Mercedes Powers Franz Weis and VDS to 100th Win

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Mercedes Powers Franz Weis and VDS to 100th Win
©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc.
VDS reaches century mark in Portland
MONTVALE, N.J. (July 1, 1997) — Roger Penske is looking for his100th victory as an Indy car owner at the Medic Drug Grand Prix ofCleveland, July 13, but another Indy car stalwart, Franz Weis, owner of VDSRacing, reached a century victory mark of his own when Mark Blundell andthe Mercedes-powered Motorola PacWest team emerged victorious in a photofinish at Portland in round nine of the PPG CART World Series.
"That's the way you want to do it," said Weis after the momentousvictory, which was the closest in CART's 19-season history. "You couldhave thrown a blanket over all three cars at the end. It was all threeengine manufacturers — Mercedes, Ford and Honda — and we out-drove themall coming off the last corner. I'm so proud to have done it withMercedes. They have such a history in racing, and to be part of thathistory is an honor."
Weis and VDS assemble and maintain Mercedes-Benz race engines forfour teams and five drivers, including Blundell and PacWest teammateMauricio Gugelmin, Greg Moore and Player's Forsythe Racing, Hogan Racingwith Dario Franchitti and the Alumax-backed Bettenhausen Motorsports teamwith driver Patrick Carpentier. Penske Racing, with drivers Paul Tracy andAl Unser Jr., build and maintain their Mercedes-Benz engines in-house.
"Mercedes-Benz has enjoyed remarkable success in PPG Cupcompetition so far this season," said Steve Potter, manager, sportsmarketing for Mercedes-Benz of North America. "That success is a result ofteamwork, and the fact that Franz Weis has accumulated 100 wins and RogerPenske is on the verge of scoring his 100th is further testimony to thequality of people and organizations that make up the Mercedes-BenzMotorsport team."
The Start
The first entries on Weis' list of Indy car wins date back to 1978,when he built engines for Jim Hall's Chaparral Cars, with which Al UnserSr. took the "Triple Crown," winning all three 500-mile races(Indianapolis, Pocono and Ontario) that season. Unser was also victoriousat Phoenix the following year.
"Those early wins were really special because I was so involved andbecause the 'Triple Crown' has never been duplicated," said Weis, whoseGerman accent has taken on hints of a Southern drawl after 34 years ofresidence in Midland, Texas, where VDS remains today.
The following year, Weis met Belgian Count Rudy Van Der Straten,who had been racing in Formula 5000, and the two formed VDS Racing. Afterthey collaborated to win the 1981 Can-Am series title, Weis and VDS enteredthe Indy car arena in 1982, building engines for Jim Trueman's Truesportsteam. VDS fielded its own Indy car team in 1983 and 1984, whilemaintaining a growing list of customer teams. Their roster of victoriesalso grew, as they added 35 Indy car wins over the next five years.
In 1987, when Ilmor Engineering — now the race engine-building armof Mercedes-Benz — expanded their involvement as CART enginemanufacturers, Ilmor principals Paul Morgan and Mario Illien knew theywould need a U.S.-based assembly and re-build facility to service customerteam engines. Weis, having met and befriended Morgan some 10 yearsearlier, seemed a likely choice. Their partnership has yielded 57 wins inthe 10 seasons since, including six 500-mile races.
97 . . . 98 . . . 99 . . .
In 1995, Mercedes-Benz's first full season of PPG Cup competition,Weis enjoyed his first race win under the banner of the three-pointed starwhen Gil de Ferran won the CART season finale at Laguna Seca Raceway, inMonterey, Calif.
"That first win for Mercedes was like a dream come true," saidWeis. "I grew up just outside of Stuttgart (Germany, where Mercedes-Benzis headquartered), and from the time I was very young, I knew that theMercedes name was something special. It's the best auto company in theworld."
Moore notched win number 98 earlier this season when the youngCanadian visited victory lane for the first time in his CART career atMilwaukee, June 1. One week later, in Detroit, Moore tied the race betweenWeis and Penske, collecting his second consecutive win, Mercedes' fifth ina row, and VDS' 99th as an Indy car engine assembler.
Weis celebrated his 100th win in fine style. He purchasedchampagne for every member of his 24-person staff, which includes his wifeand daughter. He also received congratulations from Norbert Haug, head ofmotorsports for Daimler-Benz AG in Stuttgart, and 100 red roses from HalWhiteford, vice president, operations for Mercedes-Benz of North America.
"The phone has been ringing off the wall here," he said. "Iprobably won't be around long enough to reach 200, but it's been veryspecial making it to 100 with Mercedes."
Mercedes-Benz leads the CART Manufacturer's point standings, powersthe two top drivers in PPG Cup drivers points (Tracy and Moore), and hastwice as many CART wins (6) in 1997 as the other engine manufacturerscombined. Mercedes also competes worldwide in Formula One and FIA GTracing, scoring wins in each series so far in 1997.

