Race driver Jules Gounon has just broken the Mount Panorama circuit record for GT cars by setting a time of 1m56s6054, improving more than 2 seconds voer the previous record held by Luke Youlden aboard the Brabham BT62R, who had clocked 1m58s680.
To reach this time, the Frenchman drove the Mercedes AMG GT3 Extreme, a fairly modified version of the “normal” AMG GT3, developed to achieve records on several race tracks around the world as part of the celebrations of 130 years of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport.
Without further ado, let’s get to know the modifications made by AMG to the GT3 Extreme in relation to the standard GT3 as it competes around the world.
From the outset, as it does not need to respect the BoP of the GT3 class, AMG could remove the restrictors from the 6.2L V8 engine, enabling a maximum power of 650 HP (well above the approximately 520 HP in the SRO BoP condition). The weight must also be lower than the minimum approved for the GT3 class (although an exact figure was not provided by Mercedes).
Another evolution was the adoption of carbon brakes directly from the DTM, to allow better braking performance on the winding sections of the Australian circuit.
At first glance, the front section of the GT3 Extreme does not present major differences to the traditional GT3, as the major modification is in the floor, which was redesigned to achieve greater downforce.
Still, a peculiarity that shows the extent of the details worked on by AMG are the Gurneys added to the front wheel louvres, aiming for every extra Newton of downforce.
On the side, another noticeable change is the rear-view mirrors, another solution coming directly from the spare parts box of Mercedes’ DTM program, which features three winglets to produce additional downforce and better condition the air flow to the rear wing.
Other aerodynamic modifications on the side are: the extension of the side skirts (1), the new rear air intake (2) and another gurney positioned in the rear wheel arch (3).
But the biggest aerodynamic modification of the AMG GT3 Extreme is the rear spoiler, equipped with a DRS system also taken from Mercedes-Benz’s DTM days:
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