Mercedes Engine Democracy

NOW AVAILABLE! — The Official Directory for CART Racing
Mercedes Engine Democracy
©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc.
All Mercedes-Benz raceengines are created equal
All Mercedes-Benz raceengines are created equal, and none is more equal than any other.
In all but one of the seven instances when the three-pointed starvisited a CART PPG World Series victory lane this season, and each of thefive times that a Mercedes-powered car qualified on the pole, a differentIC108D engine provided the power.
"Sixty-five Mercedes-Benz Indy car engines have been produced thisseason," said Paul Ray, vice president of Ilmor Engineering, the raceengine-building arm of Mercedes-Benz. "And some of those engines have beenre-built as many as seven or eight times by this point in the year. Butall of the parts are manufactured — and each of the engines built andre-built — to very precise specifications and very stringent qualitycontrol measures. That's why we know, whenever a Mercedes-Benz is boltedinto a race car, it's a potential winner."

The One Percent Rule
The 4000-plus parts that make up each Mercedes-Benz IC108D engineare manufactured by Ilmor at its state-of-the-art facility in Brixworth,England — about an hour's drive north of London — and by a select groupof suppliers from around the world. These parts are then shipped in kitform to the two shops which assemble Mercedes-Benz Indy car engines: VDSRacing in Midland, Texas, and Penske Racing in Reading, Pa.
Despite the thousands of miles that separate each of theselocations and the fact that different personnel assemble and re-buildengines for each of the Mercedes-powered teams, remarkable consistency andperformance parity is maintained from engine to engine and re-build tore-build.
The One Percent Rule requires that each Mercedes engine, when it istested on the dynamometer after assembly, produce performance numbers thatvary by no more than one percent from every other IC108D engine.
"Large performance variations are unacceptable,"explained Ray. "Each of our teams is a partner and, as such, has a rightto expect the same level of performance that all of our other partnershave. If an engine fails to supply the appropriate power when it's tested— which does occasionally happen — then we know something is wrong. Wetear it apart, find the problem and build it up again. It is thesophistication of the machinery and skill of the staff in Brixworth, aswell as the dedication and care of the engine builders here in the States,that allow us to maintain such exceptionally high standards and give ourpartners the assurances of parity they need."

The Depth of the Team
With seven wins and five pole positions, Mercedes-powered carshave finished second or better in 16 of the last 17 races. Consistencyamong hardware is only one of the reasons Mercedes-Benz has led the CARTmanufacturer's championship since May. The depth of each race teamcombined with exceptional driving talent on the seven-man squad is another.
With 14 (of 17) races of the PPG CART World Series seasoncomplete, three Mercedes-Benz drivers have won multiple races (Paul Tracy,Marlboro Team Penske, 3 wins; Greg Moore, Player's Forsythe Racing, 2 wins;Mark Blundell, PacWest Racing, 2 wins), six of the seven have postedtop-three finishes (Mauricio Gugelmin, PacWest Racing; Al Unser Jr.,Marlboro Team Penske; Patrick Carpentier, Team Alumax/Bettenhausen; Tracy;Moore and Blundell), and three have qualified on pole (Tracy, Gugelmin andDario Franchitti, Hogan Racing). The Mercedes six-race win streak inmid-season is also the longest engine victory string in theultra-competitive CART series since 1991.
Whether they be racing drivers, engine builders or any othermember of the team, the strength of the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Team, likeany democracy, lies with its people. Great people have been building,racing and winning with Mercedes-Benz engines around the globe since thefirst auto race was held in 1894.

No Such Thing as a Lucky Engine
In all but one of Mercedes-Benz's seven PPG Cup victories thisseason, a different IC108D engine powered the winning car, and in each ofthe five instances that a Mercedes-powered car qualified on the pole, adifferent engine provided the motivation.
Mercedes-Benz 1997 CART wins Race Driver/Team Eng# Bld#1 Nazareth Tracy/Marlboro Team Penske 19 52 Rio Tracy/Marlboro Team Penske 24 13 St. Louis Tracy/Marlboro Team Penske 24 34 Milwaukee Moore/Player's Forsythe Racing 32 35 Detroit Moore/Player's Forsythe Racing 30 36 Portland Blundell/Motorola PacWest Racing 40 67 Toronto Blundell/Motorola PacWest Racing 46 6Mercedes-Benz 1997 CART wins Race Driver/Team Eng# Bld#1 Nazareth Tracy/Marlboro Team Penske 27 12 Rio Gugelmin/Hollywood PacWest Racing 3 63 Milwaukee Tracy/Marlboro Team Penske 22 54 Toronto Franchitti/Hogan Racing 65 25 Elkhart Lake Gugelmin/Hollywood PacWest Racing 57 5
Source: Mercedes-Benz


