Eddy Lai’s incomplete ALMS GLK GT3 project is one of those tantalizing “what could’ve been” stories in Canadian motorsport 🏁. While details are scarce, here’s what we know from Flying Tiger Development’s archives:
🛠️ Project Overview
- The build was centered around a Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK55, intended to be developed into a GT3-spec race car for the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).
- This was an ambitious leap—transforming a luxury coupe into a full-blown endurance racer, likely involving extensive chassis reinforcement, aerodynamics, and drivetrain upgrades.
🚧 Why It Was Incomplete
- The project appears to have stalled before reaching full homologation or race entry.
- Possible reasons include funding limitations, regulatory hurdles, or shifting priorities within Flying Tiger as Eddy approached retirement from full-time racing.
🔍 Legacy & Influence
- Even though the CLK55 GT3 never hit the ALMS grid, its development showcased Eddy’s commitment to pushing Mercedes-Benz platforms into competitive motorsport.
- It also highlighted the technical challenges of adapting street cars to meet GT3 and ALMS standards, which require rigorous safety, performance, and compliance benchmarks.
It’s a fascinating footnote in Eddy Lai’s career—proof that even unfinished projects can reflect bold vision and engineering ambition. Want to explore what a completed CLK GT3 might’ve looked like or how it compares to other GT3 builds?

The 77th edition of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa once again lived up to its reputation as the toughest GT3 race of the year. Despite impressive performances in qualifying, several leading laps and a strong pace, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport was unable to realise its ambitions of victory. With grid positions two (#17 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed), three (#9 Boutsen VDS) and five (#48 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER), the Mercedes-AMG Teams in the PRO Cup established themselves in the absolute top group right into the night.

The suspected 24-hour sprint was characterised by numerous yellow flags, which repeatedly forced the Mercedes-AMG Teams to rethink their strategy. In the early stages, a heavy collision between two competitors resulted in vehicle parts being spread over the track and the retirement of the #9 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the evening. Debris had damaged the radiator, forcing Boutsen VDS to withdraw from their home race. The #17, which led for long periods with Mercedes-AMG Performance Drivers Jules Gounon (AND), Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz (both GER), fell victim to a collision with a lapped vehicle at around 2.30 am. Ultimately, it was the #48 with Lucas Auer (AUT), Matteo Cairoli (ITA) and Maro Engel (GER) that remained within striking distance of the leaders throughout the race. However, the further Full Course Yellow phases repeatedly came at unfavourable times, which meant that the strategic decisions did not bring the desired result. The trio finished the race in tenth place overall.

Individual classifications: Podium successes for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in BRONZE and PRO-AM Cup
Daan Arrow (NED), Marvin Dienst (GER), Gabriele Piana (ITA) and Rinat Salikhov (RUS) staged an impressive comeback in the #81 Winward Racing. The car was damaged in an accident during Pre-Qualifying on Thursday, meaning the team was unable to take part in qualifying. Following extensive repairs, the quartet started the race from the back of the grid. In a turbulent race, they worked their way up a total of 57 positions to finish 17th overall and second in the BRONZE Cup.

The #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3, entered by CrowdStrike by SPS, competed in the PRO-AM class. The car started from the pit lane and was given a drive-through penalty twice in the first third of the race. Despite this, Colin Braun (USA), Nick Catsburg (NED), Ian James (GBR) and George Kurtz (USA) finished third in their class and celebrated another class podium after the PRO-AM victory in 2024.

>> Results CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa

GT World Challenge Europe: Auer, Cairoli and Engel take the lead in the Endurance Cup
At the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, points are awarded in the GT World Challenge Europe after just six and twelve hours of racing. Lucas Auer, Matteo Cairoli and Maro Engel scored a total of 13 points, securing them the lead in the Endurance Cup drivers' standings. Meanwhile, Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER ranks second in the Endurance Cup team classification.

