Photo: Erebus Motorsport

Barbagallo engine upgrade for Erebus Mercedes

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Erebus Motorsport are preparing to implement engine upgrades on all three E-Class Mercedes entries at Barbagallo this weekend, following a successful test by Maro Engel at Morgan Park last Tuesday.

Erebus has been outpaced by the factory-backed Kelly Racing outfit in the battle of the new manufacturers thus far. Leading Mercedes pilot, Lee Holdsworth, has extracted admirable results from his previously underpowered Mercedes, taking 298 points from the first three rounds of the season. Tim Slade has struggled at the wheel of the HHA sponsored E-Class, sitting 24th in the championship on 220 points, while German rookie Maro Engel sits a further 61 points behind Slade.

The engine upgrades were developed by Mercedes Benz customisation specialist HWA in Germany, and have since been fitted by Erebus in their Queensland workshop. Essentially the AMG V8 has switched from a two to an eight butterfly inlet manifold to combat heat-related issues suffered over the first three rounds. However, Mercedes fans will be pleased to hear that the signature sound of the AMG V8 has not been lost, as the flatplane crank has been retained.

Maro Engel piloted the E-Class in its first hit-out under the power of the updated AMG V8 enginr, where the team gathered valuable data on the new package. Team Manager David Stewart told Speedcafe “We should have improved driveability through all aspects of the corner – entry, mid-corner and exit – and given that, we should be able to make some more chassis adjustments too”, when questioned about the potential improvement of the car.

In the first of his two rookie test days, Maro Engel will undoubtedly benefit from the additional time behind the wheel in his pursuit of teammates Tim Slade and Lee Holdsworth. Engel sits 26th in the standings with a best race result of 20th, and Erebus Manager David Stewart has been openly impressed with the Germans development and participation in the advancement of the car.

“If you look at his times compared to Lee and Tim, and that’s really the only way you can assess him, he’s doing a good job” Stewart told Speedcafe in relation to the German’s performance. “I think overall I’ve been pleasantly surprised as to how Maro has not only fitted into the team, but adapted to the cars and the circuits. When you look at the tracks he’s been to so far, particularly Symmons Plains and Pukekohe, they’re hardly your typical European race circuits”.

The updated Erebus Motorsport entries will take to the track this Friday at Barbagallo for opening practise of the Chill Perth 360, prior to races 10, 11 and 12 of the season.