Working Worldwide: The Mercedes-Benz CART Engine Program
BRAZIL / CANADA / ENGLAND / SCOTLAND / UNITED STATES
Mercedes-Benz provides race engines to five teams with sevendrivers in the 1997 PPG CART World Series. The seven drivers hail from fivedifferent countries.
ENGLAND
Ilmor Engineering, a Brixworth-based company, is the raceengine-building arm of Mercedes-Benz. Ilmor designs and manufacturesengines for the Mercedes-Benz CART and Formula One programs.
GERMANY
Ilmor engineers spend significant test time at the Mercedes-Benztransient dyno in Stuttgart. The dyno provides the ultimate test facilityto maximize race engine designs and engine management software.
UNITED STATES
Ilmor manufactures engine pieces in England, and then ships theparts to Penske Racing and VDS Racing in the U.S. to be assembled intofinal race-ready form. Constructed painstakingly by hand, each enginerequires 120 man-hours to assemble.
READING, PENNSYLVANIA
Roger Penske, co-founder and partner in Ilmor Engineering,and Penske Racing have an in-house engine shop in Reading,where the Mercedes engines used by Paul Tracy and Al Unser Jr. areassembled.
MIDLAND, TEXAS
VDS, owned by Franz Weis, assembles and maintainsMercedes-Benz race engines used by Player's/ForsytheRacing, Bettenhausen Racing, the two-car PacWest team and Hogan Racing.
AUSTRALIA / BRAZIL / CANADA / UNITED STATES
At each of the 17 events on the PPG Cup calendar, Ilmor providesat-track support and services for the teams, including a tracksidetechnical engineer for each of the seven Mercedes-Benz entries.
Win No. 100 = Win No. One For Phase Two
The 100th Indy car victory for VDS marks the sixth straight win forMercedes-Benz (the first time an engine manufacturer has won six CART racesin a row since 1991) and the first win for the new "Phase Two" version ofthe Mercedes-Benz IC108D engine.
The Phase Two engine had been used in testing, practice andqualifying so far in 1997, but the Portland event marked the race debut forthe new engine.
"The new engine offers improved power and performance," explainedPaul Ray, vice president, Ilmor Engineering. "It is a sign of thecontinuous development that you need in order to remain at the front ofthis very competitive series."
Phase Two: Two-for-Two in Debut
In addition to winning in its first race, the Phase Twoconfiguration won the pole position with Mauricio Gugelmin in its firstqualifying appearance earlier this year in Rio de Janeiro.
Source: Mercedes-Benz USA


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		Mercedes Powers Franz Weis and VDS to 100th Win ©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. VDS reaches century mark in Portland MONTVALE, N.J. (July 1, 1997) — Roger Penske is looking for his100th victory as an Indy car owner at the Medic Drug Grand Prix ofCleveland, July 13, but another Indy car stalwart, Franz Weis, owner of VDSRacing, reached a century victory mark of his own when Mark Blundell andthe Mercedes-powered Motorola PacWest team emerged victorious in a photofinish at Portland in round nine of the PPG CART World Series. "That's the way you want to do it," said Weis after the momentousvictory, which was the closest in CART's 19-season history. "You couldhave thrown a blanket over all three cars at the end. It was all threeengine manufacturers — Mercedes, Ford and Honda — and we out-drove themall coming off the last corner. I'm so proud to have done it withMercedes. They have such a history in racing, and to be part of thathistory is an honor." Weis and VDS assemble and maintain Mercedes-Benz race engines forfour teams and five drivers, including Blundell and PacWest teammateMauricio Gugelmin, Greg Moore and Player's Forsythe Racing, Hogan Racingwith Dario Franchitti and the Alumax-backed Bettenhausen Motorsports teamwith driver Patrick Carpentier. Penske Racing, with drivers Paul Tracy andAl Unser Jr., build and maintain their Mercedes-Benz engines in-house. "Mercedes-Benz has enjoyed remarkable success in PPG Cupcompetition so far this season," said Steve Potter, manager, sportsmarketing for Mercedes-Benz of North America. "That success is a result ofteamwork, and the fact that Franz Weis has accumulated 100 wins and RogerPenske is on the verge of scoring his 100th is further testimony to thequality of people and organizations that make up the Mercedes-BenzMotorsport team." The Start The first entries on Weis' list of Indy car wins date back to 1978,when he built engines for Jim Hall's Chaparral Cars, with which Al UnserSr. took the "Triple Crown," winning all three 500-mile races(Indianapolis, Pocono and Ontario) that season. Unser was also victoriousat Phoenix the following year. "Those early wins were really special because I was so involved andbecause the 'Triple Crown' has never been duplicated," said Weis, whoseGerman accent has taken on hints of a Southern drawl after 34 years ofresidence in Midland, Texas, where VDS remains today. The following year, Weis met Belgian Count Rudy Van Der Straten,who had been racing in Formula 5000, and the two formed VDS Racing. Afterthey collaborated to win the 1981 Can-Am series title, Weis and VDS enteredthe Indy car arena in 1982, building engines for Jim Trueman's Truesportsteam. VDS fielded its own Indy car team in 1983 and 1984, whilemaintaining a growing list of customer teams. Their roster of victoriesalso grew, as they added 35 Indy car wins over the next five years. In 1987, when Ilmor Engineering — now the race engine-building armof Mercedes-Benz — expanded their involvement as CART enginemanufacturers, Ilmor principals Paul Morgan and Mario Illien knew theywould need a U.S.