Facts, Data, Figures

Race weekend spectators: 128,000

Conditions 24h-race:

- Cloudy and dry

- Air temperatures between 16 and 27 degrees Celsius

- 74 starters in five classes

- 15 Full Course Yellow phases, 9 Safety Car phases

Individual classifications:

- 32nd and 33rd class podium for Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing at the 24 Hours of Spa

- Second class podium for Winward Racing at the 24 Hours of Spa (after P2 SILVER 2020)

- Second class podium in a row for CrowdStrike by SPS at the 24 Hours of Spa (after P1 PRO-AM 2024)

Upcoming race weekends:

- GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup: Misano World Circuit (18 to 20 July)

- GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup: Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit (29 to 31 August)

- Intercontinental GT Challenge: Suzuka International Racing Course (12 to 14 September)

 

“Of course, we are very disappointed. We were aiming for a much better result. We really wanted to win here again. We undoubtedly had the performance to do so. Our teams and drivers were optimally prepared, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their tireless efforts. We'll be back on the attack next year. Until then, my congratulations go to Lamborghini and the Grasser Racing Team.”
Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport

“As expected, this year's 24-hour race in Spa was a major strategic challenge. Congratulations to the winner at this point. Many Full Course Yellow phases unfortunately came at the most unfavourable times for our teams. But that's just part of Spa. Under the given circumstances, we were as well prepared as possible. We had the speed, especially in the conditions during the day. Unfortunately, we weren't able to realise our potential over the distance.”
Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing

“That was a long and tough 24-hour race. The race luck wasn't entirely on our side, but unfortunately that's sometimes the way it is in motorsport. We really gave it our all, but had to put up with a few setbacks during the night and early morning, so that we no longer had a realistic chance of battling at the front. The Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER once again gave everything and never gave up. In the end, we scored important points for the championship.”
Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER #48

“The 24-hour race at Spa 2025 was a tough one. We were able to collect important points for the Endurance and overall standings of the GT World Challenge Europe and took the lead in the Endurance classification after getting points for the standings after six, twelve and 24 hours. We have to be satisfied with tenth place this weekend, because unfortunately we lacked the pace over the full distance to be able to make a decisive impact at the very front.”
Lucas Auer, Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER #48

“The weekend was a rollercoaster ride for us. Due to the accident on Thursday, the start was anything but ideal. We weren't even sure whether we would be able to compete at all, but the team did an incredible job with the repairs. We started from last place and ended up in the top 20 overall. We got more than the maximum out of it and are therefore all the more delighted with second place in the BRONZE class.”
Gabriele Piana, Winward Racing #81

Mercedes-AMG Motorsport has once again scored important points at the traditional DTM city race at the Norisring, confirming its strong form at the halfway point of the season. With third place on Saturday for Maro Engel (GER) and three top ten finishes in a turbulent Sunday race, the performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach consolidated its lead in the drivers' and manufacturers' standings. After four race weekends, Lucas Auer (AUT) has already secured two victories and four further podium finishes. The Tyrolean driver from Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf goes into the summer break as championship leader with 109 points and a seven-point lead over the runner-up.

The Norisring is considered one of the highlights of the DTM calendar. As the only city circuit of the season, its compact track length of just 2.162 kilometres places unique demands on drivers and teams. Due to the shortness of the circuit, qualifying takes place in two groups based on the combined practice times from Friday. On Saturday, Group A went out first to set their times, followed by Group B – on Sunday, the order was reversed.

Sunday: Strong comebacks despite a turbulent start
From the Mercedes-AMG drivers' point of view, qualifying on Sunday was initially mixed. Only Maro Engel was able to secure fifth place on the grid with his strategy. The 39-year-old decided to go out right at the start of the session in order to complete more laps overall. With a time of 48.761 seconds, Engel was just under a tenth behind the pole-sitter. Jules Gounon (FRA), Lucas Auer and Tom Kalender (GER) started the race from positions 13, 14 and 18. The race was interrupted in the early stages following a collision. Jules Gounon was also involved but was able to continue after the restart. Tom Kalender, who is only 17 years old, got a taste of how unforgiving the Norisring can be in his first race there. He had worked his way to the front in the first 30 minutes thanks to an overcut. However, his race came to a premature end at half-time after a collision with another car that was not his fault. As a result, the suspension on his Mercedes-AMG GT3 broke. Maro Engel fought his way back after a difficult start in which he initially lost two positions. He crossed the finish line in fourth place. Lucas Auer once again put in a commanding performance, making up six positions to finish eighth. Gounon rounded off the result in tenth place.

