The growing interest in customer racing has led Mercedes-Benz AMG to launch an independent company to handle all “conceptual and technical” aspects of its expanding customer racing business. The business currently has a diverse offering, including race cars built to GT2, GT3 and GT4 regulations.
The new company, Affalterbach Racing GmbH, is based at AMG’s headquarters in Affalterbach, Germany, and one of its first tasks is to develop a new GT3 race car based on the latest AMG GT sports car. Current Mercedes GT3 is based on the old AMG GT.
AMG said Affalterbach Racing’s more specialized and focused race car expertise will be leveraged to help develop future AMG road cars quickly and efficiently.
AMG will also retain its current AMG Motorsport division, which will continue to be responsible for the overall organisation of the Mercedes-Benz global motorsport programme, including Formula 1.
Teaser of the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT3 race car developed by Affalterbach Racing
Separately, AMG plans to acquire HWA’s customer racing business. For readers unfamiliar with HWA, it’s the German motorsport and engineering skunk works formed in 1998 by AMG co-founder Hans Werner Aufrecht. That year, it became responsible for AMG’s motorsport program after Mercedes-Benz took AMG in-house.
Following the sale of its customer racing program to AMG, a deal that has yet to be fully approved, HWA will focus on its other programs, such as developing racing engines and even limited-production road cars, such as the recent Evo 190 E restomod project.