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The CLK-LM was almost completely scrapped and replaced with the CLR. The 1999 A.C.O regulations did not require homologation from a production vehicle and, whilst the car retained it's V8 6 litre engine from the previous year, the design of the CLR was altered radically. The tail was lowered and extended along with a narrower cockpit area. The frontal area was also reduced. Extensive aerodynamic and reliability testing were carried out at Fontana in California, Homestead in Florida and finally a 30-hour run at Magny-Cours in France.
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By June, the CLR was hotly tipped for a Le Mans victory but problems began to arise on the Thursday before the race. In the qualifying session, the No 4 car of Mark Webber spectacuarly took to the air on the Mulsanne Straight, flipping over and landing on it's roof. Webber was unhurt but an identical accident in warm-up on Saturday morning now posed serious questions about the safety of the car. Mercedes hurriedly revised the aero package on the CLR adding winglets on the front spoiler believing that it had solved the problem. Advice was sought from Adrian Newey (Mclaren-Mercedes F1 tech boss and aerodynamic guru) who was woken at 3 a.m. in his Montreal hotel room by an urgent transatlantic call regarding the CLR's problem. The F1 squad were in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix the same weekend. It is still unclear what advice Newey gave Mercedes boss Norbert Haug but, asked later by an Autosport journalist "Did you advise them not to race?", Newey would only reply "I can't comment". In any event, consultations were made within the team and, crucially, with the drivers and the decision was made to go ahead.
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The cars started from 4th and 7th on the grid and began the race quite strongly. On lap 75 the No 5 car with Peter Dumbreck driving approached the section of the Mulsanne straight where Webber had taken to the air on Thursday. In front of hundreds of thousands of stunned spectators and TV viewers, the CLR repeated it's airborne flight, flipping head over heels to 50 ft in the air, somersaulting three times and landing over the barrier amongst the dense forest. The second CLR was immediately radioed in and withdrawn from the race. Thankfully, Dumbreck was able to emerge virtually unscathed from the wrecked machine but Mercedes' Le Mans dream was over.
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