View of a Sauber Mercedes C11 once driven by Mauro Baldi and Michael Schumacher. In the International Pits at the Silverstone Classic Media Day 2017
Image details
Contributor:
John Gaffen / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
J162BMFile size:
58.1 MB (1.6 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
5428 x 3744 px | 46 x 31.7 cm | 18.1 x 12.5 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
23 March 2017Location:
Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, United KingdomMore information:
The Mercedes-Benz C11 was a Group C prototype race car introduced for the 1990 World Sports-Prototype Championship. Built by Sauber as a successor to the Sauber C9, the C11 used the same Mercedes-Benz M119 5.0L twin turbo V8. It was the first time that Mercedes-Benz chose to put their name on the car, instead of simply using Sauber. Following on the success of the Sauber C9, the Mercedes-Benz C11 was the last Group C prototype built by the Sauber Mercedes team before the introduction of the 3.5 litre category. Whereas, the C9 chassis had been constructed mostly from aluminium, the C11 was built from carbon fibre. The chassis was designed from scratch by Leo Ress, who had been with the team since the days of the Sauber C7, and the first example was built by local Swiss firm Nobrac ("carbon" spelt backwards)[2]. The remainder were built by DPS Composites in Surrey, UK whose principal, Dave Price, was also a team manger at Sauber. The new chassis was designed for more downforce with a lower frontal area. At 320 km/h (200 mph) it generated 5, 879 lb (2, 666.7 kg) of downforce, about 1, 000 lb (453.6 kg) more than the C9 at the same speed[3]. Unlike the Sauber C9, the new C11 did not have a low downforce/low drag configuration for Le Mans, that race not being a part of the championship season in 1990. The whole car was considerably slimmer in appearance than its older sibling and was both lighter and stiffer. Ballast was added to bring its minimum weight up to the required 900 kg (1, 984.2 lb) with an extra 5 kilograms added for safety. Particular attention was paid to air entry and exit points around the wheel arches and the airflow through the cockpit was improved for driver comfort. The development program also included the use of a rolling road wind tunnel which was unique for Group C at the time.