The Sauber-Mercedes C9

The story of the Sauber-Mercedes C9 race car is almost too good to be true. 

Step into the golden age of endurance racing with "Sauber Mercedes C9," a deep dive into one of the most dominant and iconic Group C race cars in history. This video tells the amazing story of how a small Swiss company, led by Peter Sauber, partnered with the mighty Mercedes-Benz to create a championship-winning machine. Discover the behind-the-scenes events, the technological innovations, and the fearless drivers that led to the Sauber-Mercedes C9's incredible success, culminating in its overwhelming victory in the 1989 World Sportscar Championship. We explore how this historic collaboration crushed the competition, securing its place as a legendary collector car and a symbol of automotive excellence. Join us as we celebrate the legacy of the Sauber-Mercedes C9 and the incredible journey that cemented its place in racing history. 

The tire blowout was the last straw for a team already on edge...

But it didn’t take long, and they got a new plan in place. So the Sauber C9 was born straight from this near-disaster. 

With two cars up and running, they won four out of the last six races in the 1988 season. 

So here’s the big moment. There’s big time momentum building for Team Sauber Mercedes. They get through a gut wrenching disappointment with the tire blowout at Le Mans in 1988, recover, build up the team, fine tune the car, and close out the season with four victories…

The moment that would define this entire era for Team Sauber Mercedes, the iconic C9 car, and really this would define the entire era of late 1980s racing, this was it. Heading right into the 1989 racing season, and the big moment was not testing the car on the track - it was with a guy named Werner Niefer, the chairman of the Daimler-Benz board…

Max Welti, Sauber's long-time team manager, remembers it like this: 

"Niefer had these big hands and he banged his big fist down on the table and said that we were going to race silver cars. The beer glasses literally sprang up in the air. It was all done by him, Mr Niefer. It was his decision and his decision alone.”

And with that swift blow… the silver arrows were back. 

Benz was back on the track. 

I had a great time making this episode of the amazing Sauber-Mercedes C9, enjoy! 

Chapters

00:00 The Adventurous Spirit of Racing
00:53 The Significance of Le Mans
03:14 The Saber Mercedes C9: A Unique Collaboration
06:06 The Road to the C9: Challenges and Triumphs
09:02 The 1988 Le Mans Incident
11:53 The Silver Arrows Return
14:48 The C9's Dominance in 1989
18:02 The Legacy of the C9 and Le Mans
20:46 Connecting the Dots: Other Racing Legends
24:04 Personal Reflections on Racing Adventures

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