Saturday: Podium finish for Maro Engel from Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing
The Mercedes-AMG drivers secured good starting positions for the race on Saturday. Maro Engel started from fifth place, Jules Gounon from seventh, Lucas Auer from tenth and Tom Kalender from 14th. All four drivers were able to make up places in the opening laps and maintain their positions until the pit stop window opened. Tom Kalender was the first AMG driver to make his mandatory pit stop. As a tyre was not removed correctly in the pit lane, he had to serve a penalty lap. On a track with low tyre wear, Gounon, Auer and Engel followed in the second half of the pit stop window. Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing had the fastest pit stop of the day. The crew completed the pit stop on the #24 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in just 5.8 seconds, moving Maro Engel up to third place. The Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf pit crew also put in a strong performance with the second-fastest pit stop in 6.1 seconds for Lucas Auer's car. The Tyrolean ultimately finished the race in sixth place, closely followed by Jules Gounon in seventh. Tom Kalender crossed the finish line in 13th place – his best result of the season so far.

>> DTM race results at the Norisring, Race 1
>> DTM race results at the Norisring, Race 2
>> Download updated Mercedes-AMG DTM Media Guide 2025

ADAC GT4 Germany
The SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Customer Racing Team celebrated victories in both Saturday and Sunday's ADAC GT4 Germany races. Enrico Förderer and Jay Mo Härtling (both GER) achieved a start-to-finish victory in both races with the Mercedes-AMG GT4 #11. The duo has won every race so far this season.

Facts and figures

Track length: 2.162 kilometres
Opened: 1947
DTM debut: 1984
DTM races at the Norisring: 56
Mercedes-AMG entries in DTM races at the Norisring: 53

Placings and points in the various classifications:
Driver classification: 1st Lucas Auer (109 points), 5th Maro Engel (101 points, tied with fourth place), 7th Jules Gounon (88 points), 21st Tom Kalender (5 points
Team classification: 2nd Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing (184 points), 6th Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf (111 points)
Manufacturers' classification: 1st Mercedes-AMG (130 points)

Qualifying groups:
Group A: Maro Engel and Jules Gounon
Group B: Lucas Auer and Tom Kalender

Jules Gounon and Tom Kalender were competing at the Norisring for the first time

Conditions:
Race 1: Summer temperatures above 30 degrees, track temperature 36 degrees at the start of the race
Race 2: Dry and partly cloudy at around 27 degrees, track temperature 33 degrees at the start of the race
Spectator numbers over the race weekend: 112.000

For the DTM drivers, the weekend began on Thursday morning with a visit to adidas in Herzogenaurach – the official partner of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. Lucas Auer, Maro Engel, Jules Gounon and Tom Kalender gained exciting insights into the company and were able to kit themselves out in the campus shop.

The fifth round of the DTM will take place at the Nürburgring from 8 to 10 August

"It was a challenging weekend with the expected high level of performance at the Norisring. We got the best out of the conditions and scored important points for the championship. Lucas goes into the summer break as the leader, and Maro and Jules also remain within striking distance of the title. Even Tom was able to score points for the manufacturers' championship in his first appearance at the Norisring – that's remarkable. Overall, it was a very strong first half of the season, and we want to continue this consistency in the second half.”
Thomas Jäger, DTM Sporting Director

“Today's race was great because we were able to put a lot of pressure on the front runners. Moving up from 15th to 8th place is a strong result. Yesterday also went well. A big thank you to the entire Landgraf Motorsport team and to Mercedes-AMG for the season so far. I'm currently the one being chased in the field, but it doesn't matter whether you're the hunter or the hunted – a lot can still happen in the second half of the season. Of course, I prefer to be at the front, which is why I'm enjoying the current championship standings."
Lucas Auer, Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf #22

