Klimenko Heads for German Meetings

Erebus Motorsport owner Betty Klimenko and CEO Ryan Maddison fly out to Germany today for meetings with AMG and HWA as the team finalises its plans for 2014 and pushes for a significant lift in competitiveness.

The AMG Customer Sport squad had a tumultuous 14 months, transforming Stone Brothers Racing into Erebus Motorsport V8, building three Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG V8 Supercars and racing them through the 2103 season.

But the pace at the Yatala (Qld) workshop won’t slow down over summer with engineers, machinists and technicians working shifts throughout the summer break as at least six significant upgrades are designed, made and fitted to the team’s V8 Supercars.

Erebus is also taking on greater responsibility from HWA for the maintenance and development the M159 V8 engine introduced this year.

“There are a number of items we would have liked to have introduced from the enduros through to now,” revealed Maddison. “We just chose to leave that till this period here.

“So there are six or seven significant pieces that have been waiting for this period to proceed with.”

Significant driver and commercial announcements will also be made early in the new year, as Erebus drops from three to two cars. Only Lee Holdsworth – Tim Slade is off to Walkinshaw Racing and Maro Engel’s future is unclear – remains from the existing driver roster, all naming rights sponsors departs and new partners are announced.

“We now have 10 weeks to move ourselves from build and reliability mode and move squarely into performance focus,” Maddison told v8supercars.com.au. “So bring on 2014.

“Other than public holidays the shop will be open all the way through. We just don’t have the luxury of time because in 10 weeks we need to be fast.

“We need to get some testing under our belt too, so we really only have eight weeks until we need to have everything physically in place.”

The trip to Germany will initially deal with plans for Erebus Motorsport’s 2014 GT Customer Sport program, with the emphasis swinging across to the V8 Supercars operation on Friday and Saturday.

“AMG and HWA are as strongly behind us as they have ever been,” Maddison said. “To be meeting on Saturday, which is effectively Christmas holidays period, emphasises that. Meetings don’t usually happen then in Stuttgart.”

Maddison said the drive to be at the front of the grid 12 months from its Clipsal 500 debut was an internal ambition rather than one set by AMG or any other external partner.

“That’s why we chose Ross and Jimmy’s operation when we came in,” he explained. “They know how to win, they are definitely not comfortable with not winning. Everyone soul searches and that is what has made it such a long year.

“We have all had to look in the mirror and look at why we are not up there or where we want to be.

“And once you get to the front you need to push like you are in second.”

Maddison admitted to relief and pride that the team had managed to survive and progress through the 2013 season.

“To achieve what we have done in a little over 14 months and to be here in Sydney, to be able to go racing through the entire 74 lap race, to be tidy yesterday through absolute carnage and not have what we saw at the start of the year with bodywork issues, or overheating issues.

“From a street race at the start to a street race at the end, to have several top five finishes and have race pace from Tim and Lee through there and have Maro never give up has been very rewarding.”