In 1988, Mercedes-Benz came back to motorsports competitions again after their withdrawal in 1955. For the 1988 World Sportscar Championships, Mercedes entered the Sauber Team, and provided full factory support to the team with the C9, a Group C prototype race car. German electronics company AEG signed on as the team's sponsor which led to the car having an eye catching circuitry-like livery. The Sauber-Mercedes Team went on to win the opening race in Jerez, Spain, and also won three out of the eleven WSPC rounds. Sauber-Mercedes experienced a setback though at Round 5 Le Mans when they were forced to withdraw due to safety problems with their Michelin tires. However the C9 went on to finish second overall for the season behind the Jaguar XJR-9.