"That was hard work today. Unfortunately, I didn't get off to the start I'd hoped for and lost two places. But we had a great strategy with two early pit stops and the crew did an absolutely outstanding job. I literally bit into the steering wheel to fight for every position, and in the end we were able to regain the places. In the championship, positions two to five are currently only two points apart. It's extremely close and hard-fought – but that was to be expected."
Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing #24

"The situation in the early stages today was obviously not ideal. I gave it my all, was sandwiched in between and drove my line – from my perspective, there was nothing else I could do. Overall, I felt very comfortable at the Norisring, even though I touched the wall a few times in the first sessions. I pushed to the absolute limit throughout the weekend, even though I struggled a bit with grip. Fortunately, we now have a bit of time to analyse everything and focus. Ultimately, I also scored important points here."
Jules Gounon, Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER #48

"The Norisring is definitely a very cool track. It was my first time here, but I was able to keep up with the pace right away. Of course, it was a shame to retire today. I braked during a full course yellow in the countdown and then just felt the impact. After that, I unfortunately had to return to the pits. Overall, I'm satisfied with my season so far. Compared to the other Mercedes-AMG drivers, I'm doing well and I'm not the slowest in the field either. I've made clear progress and am looking forward to the second half of the season."
Tom Kalender, Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf #84

George Russell
I am very happy with P4 today as we’ve been off the pace at the very front all weekend. I would have definitely taken that if I had been offered it at the start of the day. We only had one new set of Soft tyres for Q3 so we had to make that final lap count. I thought I managed a solid effort and, whilst it is slightly frustrating to be just over one tenth off pole and a few hundredths from the front row, we’ve given ourselves a good chance of fighting for the podium on Sunday.

Tomorrow’s forecast is mixed which may offer some opportunities for us. We know just how changeable the weather can be here. It is also likely to be cooler and more overcast than we saw on Friday, so hopefully our long run pace is stronger than we showed in FP2. Whatever the situation, I am ready to give it my all at my home race and put on a show in front of this incredible British crowd.

 

Kimi Antonelli
It hasn’t been an easy weekend for us so far, but we were able to put in a solid performance come Qualifying. My lap was nothing special and I struggled in sector two, but the rest of the lap was OK. We’ve been lacking a bit of stability in the high-speed, which is not the feeling you want around a track like Silverstone with so many fast corners. On my final effort, the rear wasn’t quite as planted as I would have liked; that cost me a bit of confidence and probably a little bit of time too.

We will see what we can do tomorrow. We have to serve our three-place grid penalty from Austria which is not ideal but hopefully the conditions will present us with some opportunities. There is some rain on the forecast, and it should be much cooler than it was on Friday anyway. That should hopefully bring the car towards us. We will see what we’re facing come lights out and build from there.

 

Toto Wolff, CEO & Team Principal
P4 and P7 is not ever going to be our happy place but we can take some positives from the progress we made after a difficult Friday. George put in a superb effort to get onto the second row, just over one tenth of a second adrift of pole, hundredths behind the McLarens and ahead of both Ferraris. It was another good performance in a season full of them. He is driving fantastically at the moment and hopefully he can be looking ahead tomorrow and be in the fight for the podium.

For Kimi, he also took good steps from yesterday and P7 was a solid effort. Of course, he has a grid penalty to serve but he should have the pace to move forward. Tomorrow’s forecast is still mixed with some rain potentially on the radar. You never know what can happen in those conditions, particularly here at Silverstone. We will be aiming to take advantage of any opportunities that come our way and put on a strong showing.

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
It's been a difficult weekend so far, so today’s result is positive even if it is not what we aim for. The car has been a bit unpredictable in all practice sessions, both in its balance and the pace on the single lap. Improving that has not come easy but we made progress come Qualifying.

George put together a very solid lap at the end of Q3. We were down to a single new Soft tyre by the final segment of the session, and that puts a lot of pressure on that final effort. To be less than a tenth and a half of a second to pole is a good result, although slightly frustrating that the gaps ahead put us just a few hundredths of a second from the front-row.