		NOW AVAILABLE! — The Official Directory for CART Racing

		Mercedes Engine Democracy ©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. All Mercedes-Benz raceengines are created equal All Mercedes-Benz raceengines are created equal, and none is more equal than any other. In all but one of the seven instances when the three-pointed starvisited a CART PPG World Series victory lane this season, and each of thefive times that a Mercedes-powered car qualified on the pole, a differentIC108D engine provided the power. "Sixty-five Mercedes-Benz Indy car engines have been produced thisseason," said Paul Ray, vice president of Ilmor Engineering, the raceengine-building arm of Mercedes-Benz. "And some of those engines have beenre-built as many as seven or eight times by this point in the year. Butall of the parts are manufactured — and each of the engines built andre-built — to very precise specifications and very stringent qualitycontrol measures. That's why we know, whenever a Mercedes-Benz is boltedinto a race car, it's a potential winner." The One Percent Rule The 4000-plus parts that make up each Mercedes-Benz IC108D engineare manufactured by Ilmor at its state-of-the-art facility in Brixworth,England — about an hour's drive north of London — and by a select groupof suppliers from around the world. These parts are then shipped in kitform to the two shops which assemble Mercedes-Benz Indy car engines: VDSRacing in Midland, Texas, and Penske Racing in Reading, Pa. Despite the thousands of miles that separate each of theselocations and the fact that different personnel assemble and re-buildengines for each of the Mercedes-powered teams, remarkable consistency andperformance parity is maintained from engine to engine and re-build tore-build. The One Percent Rule requires that each Mercedes engine, when it istested on the dynamometer after assembly, produce performance numbers thatvary by no more than one percent from every other IC108D engine. "Large performance variations are unacceptable,"explained Ray. "Each of our teams is a partner and, as such, has a rightto expect the same level of performance that all of our other partnershave. If an engine fails to supply the appropriate power when it's tested— which does occasionally happen — then we know something is wrong. Wetear it apart, find the problem and build it up again. It is thesophistication of the machinery and skill of the staff in Brixworth, aswell as the dedication and care of the engine builders here in the States,that allow us to maintain such exceptionally high standards and give ourpartners the assurances of parity they need." The Depth of the Team With seven wins and five pole positions, Mercedes-powered carshave finished second or better in 16 of the last 17 races. Consistencyamong hardware is only one of the reasons Mercedes-Benz has led the CARTmanufacturer's championship since May. The depth of each race teamcombined with exceptional driving talent on the seven-man squad is another. With 14 (of 17) races of the PPG CART World Series seasoncomplete, three Mercedes-Benz drivers have won multiple races (Paul Tracy,Marlboro Team Penske, 3 wins; Greg Moore, Player's Forsythe Racing, 2 wins;Mark Blundell, PacWest Racing, 2 wins), six of the seven have postedtop-three finishes (Mauricio Gugelmin, PacWest Racing; Al Unser Jr.,Marlboro Team Penske; Patrick Carpentier, Team Alumax/Bettenhausen; Tracy;Moore and Blundell), and three have qualified on pole (Tracy, Gugelmin andDario Franchitti, Hogan Racing). The Mercedes six-race win streak inmid-season is also the longest engine victory string in theultra-competitive CART series since 1991. Whether they be racing drivers, engine builders or any othermember of the team, the strength of the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Team, likeany democracy, lies with its people. Great people have been building,racing and winning with Mercedes-Benz engines around the globe since thefirst auto race was held in 1894. No Such Thing as a Lucky Engine In all but one of Mercedes-Benz's seven PPG Cup victories thisseason, a different IC108D engine powered the winning car, and in each ofthe five instances that a Mercedes-powered car qualified on the pole, adifferent engine provided the motivation. Mercedes-Benz 1997 CART wins Race Driver/Team Eng# Bld#1 Nazareth Tracy/Marlboro Team Penske 19 52 Rio Tracy/Marlboro Team Penske 24 13 St. Louis Tracy/Marlboro Team Penske 24 34 Milwaukee Moore/Player's Forsythe Racing 32 35 Detroit Moore/Player's Forsythe Racing 30 36 Portland Blundell/Motorola PacWest Racing 40 67 Toronto Blundell/Motorola PacWest Racing 46 6Mercedes-Benz 1997 CART wins Race Driver/Team Eng# Bld#1 Nazareth Tracy/Marlboro Team Penske 27 12 Rio Gugelmin/Hollywood PacWest Racing 3 63 Milwaukee Tracy/Marlboro Team Penske 22 54 Toronto Franchitti/Hogan Racing 65 25 Elkhart Lake Gugelmin/Hollywood PacWest Racing 57 5 Source: Mercedes-Benz