If you’re looking for a desk job, there’s no shortage of big job boards with plenty of listings to choose from. For race teams that need a driver at the last minute, however, or a racer in search of a ride, there aren’t as many places to turn.
But Mercedes-AMG hopes to change that.
AMG announced Thursday that it’s furthering its commitment to its customer racing program by releasing its Race Scout app. The platform is set to make its public debut Jan. 12-13 at the 24 Hours of Dubai, where racers and teams will be able to register for the service, and AMG will then conduct a beta test prior to Race Scout’s official iOS launch in April 2018.
Daimler’s innovation department, Lab1886, already has already has added events, tracks and cars to the program from various GT3 and GT4 series, though the beta group will include racers from grassroots, to professional levels, regardless of the category they compete in. To ensure the app is even more of an asset, AMG CEO Tobias Moers said the manufacturer plans to expand Race Scout to meet any needs teams may have.
“At the next levels, the range of functions is to grow continuously,” Moers said in a statement. “We want to address further target groups such as engineers, mechanics, instructors or also sponsors and organizers. Everywhere in international motorsport where the supply of know-how or services is required, Race Scout is providing the new central platform.”
AMG’s service will prove especially valuable, given the rise of global racing platforms, such as GT4, GT3, TCR and Formula 4. By having a centralized database of available racers, teams that are in a pinch will be able to hire somebody who lives across the world — but is familiar with the type of car they run — with relative ease.
Mercedes has continually expanded its customer racing program since it began in 2011 with the release of the SLS AMG GT3 — succeeded by the AMG GT3 — and most recently with the launch of its AMG GT4 in June.
