Every 2015 Mercedes-Benz racing champion at Stars & Cars in Stuttgart
Mercedes-Benz will celebrate its most successful ever motorsport year at Stars & Cars 2015 in the Mercedes-Benz Arena Stuttgart
- Real racing action with 15 races and five special contests on a specially built track in the Mercedes-Benz Arena Stuttgart
- All the Mercedes-Benz Formula One and DTM drivers will compete in the knockout competition, including Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton, Formula One star Nico Rosberg and DTM Champion Pascal Wehrlein
- Dr Dieter Zetsche: “Stars & Cars has constantly evolved since the first event in 1993. A new high point will be reached this year with an exciting competition in the Mercedes-Benz Arena Stuttgart.”
- Race Hub: Live-stream from the event and fan voting for drivers at: mercedes.me/starsandcars
Stuttgart – Mercedes-Benz will celebrate the most successful motor racing year in the company’s history with a new version of Stars & Cars. Spectators can watch an international Who’s Who of racing live at Stars & Cars in the Mercedes-Benz Arena Stuttgart on 12 December. Taking part will be Formula One driver Nico Rosberg and the DTM aces, plus the 2015 Mercedes-Benz champions from four different racing series – three-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton, DTM Champion Pascal Wehrlein, FIA Formula 3 European Champion Felix Rosenqvist and ADAC GT Masters Champions Luca Ludwig and Sebastian Asch.
Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars: “2015 has been the most successful motor racing year in the history of our brand. And so, our fans and colleagues can look forward to a very special event. Stars & Cars has constantly evolved since the first event in 1993. A new high point will be reached this year with an exciting competition in the Mercedes-Benz Arena Stuttgart. I am certain that once again this year, Stars & Cars will be a memorable live experience for all friends of Mercedes-Benz.”
Mercedes-Benz Head of Motorsport Toto Wolff: “For this year’s Stars & Cars, we’ve taken what was already there and extended the format to include new elements like real racing and interactive components for fans. Mercedes has enjoyed a very special year on the track in every single race series – and now we want to give something special back to our fans, right in the heart of Stuttgart. Visitors last year enjoyed getting up close to the stars as much as experiencing the power and the sound of the racing cars at close quarters. Mercedes-Benz has the largest motorsport presence of any brand in digital media and we want to actively involve our fans in Stars & Cars through these channels. Fans will have the opportunity to customise the event by selecting online our guest star drivers – and then watching the sparks fly on track!”
Programme highlights:
- Varied pre-event programme in front of the arena, including Meet the Drivers, at 2:00 pm
- Turnstiles to the Mercedes-Benz Arena Stuttgart open at 3:00 pm
- Event starts: 4:30 pm
- Expected finish: 8:15 pm
- All the 2015 Mercedes-Benz champions in attendance
- Interviews with Formula One and DTM drivers
- Real racing action on the track in the Mercedes-Benz Arena Stuttgart
- Pit-stop competition on the start/finish straight with teams from Formula One and the DTM
- Support programme with many artistes, including Cro, Culcha Candela, Marlon Roudette and Larry van Housen, plus show races like the mega battle between Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard in the Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG 6×6
Tickets for Stars & Cars: Tickets for adults cost 5 euros per person, which includes entry to the stadium as well as the use of public transport provided by the Stuttgart Transport Cooperative, the VVS (Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart). There is only one ticket category, and tickets will be issued on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. The number of tickets is limited to a maximum of ten per person.
150 places for people with mobility problems will be available at the same price. Admission is free for children under 14, but a ticket will still be required to gain entry to the stadium. Please bring proof of age or the child’s passport with you. Children’s tickets can only be ordered in conjunction with an adult ticket and are limited to a maximum five per person. For more information and to order tickets, visit: https://starsandcars.mercedes.me/de/startseite
Mercedes-Benz Museum: The Mercedes-Benz Museum, where Stars & Cars was staged last year, is close to the Mercedes-Benz Arena Stuttgart. As an additional highlight, entry to the Mercedes-Benz Museum will be free for all visitors (with or without Stars & Cars tickets) throughout the day (12 December 2015).
The format: This year’s Stars & Cars will be held in a stadium for the first time. A new event to the format is also being introduced. Stars & Cars will now also feature some real racing action for the first time in addition to the popular demo runs. 15 races and five special fixtures in total will be held on a between seven and eight metre wide track inside the Mercedes-Benz Arena Stuttgart during the event. The main competition will consist of four races, starting with the round of 16 (16 starters) and finishing with the final round (2 starters). The participants will use identical cars to compete against each other in each of the races. The winner of each round will go through to the next, in which they will line up in a different car. The evening’s two best drivers will go head-to-head in the finale, as they compete for the 2015 Stars & Cars championship title.
