Sauber C9

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The Sauber Mercedes C9 was a Group C prototype race car introduced in 1987 as a continuation of the partnership between Sauber as a constructor and Mercedes-Benz as an engine builder for the World Sportscar Championship. The C9 replaced the previous Sauber C8.

For its initial season in 1987, the cars were run by Kouros Racing, named for after the aftershave brand of its sponsor, although officially backed by Mercedes-Benz. The team managed a mere twelth in the teams standings, scoring points in only a single round. For 1988, Kouros was dropped as a sponsor, forcing the team to be renamed Sauber Mercedes. As a result, Mercedes involved one of its company AEG-Olympia for sponsor. However, they managed to finish second in the championship behind Jaguar, with five wins for the season. Unfortunately at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the team suffered an embarrassing setback when they were forced to withdraw due to concern over their Michelin tires.

Finally, in 1989, the car was able to achieve great success. Beside replacing the black color scheme for its national plain silver scheme, reducing AEG as a minor sponsor, the older Mercedes-Benz M117 5.0L turbocharged V8 engine was upgraded to the M119, which replaced steel heads with new aluminium. The C9 was able to win all but one race in the 1989 season, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. During qualifying for Le Mans, the C9 recorded a speed of 247mph while on the Mulsannes Straight, an achievement which eventually led to the installation of chicanes on the Mulsannes. Mercedes driver Jean-Louis Schlesser would end up taking the driver's championship that season.

The C9 would be replaced by the Mercedes-Benz C11 for 1990.

[edit] Le Mans Results

• 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans
  • #61 - Kouros Racing - Mike Thackwell, Henri Pescarolo, Hideki Okada - DNF
  • #62 - Kouros Racing - Chip Ganassi, Johnny Dumfries, Mike Thackwell - DNF

• 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans
  • #61 - Team Sauber Mercedes - Mauro Baldi, James Weaver, Jochen Mass - Withdrawn
  • #62 - Team Sauber Mercedes - Klaus Niedzwiedz, Kenny Acheson - Withdrawn

• 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans
  • #61 - Team Sauber Mercedes - Mauro Baldi, Kenny Acheson, Gianfranco Brancatelli - 2nd
  • #62 - Team Sauber Mercedes - Jean-Louis Schlesser, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Alain Cudini - 5th
  • #63 - Team Sauber Mercedes - Jochen Mass, Manuel Reuter, Stanley Dickens - 1st

[edit] See Also

• Mercedes-Benz motorsport

Sauber

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