The Blancpain GT Series Asia has announced that at its Shanghai and Zhejiang rounds later this season, AMG will become the championship’s Official Safety Car Partner. The final two rounds of the inaugural pan-continental campaign will see the Mercedes-AMG GT leading the championship’s 30-strong entry of GT3 and GT4 cars to the start line of all four Chinese races, as well as performing essential duties in the event of an accident.
The Mercedes GT is the production model of the German manufacturer’s GT3-spec racer, which claimed the Europe-based Blancpain GT Series Teams’ and Drivers’ titles in 2016. That success has continued in Asia this year with official customer squad GruppeM Racing currently leading both championships. A GT4 version will also be available to customers for the first time in 2018.
The German brand is the latest to align itself with Blancpain GT Series Asia and follows the likes of Blancpain (title sponsor and official timing partner) Motul (official lubricants partner), Pirelli (official tire supplier), Dixcel (official brake partner), Panta (official fuel supplier) and TM Performance (official racing components partner).
“We are glad to provide AMG GT as the Safety Car to the leading GT racing series in Asia,” explained Thomas Erb, head of AMG Greater China. “The Mercedes-AMG GT3 is developed according to FIA GT3 regulations and is based on the Mercedes-AMG GT, which already has a high on-track performance level in its road-going version for both professional and gentleman drivers. In the near future, we will provide even more support to our customer racing teams in China such as engineering and technical support, and also continue to support racing activities to bring AMG customers and enthusiasts unforgettable experiences to enjoy the racing atmosphere. AMG – The Future of Driving Performance, born on the race track.”
“I’m delighted to welcome another premium partner like AMG onboard for this season’s final two weekends at Shanghai and Zhejiang,” added Benjamin Franassovici, Blancpain GT Series Asia Championship manager. “AMG’s production and motorsport products are respected around the world, and it’s that fusion of road and track capability that has also made them such a force in global GT3 racing. The safety car certainly won’t look out of place at the front of our grid.”
Blancpain GT Series Asia’s Chinese double header begins at Shanghai International Circuit on September 23/24 before Zhejiang hosts the championship’s season finale on October 21/22.