-based assembly and re-build facility to service customerteam engines. Weis, having met and befriended Morgan some 10 yearsearlier, seemed a likely choice. Their partnership has yielded 57 wins inthe 10 seasons since, including six 500-mile races. 97 . . . 98 . . . 99 . . . In 1995, Mercedes-Benz's first full season of PPG Cup competition,Weis enjoyed his first race win under the banner of the three-pointed starwhen Gil de Ferran won the CART season finale at Laguna Seca Raceway, inMonterey, Calif. "That first win for Mercedes was like a dream come true," saidWeis. "I grew up just outside of Stuttgart (Germany, where Mercedes-Benzis headquartered), and from the time I was very young, I knew that theMercedes name was something special. It's the best auto company in theworld." Moore notched win number 98 earlier this season when the youngCanadian visited victory lane for the first time in his CART career atMilwaukee, June 1. One week later, in Detroit, Moore tied the race betweenWeis and Penske, collecting his second consecutive win, Mercedes' fifth ina row, and VDS' 99th as an Indy car engine assembler. Weis celebrated his 100th win in fine style. He purchasedchampagne for every member of his 24-person staff, which includes his wifeand daughter. He also received congratulations from Norbert Haug, head ofmotorsports for Daimler-Benz AG in Stuttgart, and 100 red roses from HalWhiteford, vice president, operations for Mercedes-Benz of North America. "The phone has been ringing off the wall here," he said. "Iprobably won't be around long enough to reach 200, but it's been veryspecial making it to 100 with Mercedes." Mercedes-Benz leads the CART Manufacturer's point standings, powersthe two top drivers in PPG Cup drivers points (Tracy and Moore), and hastwice as many CART wins (6) in 1997 as the other engine manufacturerscombined. Mercedes also competes worldwide in Formula One and FIA GTracing, scoring wins in each series so far in 1997. Working Worldwide: The Mercedes-Benz CART Engine Program BRAZIL / CANADA / ENGLAND / SCOTLAND / UNITED STATES Mercedes-Benz provides race engines to five teams with sevendrivers in the 1997 PPG CART World Series. The seven drivers hail from fivedifferent countries. ENGLAND Ilmor Engineering, a Brixworth-based company, is the raceengine-building arm of Mercedes-Benz. Ilmor designs and manufacturesengines for the Mercedes-Benz CART and Formula One programs. GERMANY Ilmor engineers spend significant test time at the Mercedes-Benztransient dyno in Stuttgart. The dyno provides the ultimate test facilityto maximize race engine designs and engine management software. UNITED STATES Ilmor manufactures engine pieces in England, and then ships theparts to Penske Racing and VDS Racing in the U.S. to be assembled intofinal race-ready form. Constructed painstakingly by hand, each enginerequires 120 man-hours to assemble. READING, PENNSYLVANIA Roger Penske, co-founder and partner in Ilmor Engineering,and Penske Racing have an in-house engine shop in Reading,where the Mercedes engines used by Paul Tracy and Al Unser Jr. areassembled. MIDLAND, TEXAS VDS, owned by Franz Weis, assembles and maintainsMercedes-Benz race engines used by Player's/ForsytheRacing, Bettenhausen Racing, the two-car PacWest team and Hogan Racing. AUSTRALIA / BRAZIL / CANADA / UNITED STATES At each of the 17 events on the PPG Cup calendar, Ilmor providesat-track support and services for the teams, including a tracksidetechnical engineer for each of the seven Mercedes-Benz entries. Win No. 100 = Win No. One For Phase Two The 100th Indy car victory for VDS marks the sixth straight win forMercedes-Benz (the first time an engine manufacturer has won six CART racesin a row since 1991) and the first win for the new "Phase Two" version ofthe Mercedes-Benz IC108D engine. The Phase Two engine had been used in testing, practice andqualifying so far in 1997, but the Portland event marked the race debut forthe new engine. "The new engine offers improved power and performance," explainedPaul Ray, vice president, Ilmor Engineering. "It is a sign of thecontinuous development that you need in order to remain at the front ofthis very competitive series." Phase Two: Two-for-Two in Debut In addition to winning in its first race, the Phase Twoconfiguration won the pole position with Mauricio Gugelmin in its firstqualifying appearance earlier this year in Rio de Janeiro. Source: Mercedes-Benz USA