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Mercedes SLS GT3 AMG Crashes During First VLN Race of 2015

The day of March 28th, 2015 could go down as one of the saddest in motorsport history. After catching air at the Nordschleife's Flugplatz, a Nissan GT-R GT3 took flight, flipped over and landed over the protective barrier, killing one spectator and injuring two others.
 Mercedes SLS GT3 AMG Crashes During First VLN Race of 2015 - Video 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
This completely overshadowed what was supposed to be the start of the 2015 VLN racing season and could seriously affect the 24-Hour race in May. And it wasn't even the only crash either, as another GT3 race car, this time a Mercedes-Benz SLS smashed into the protective barrier.

If you pay close enough attention, you can see how the SLS leaves a tire mark on its right side right before entering the corner. That likely means the driver locked the brakes, but he was carrying too much speed anyway.

The SLS GT3 belongs to Rowe Racing, which also competes in the Nurburgring 24-Hour race and the Blancpain Endurance Series. Hopefully, the car can be repaired in good time because the team is hoping to improve on its third-place finishes in 2014 and 2013.

“We are already eagerly anticipating our new task. The Blancpain Endurance Series is a demanding category with very attractive circuits in Europe that we already know from test sessions and other races. We have a background in endurance racing, an area in which we have already had a lot of success,"
said team principal Hans-Peter Naundorf.

Built according to FIA regulations, this SLS racing machine is powered by a free-breathing 6.3-liter V8 engine that produces 548 hp, pushing around a total weight of only 2,980 lbs. Mercedes has just revealed its replacement, which uses the same engine, but is based on the new GT street model.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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