Following the momentous victory in America last month, KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) heads to the Land of the Rising Sun to take on FIA World Endurance Championship’s (WEC) fifth event on October 11 – 12.
As the Asian leg of the World Championship commences this weekend, the Hong Kong-based squad is primed for its return to WEC’s six-hour round on Fuji’s panoramic 4.563km circuit. KCMG’s maiden 6 Hours of Fuji outing in 2013 resulted in a top six-class finish after torrential conditions and deteriorating visibility on the track prematurely halted the race.
After a brief hiatus from Le Mans Prototype racing, Alexandre Imperatori is set for his comeback to complete KCMG’s driver line-up at Fuji and the remaining rounds of the World Championship. The Swiss ace will once again share driving duties with British duo Richard Bradley and Matt Howson in the Dunlop-shod #47 Oreca 03R – Nissan.
Prior to KCMG’s LMP2 programme, Bradley, Howson and Imperatori have represented the team in its previous campaigns in numerous Japanese championships – namely Super Formula (formerly known as Formula Nippon), Super GT and All-Japan Formula 3 Championship. After their successful WEC team-up at Spa-Francorchamps and La Sarthe, the trio is now looking to challenge for victory in a venue that they consider as their second home.
Richard Bradley: “I am really looking forward to Fuji. After spending three years of racing in Japan, it will almost be like a second home race for me. It was also in this venue that I completed my maiden WEC outing with KCMG last year, so personally this event will be really special. I am confident that we can build on our success from Austin and fight for the win at Fuji to help our push for the LMP2 championship title.”
Matt Howson: “It’s great to be heading back to Japan this week. I have raced there in 2011-2012 in Japanese Formula 3 with KCMG and have always loved the culture and the people. As we welcome Alex back, Fuji and Shanghai are effectively our home circuits in FIA WEC and we arrive with the momentum from our win at CoTA. We’ve learned so much about the car since Silverstone and after our victory in Austin, we expect that we can challenge for the win at Fuji.”
Alexandre Imperatori: “I’m delighted to be back with KCMG for the end of the WEC campaign. On the back of the victory in Austin, we are looking to carry the momentum into the last races of the season. Fuji is a little bit like a second home for all of us as we have a good amount of experience there from the years in Japanese F3, Super GT and Formula Nippon. We are excited to come back as part of the World Endurance Championship and see the Japanese fans again. We will certainly give it our best to finish at the top.”
Paul Ip, KCMG Managing Director: “We are confident of a strong showing at Fuji as this venue has been one of KCMG’s stomping grounds since 2009. Richard, Matt and Alex have represented the team in three of Japan’s premier championships in the past and this is a layout that they know like the back of their hand. As we count the days to the 6 Hours of Fuji, the team is geared towards claiming another victory for Asia in Japan.”
KCMG heads to FIA WEC’s fifth round with 62 points in the LMP2 Team Classification. To know more information about the FIA World Endurance Championship, please visit: www.fiawec.com
For more information about KCMG please visit www.kcmg.com.hk. To keep track of all the latest updates ‘Like’ KCMG’s Facebook page or follow @KCMotorgroup on Twitter and Instagram.
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