After two years away, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of SPS automotive performance are returning to full season action in the International GT Open which gets underway this weekend at Estoril.
The team from will field two Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the opening round. The Swiss duo of Dexter Müller and Yannick Mettler will share the cockpit of the #54 car. Reema Juffali and Adam Christodoulou will alternate at the wheel of the #18 car.
Müller and Mettler have raced together in their black and red GT3 car in the Michelin Le Mans Cup in the past. While Müller took a two-year break from racing, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mettler drove for SPS automotive performance in last year’s GT World Challenge Europe. The duo will contest 14 races in the Pro-Am class in the International GT Open.
The second car from SPS automotive performance will compete in the first two rounds with the starting number #18. Reema Juffali, the first female racing driver from Saudi Arabia, is set for her first full season in a GT3 series. Juffali impressed on her debut in the Mercedes-AMG GT3, when she played a big part in securing second place for SPS automotive performance in the GT3-AM class at the 24 Hours of Dubai at the start of the year.
She now turns her attention to the International GT Open, in which she faces the challenge of contesting a full season in a field of sports cars. She shares driving duties with the extremely experienced GT3 driver Adam Christodoulou. The Nordschleife specialist and winner of the 2016 Nürburgring 24 Hours has spent many years driving GT cars from Mercedes-AMG all over the world and can look back on a host of successes. During the season, it is planned that the #18 Mercedes-AMG GT3 will contest the remaining races in the International GT Open as an independent team.
Reema Juffali, #18 Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It’s going to be great being behind the wheel again with SPS Automotive Performance this weekend in Estoril for the opening round of the GT Open Championship. It’s been a couple of months since my second-place finish at the Dubai 24 Hours earlier this year, which is one of my proudest achievements to-date. GT racing is something that I’m really excited about and like every race that I have taken part in, every competition will provide challenges and opportunities to learn, the International GT Open Championship will be no different. I know that I need to be at the top of my game as there’s some strong competition but I’m excited to get started.”
Stephan Sohn, team principal SPS automotive performance: “We are very happy to be back in the International GT Open. We have enjoyed a lot of success and celebrated one of our first titles in this series. We hope to follow on from our past success this season.”
The two sps cars join a variety of other multi-car efforts including a four car Ferrari squad from Kessel Racing and a two car Lamborghini effort from Oregon team in the GT Open this year.
