Bigfoot Express Racing is one of the most recognisable GT racing teams in South Africa. The team was well known for competing in Porsches for many years. At the start of this season they made the shift to another German marque. As a result they are now racing Africa’s first Mercedes-AMG GT3 racer.

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The local outfit is owned by Durban businessman Sun Moodley. Moodley has been a long-time supporter of Double Apex. He gave us access to his new race machine at a recent round of racing held at the East London Grand Prix Circuit.

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Impressive Out the Box

The Mercedes-AMG GT3 is the all-out racing version of the iconic AMG GT. This impressive racing machine is designed and built specifically to be raced in various GT3 series around the world. While some competitions may build on what Mercedes delivers, the German automaker designs the AMG GT3 to be raced straight out of the box.  

Read more tech spec about the AMG GT3 factory racer by clicking here.

Introduced in 2015 and upgraded in 2019, the German sports car comes with the aerodynamics and raw performance to give Italian supercars a run for their money. The latest AMG GT3 comes with an AMG-built 6,3-litre V8 engine that produces 404 kW and 650 N.m of torque. However, Deeren Naik, team manager and Moodley’s race engineer, told us that their car could produce around 522 kW without the air intake restrictors. Incidentally, this is the same naturally aspirated unit that was used in the SLS GT3 and not the twin-turbo unit as employed in the road-going AMG GT models.

More below the gallery…

  • Africa’s First Mercedes-AMG GT3
  • Africa’s First Mercedes-AMG GT3 (2)
  • Mercedes-AMG GT3 interior
  • First Mercedes-AMG GT3
  • Mercedes-AMG GT3 engine
  • First Mercedes-AMG GT3
  • Africa’s First Mercedes-AMG GT3 (2)
  • First Mercedes-AMG GT3

Getting The Car Race Ready

Catching up with the team this last weekend, we asked some of the engineers how they get the car ready for the race. Despite racing the car as stock, the team does make a number of adjustments to set up the car for each track. 

These adjustments are done during practice where the drivers are allowed limited track time. During these sessions, data is extracted from the car to determine how they can adjust certain aspects of its setup. These changes usually relate to the balance and downforce of the car. The AMG GT3 comes with an adjustable rear wing, allowing the team to change the angle depending on the track. The team also adjusts the ride height, dampers, and wheel alignment. 

Eye-Catching Performance

The SA GT races in East London over the last weekend featured Audis, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Porsches. However, Bigfoot Express’ AMG GT3 stood out from the rest of the pack. The AMG GT3 is still relatively new to the grid as it’s the first-ever to be raced on African soil by a local team. Despite this, it’s clear that the car and team are capable of challenging the best GT3 racers in the country.