Mercedes Motorsport

While Mercedes vehicles are commonly associated with wealth, the brand has a long history of competing in racing competitions. Before the merger that occured in 1926, both DMG and Benz & Cie had been successful in races individually. For example, they both competed in the Paris to Rouen competition in 1894. The company has continued to compete in both rallying and sports competitions since this time. The company has had periods were it did not compete in any racing events, and one good example of this is the break that the company took during the late 1930s. The company also went on a hiatus in 1955, when a racing accident involving one of their vehicles was responsible for the death of over 80 people.

The accident in 1955, also known as the 1955 Le Mans disaster, was so traumatic for the company that they would not fully compete again in racing competitions until the end of the 1980s. The accident was very ironic in that Mercedes is a company that has always been renown for its emphasis on safety. During the 1990s, Mercedes purchased a company which specialized in building engines. The company then competed in the Indy 500 race, and they emerged victorious with the Al Unser Jr. It was during the 1990s when Mercedes again emerged as a serious competitor.

The race car which really allowed the company to shine was the Mercedes Benz CLK GTR. It allowed the company to dominate at the La Sarthe, and they continued to remain a contender in many prominent competitions. As of this writing, the racing division of this company competes in three primary areas, and these are Formula One, Formula Three, and DTM. It should also be noted that Mercedes is the partial owner of Team McLaren, and the company has continued building engines for the team since 1995.