Lewis Hamilton: “I have celebrated each of my world championships at Stars & Cars, so I’m very excited about going back again for title number three, to share that experience with the fans and with my colleagues at Mercedes-Benz. The atmosphere is always something very special. And it’s great to hear that Mercedes is trying something new, too: I’m excited that we’re thinking out of the box a little bit for Stars & Cars 2015, because that’s what I try and do as well. I’ve been a member of the Mercedes family since I was 13 years old and it is always special to be representing the company right in the heart of Stuttgart. Plus I love to race, so I’m looking forward to a really competitive event to round off this amazing year.”
Pascal Wehrlein: “Stars & Cars with head-to-head battles in a stadium? Brilliant, bring it on! The format offers plenty of scope for exciting races, and, as is well-known, racing drivers like us love action-packed competition. Apart from the racing action, though, I’m particularly looking forward to the atmosphere in the Mercedes-Benz Arena Stuttgart. The roar of engines and crowds in a confined space – it’s guaranteed to give you goose bumps!”
The drivers: 16 drivers in all will take part in the Stars & Cars competition. The two MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will be in the line-up, as will all eight Mercedes-AMG DTM drivers: Pascal Wehrlein, Paul Di Resta, Gary Paffett, Robert Wickens, Christian Vietoris, Daniel Juncadella, Maximilian Götz and Lucas Auer. Voting for the remaining six entrants will be open from November 9th-27th. Fans can choose between a number of drivers, including Ellen Lohr, Bernd Mayländer and Bernd Schneider. You can vote via the website at: mercedes.me/starsandcars.
The cars: Four different vehicles will be used in the four rounds to give everyone an equal chance: The Mercedes-AMG A45 4MATIC (round of sixteen), the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S (quarter-finals), the Mercedes-AMG GT S (semi-finals) and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 (finals). The competition vehicles all come equipped with roll-cage, bucket seats, 6-point HANS racing harness and fire extinguishers. In the special races, other current and vintage racing cars representing Mercedes-Benz’ successful motor racing heritage will ensure excitement and thrills on the track, and of course, all the championship cars from 2015, ranging from the F1 W06 Hybrid to the Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM will also be in action.
The special races: Five show battles, the likes of which are rarely seen, will take place in between the four Stars & Cars rounds. One of these special fights will feature a contest between two former McLaren-Mercedes team-mates, Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard, in a very special vehicle: the Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG 6×6. “David and I had a lot of fun together during our time in Formula One,” reminisced the two-time Formula One Champion Mika Häkkinen. “I think we’ll certainly be able to continue in the same vein in our show race with these two four-wheel-drive monsters!”
Superior 6×6-wheel drive technology, AMG V8-biturbo power with 544 bhp and a special chassis make the Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG 6×6 the ultimate vehicle, perfect for forging ahead off the beaten track. “I once drove a Dakar truck a few years ago. It was incredible – we quite literally flew through the air,” said David Coulthard. “Mika and I will now be driving the G 63 AMG 6×6 which is an exceptionally powerful pickup, but somehow, I don’t think they’ll let me fly around the Mercedes-Benz Arena this time, though!”
Live stream on the Race Hub: Motor racing fans everywhere who are unable to get to the event can follow what’s happening in the Mercedes-Benz Arena by logging on to the live-stream at mercedes.me/starsandcars. By the way, the Race Hub also gives fans an interesting look behind the scenes and exclusive information straight from the racetrack during all DTM and Formula One race weekends. For example, the Race Hub provided up-to-date news, four different live timing views, ‘fan-votings’, the Mercedes-Benz DTM Radio, exclusive videos, quizzes and commentaries for fans throughout the entire DTM season.
Laureus Sport for Good Foundation: Another component of the event will be a special presentation when Formula One driver Nico Rosberg hands over a cheque to Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy. Rosberg has been a Laureus ambassador since 2013. As part of the Drive for Good campaign, Mercedes-Benz has donated 100 euros for every kilometre that Rosberg has spent in the lead this season since the Chinese Grand Prix.
The Foundation uses the power of sport to bring about social change and transform society. Over the years, Laureus has become the company’s number one project in the world for Corporate Social Responsibility, demonstrating the commitment at Mercedes-Benz to take a leading role in sustainability and social responsibility.
Mercedes-Benz has been active as a founding partner of the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation since the year 2000. The charitable foundation’s goal is to give children and young people, who may be socially disadvantaged or suffering from illness, some hope through participation in sports projects. The partners involved in the co-operation receive voluntary support from the 52 members of the Laureus Sports World Academy and from more than 150 Laureus Ambassadors. Included among them are many prominent personalities and great names from international sport. Through visits to the projects, they motivate children and young people and also attract the public’s attention.
Since its founding, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation has raised 85 million euros in donations, enabling it to assist more than 1.5 million children and young people. The Foundation currently supports over 150 projects in 35 countries.
