Breaking News: New World Records Established in Desert Red Over a Span of 182 Hours Globally

Mercedes-AMG Sets New World Record in Endurance Racing

In an extraordinary feat of motorsport engineering, the Mercedes-AMG team has shattered the 24-hour distance record at the Pista di Nardò in Italy. The record-breaking achievement was made possible by an orange-black Mercedes-AMG prototype, which covered an astonishing 40,075 kilometers in just 7 days, 13 hours, 24 minutes, and 7 seconds.

At the helm of this historic endeavour was racing driver Luca-Sandro Trefz, who, along with a team of 17 drivers including George Russell and Luca Stolz, propelled the vehicle to new heights. The project, which was kept under strict secrecy for months, saw Trefz return to motorsports with ambitious plans to compete in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in 2026.

The world record was set using two Concept AMG GT XX prototypes, each equipped with three lightweight axial-flow motors and directly cooled battery cells, providing more than 1360 horsepower. Every four to five laps, the vehicles pit to supply the battery at a specially developed charging pillar with charging powers of around 850 kW, allowing for a range of 400 kilometers after a five-minute charging time.

The project faced external challenges such as high temperatures, limited visibility at night, and strong winds or rain. Despite these obstacles, the Mercedes-AMG crew, including drivers like former DTM pilot Luca Stolz and four-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner George Russell, managed to not only meet but exceed the targeted distance.

Precise moves and accurate communication during driver changes were emphasized by Trefz, who was recruited for the project through Renger Racing due to his close ties to Affalterbach as a Mercedes test driver. Drivers took turns driving in teams of three for 60 to 90 minutes each, accumulating around four hours of cockpit time daily.

Leading executives such as Markus Schäfer, Michael Schiebe, and Oliver Wiech were present during the project, viewing it as the beginning of a new era. Findings from this project will be applied to the new Mercedes-AMG GT3 planned for 2027.

This record-breaking achievement marks a significant milestone for Mercedes-Benz, as it returns to the winning track and gains valuable insights for future production vehicles. In 1983, Mercedes-Benz set a world record on the same track with the Mercedes 190 E 2.3-16, achieving an average speed of almost 278 km/h in a 201-hour, 39-minute, and 43-second test.

With this latest record, Luca-Sandro Trefz has further cemented his place in motorsport history. On August 23, he set a total of 25 long-distance world records on a 12.5-kilometer circular test track at Nardò, Italy, culminating in the world record that revolves around the circumference of the Earth at the equator.