KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) brought down the curtain on FIA World Endurance Championship’s 2014 season with another commanding LMP2 victory in Sao Paulo on Sunday. The Hong Kong-based squad, represented by Richard Bradley, Matt Howson and Alexandre Imperatori, scored their third world championship win with a significant lead after a sensational six-hour round at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.
KCMG had a momentous maiden outing on Brazil’s legendary circuit despite several hurdles, which the team conquered with confidence throughout the weekend. The two 90-minute free practice runs on Friday saw the #47 Oreca 03R – Nissan shod with Dunlop tyres complete both sessions in third place. Unfortunately, the team missed valuable running time during Saturday’s final practice due to a technical glitch. But true to form, the crew resolved the issue in time for the qualifying session that afternoon. Imperatori and Bradley posted a four-lap average of 1’24.843, securing the blue and white #47 LMP2 a front row start for WEC’s final race of the season.
The 6 Hours of Sao Paulo’s thrilling start witnessed Alexandre Imperatori take the lead from G-Drive Racing’s Olivier Pla. The Swiss ace went on to establish a comfortable gap over the rest of the field as he completed his first stint. As the race entered its second hour, an accident involving the #26 Ligier prompted a full course yellow flag for several laps but Imperatori held on to the lead and completed 70 laps before handing the car over to his British teammate Matt Howson.
The race was halfway through the second hour when the #47 Oreca went off track. Fortunately, Howson immediately recovered and rejoined the field in the lead. After several laps, the British driver slipped to second position after hitting the Armco barrier at the same turn, resulting to an unplanned pit stop. With 56 laps completed, Howson passed the car to his British compatriot in second place with two hours and forty minutes remaining on the clock.
Richard Bradley’s hunt for Anton Ladygin’s #37 Oreca ensued and ultimately grabbed the lead when the latter’s race came to a premature end due to a technical failure. The British driver then completed an outstanding double stint and handed back the #47 Oreca to Imperatori, with an overwhelming advantage ahead SMP Racing’s #27 LMP2. As WEC’s concluding laps got underway behind the safety car, Imperatori crossed the finish line for the final time this year with a dominating 18-lap gap over opposition; claiming KCMG their third victory after an impressive first full season competing in the world championship.
Richard Bradley: “Its fantastic to come to Interlagos and claim victory. What makes it more special is that we’ve scored two wins in a row. With a total of three wins, six podiums and one pole position, it’s been an excellent year so thank you to everyone in KCMG and I can’t wait for next year!”
Matt Howson: “A third win of the season was the perfect way to finish 2014. Richard, Alex and the entire team did a perfect job throughout the weekend and our engineer Greg Wheeler gave us an amazing car. KCMG has definitely arrived in the world of motorsport!”
Alexandre Imperatori: “It’s great to finish the season with another win! I really enjoyed the weekend in Brazil, the atmosphere was fantastic and a lot of fans came to support us. I managed to take the lead and open a gap in my first stint and when our rivals hit trouble it was all about bringing the car home. A big thank you to them and my team mates for this year and I already look forward to 2015!”
Paul Ip, KCMG Managing Director: “Three wins in our first full season competing in WEC is an impressive feat and I’d like to thank and commend our drivers and the entire team for their outstanding job! I also would like to thank Oreca, Nissan, Dunlop, Motul and everyone who supported us throughout this amazing year! It’s been KCMG’s honour to represent and secure a number of victories for Asia in one of motorsport’s most competitive and highly lauded world championships and we look forward to reinforcing our commitment to FIA WEC through our thriving LMP2 campaign next season.”
To know more 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.
