Mercedes-Benz SSK Booked for 2013 ‘Elephant Race’ at Nurburgring
Ryan Joseph Ramos June 11, 2013
Mercedes-Benz Classic is set to field the 225hp Mercedes-Benz SSK at the 2013 ‘Elephant Race’, which will be held as part of the ADAC Eifel Race that runs from June 14 through 16. Jochen Mass will be the one at the helm, competing for the Jan Wellem Cup.
This participation is meant to commemorate Rudolf Caracciola’s win in 1927. Caracciola, driving a Mercedes-Benz S, helped score a double win with Adolf Rosenberger.
The SSK stands for ‘super-sport-kurz’, as a way of showing the evolution from the Mercedes-Benz S. The S was followed by the SS (‘super sport’) in 1928, and then the SSK by the end of that year. These models were used heavily by the works team of Daimler-Benz, and they were accompanied by great success.
Mass, who will be at the helm of the SSK at the Elephant Race, has tons of motorsport experience under his belt. Among his accomplishments are 105 F1 races from 1973 through 1982, Formula 2 action, and a win at the Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race in 1972.
The ‘Elephant Race’ is a throwback to the supercharger era. The ADAC Eifel race as a whole is billed as ‘the most traditional racing event in Germany’.