Kimi meanwhile was struggling with a lack of rear stability in the high-speed corners. It is difficult to explain that based on the setup across the two cars but we'll keep working to understand that. He will have more positions to make up tomorrow but hopefully his race pace is strong, and he can fight through. It looks like it will be very tight at the front tomorrow. We weren’t stellar on our long runs in the hotter conditions of Friday, but we’ve made some changes since then and it looks like we will be dealing with slightly cooler conditions tomorrow. Hopefully we can enjoy our best day of the weekend on Sunday and bring home some solid points.

 

Noah Strømsted, Mercedes Junior – FIA F3   
Finishing P13 in the Sprint was not the Saturday we wanted here at Silverstone. I made a good start and managed to move up a few positions on the first lap. Sadly, we struggled with our race pace after that, similarly to how we had done in Austria. Our competitors were stronger and that is something we will have to work hard to improve. Tomorrow is a new day, and we have some good ideas of what we can chance in order to find more pace. Hopefully we can put on a better performance in Sunday’s Feature.

The halfway point in the 2025 season comes at Silverstone with the British Grand Prix.

Toto Talks Britain

After a tough Grand Prix in Austria, it is good to get back racing straight away. We deliberately experimented on set-up in Spielberg; it was a useful test and there are positive learnings we can apply this weekend, but it ultimately didn’t help our performance.

Silverstone has typically been a strong circuit for us. The cooler conditions should suit our car, and we are hopeful of putting on a good performance in front of our teammates and the passionate British fans, who always provide a great atmosphere.

The very first World Championship race took place at Silverstone 75 years ago, so this weekend carries additional significance for the sport. We will take the opportunity to mark this milestone with a celebration of Mercedes' own legacy across automotive and motorsport past, present, and future. That will include a revised livery, featuring the sunset beam orange of the recently launched CONCEPT AMG GT XX, the ground-breaking concept car that offers an impressive insight into the future of AMG. Whilst it will be an exciting weekend off track with several activations, our full focus remains of course on the track. We will look to bounce back from last weekend and put on a performance more befitting of Mercedes' storied history.
Fact File: British Grand Prix

At 5.891km, the Silverstone Circuit is the fifth-longest on the F1 calendar and only Spa-Francorchamps (7.004km), Baku (6.003km), Las Vegas (6.201km) and Jeddah (6.174km) are longer.
Maggots, Becketts, Chapel – Silverstone boasts some of the most iconic names for corners in the whole of motorsport, and it is one of only three tracks in F1 where engineers give names to the corners and not numbers, the other two being Spa-Francorchamps and Monaco.
Drivers complete almost 80% of a lap at full throttle at Silverstone, the second-highest percentage seen so far this season after Australia.
Drivers experience some of the highest lateral g-forces of the season at Silverstone with a maximum of 5.2g at Stowe (Turn 15). To give you some idea of what that means, the average weight of a human head with a helmet is 7kg, so the driver’s neck is being pulled from side to side with a force of 35kg at this point.
At nearly 650m, the run down to the first braking point is the second longest on the 2025 F1 calendar. Only Mexico (767.5m) is longer. 
Silverstone is something of a home race for the team. The Brackley factory is a mere nine miles away and the home of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains at Brixworth is just over 20 miles from the track.
The team has eight wins at Silverstone since returning to the sport in 2010 and has taken home a podium in each of the last 12 seasons.
Between 2013 and 2020, the team scored eight consecutive pole positions at the British Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, and Valtteri Bottas.
In 2024, the team achieved an all-British front row with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
George’s first single-seater race and win came at Silverstone, during a Formula Renault weekend in 2014.
Kimi’s first F2 win came at Silverstone in tricky conditions in 2024.
Reserve Driver Fred Vesti also took a Formula 2 win during the 2023 season.
Noah Strømsted Talks Britain

“It will be important to bounce back in Britain this weekend, after not scoring enough points at the Red Bull Ring last time out.

“It will be my first time racing at Silverstone – the high-speed sections of the track look fun, and I am excited to go racing.”