HWA Thanks Mercedes-AMG for 15 Years of Partnership in Customer Racing

Even before the customer racing partnership began, the two companies shared a close relationship. Since its founding in 1998, HWA AG had been responsible for the development and successful operation of Mercedes-branded DTM race cars. Until 2018, HWA and Mercedes-AMG secured a total of eleven drivers’ championships and more than 180 victories, making them the most successful team in DTM history.

The collaboration between HWA and Mercedes-AMG in customer racing officially began in 2010. The first jointly developed project was the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, which was delivered to customer teams from 2011 onwards and immediately made a significant impact on the international GT racing scene.

Its successor, the Mercedes-AMG GT3, entered competition worldwide from 2016 and went on to become the most successful and best-selling GT3 race car to date. HWA also played a key role in the development, assembly and support of additional customer racing models, including the Mercedes-AMG GT2, Mercedes-AMG GT4 and Mercedes-AMG GT Track Series. Beyond motorsport, highly sought-after special vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR Roadster, Mercedes-Benz CLK-DTM AMG and Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series were also developed and built by HWA.

Throughout the entire partnership, HWA was far more than a technical service provider. As an integral part of the program, the company was responsible for every aspect of execution — from engineering and manufacturing to trackside support and the continuous structural development of the overall customer racing ecosystem. Every success was built on experience, precision and the ambition to operate motorsport not only successfully, but also reliably, efficiently and sustainably. This philosophy helped create a customer racing program that remains an international benchmark to this day.

The vehicles developed through the joint customer racing program achieved countless victories and championships while earning the trust of hundreds of customer teams across multiple continents. To date, Mercedes-AMG customer racing cars have completed more than 15,000 race entries worldwide.

What initially began as an ambitious collaboration evolved into a story written on racetracks around the globe — becoming one of the most successful chapters in professional customer racing worldwide. Over many years, the two companies jointly built a program that not only set benchmarks, but continuously redefined them — technically, operationally and in the way customer racing is understood internationally.

Even though the collaboration is now formally coming to an end, the shared history remains a chapter HWA looks back on with great pride. The achievements on track, the technical milestones and the countless shared moments stand as a testament to a partnership that went far beyond a contractual relationship.

Martin Marx, CEO HWA AG:
“This partnership did not simply accompany customer racing — it fundamentally shaped it. The trust Mercedes-AMG placed in us over many years laid the foundation for building a program of exceptional quality and global reputation. We would like to thank Mercedes-AMG for this shared journey — especially for the entrepreneurial freedom to take holistic responsibility and continuously develop the program both strategically and operationally.”

Gordian von Schöning, CTO HWA AG:
“It was an incredibly successful era. The partnership with Mercedes-AMG in customer racing was defined by trust, challenges and many achievements, setting global benchmarks in technical reliability, support and engineering. We were part of a success story that remains unmatched to this day, and we are deeply grateful to have contributed significantly to it through our work.”