Shakedown ordered for new STM Bathurst Mercedes

Scott Taylor Motorsport has scheduled a local shakedown for its newly arrived weapon ahead of Sunday week’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

The GT will undergo a maiden track hit-out at Queensland Raceway tomorrow (Friday) after original plans for it to undergo a shakedown in Germany were shelved because of harsh winter weather in Europe.

The newly built AMG sports car flagship arrived at the team’s Gold Coast base from Germany where the team has busily prepared it to undergo an initial track run.

Craig Baird will take the wheel of the new machine at the shakedown in the absence of his co-drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Maro Engel who are both on duty in Mercedes-Benz machinery at the Daytona 24 Hour this weekend.

“It couldn’t get on any of the tracks in Germany because of the snow so it will have 30 laps or so at QR on Friday and then we will put it in the truck and leave for Bathurst on Monday,” team owner Taylor told Speedcafe.com.

“Ideally we want to do about 150km in the car. It has been prepared by the best of the best but it’s just a safeguard against something coming loose here or there.”

The STM Mercedes will be run by the HTP squad at Bathurst in what will be a fully supported AMG factory entry as revealed by Speedcafe.com late last year.

Arrival of the new car will mean that the existing STM AMG GT which Taylor and Baird campaigned in Australian GT last year will be leased out this season.

“Craig and I will hop into the new car for both the sprint and endurance GT championships this year,” Taylor said.

“The existing car was doing 1:26s laps at Phillip Island which is as good as it gets.

“They are identical cars effectively, one is just a bit fresher.

“We are talking to a few people seeing who is available for our 2016 car.

“There are plenty of people who want to drive the AMG but I’m leasing it out for 2017 and I’m certainly not paying for anyone to drive it.”