Together the Sauber C9 chassis and Mercedes V8 engine combination showed potential for great speed right from the start. Reliability had been an issue, however.
In its first outing, May 1987, the C9 qualified second at Silverstone but only managed to cover half the race distance. The rest of the seasons Sauber competed in some World Sportscar Championship races and in the German Supercup, with similar results: good qualifying performances but a lack of finishes. The team made progress throughout the season and ended on a high note.
On September 13, 1987 at Spa, Mike Thackwell put the car on pole and though 6 laps down the C9 finally finished a race. Then, just one week later, Jean-Louis Schlesser scored the C9s first ever victory at the Supercup finale at the Nurburgring!
With the taste of victory fresh and a great deal of confidence, Peter Sauber and his Swiss racing team proudly presented the Sauber-Mercedes C9 to the press in late 1987 and promised great things for the 1988 season. The multi-year sponsorship deal with Kouros had come to an end and a sponsorship package for 1988 was still in its infancy. So the C9 was painted glossy black and emblazoned with striking blue and white stripes. The three-pointed Mercedes emblem on the C9s nose foretold of the future... but nobody could have known at the time!