Moers admits that �??we had a problem at the beginning there, we underestimated everything in the series, that�??s the truth.

�??We changed [the engine] �?� the powertrain wise the car is now capable. We still have an issue with the fuel consumption. But that problem or that issue will have everybody that�??s come new into the racing series.�?�

V8 Supercars management has since made mandatory a number of fuel-stop entrys within a race to allow the multi-valve engines, such as Nissan and Mercedes-Benz use, to be on an increasingly equal playing field than the remaining field�??s overhead valve engines.

But, Moers said, the efficiency inequality is because the Mercedes-Benz engine is forced to run at a compression ratio suitable for the existing Holden and Ford engines.

�??I think sooner or later they�??ll have to change something with that,�?� he opines. �??Because we have �?� the compression ratio, at 10:1 �?� that�??s two-valve compression ratio, that�??s one issue and they have to change something.

�??It�??s always complicated if you step into a racing series that is pretty good/settled, so they have to do some arrangement, because of Nissan and then they have some arrangement with the ethanol, and they won the last two races and we have a discussion �??is it fair for the other ones?�??�?�

In addition to the engine characteristics mandated by V8 Supercars management, Moers also cites a lack of tuning experience being a factor in hampering the Erebus team�??s success.

�??We have to discuss it with the team because Winton on that small circuit, 1.8 kilometres with 20 corners, the [Erebus] car�??s setup wasn�??t good so we had a lot of understeer �?� there is still something to do.

�??There�??s a need for discussions with that cars.�?�

The Erebus Motorsport team has a two-year contract with Mercedes-Benz AMG, which runs out late next year. Although with Ford likely to pull the pin on V8 Supercars involvement it makes the inclusion of Mercedes-Benz even more crucial, Moers is unequivocal about the requirements needed to renew the Erebus contract next year.

�??They have to [win],�?� he begins.� �??The aim is to win. If you race a car in a race series you have to win, you have to believe that you sometimes can win.

�??So we�??ll have to discuss with the team another time. But there�??s always a discussion going on, there must be a breakthrough sooner or later, that�??s clear�?�.

Unless major changes are made at Erebus Motorsport and with its drivers�?? ability to win races, it appears the Mercedes-Benz AMG venture into V8 Supercars will be extremely short-lived.