KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) claimed its and the new-for-2015 ORECA 05–Nissan coupe’s maiden Le Mans 24 Hours LMP2 pole position this evening (June 11) after a dominant and record-breaking two days at Circuit de la Sarthe.
The Hong Kong-based squad put on an impressive performance during Wednesday and Thursday’s sessions in the hands of Matt Howson, Nicolas Lapierre and Richard Bradley. The latter’s super-quick lap, set at the start of the opening two-hour segment on Wednesday, ultimately proved enough to secure KCMG’s first pole in its third outing at the world-famous twice-round-the-clock event.
After topping Wednesday’s rain-hit practice session, Britain’s Bradley got behind the wheel of the #47 machine at nightfall in perfect conditions, recording a pole-setting time of 3m38.032s. Indeed, KCMG not only went 0.926s quicker than its nearest rival, the #41 Greaves Motorsport Gibson, but also all three works LMP1-entered Nissans.
Thursday’s incident-affected qualifying runs saw the Dunlop-shod ORECA suffer an early damper issue, but couldn’t hinder the team’s progress as they remained the benchmark throughout both sessions. The trio’s impressive performance also leapfrogs them into joint-second in the overall championship standings, given that one point is awarded to the pole-sitting car in each class.
With double points now up for grabs at round three of the FIA World Endurance Championship, starting at the front of the competitive LMP2 grid gives KCMG the perfect opportunity to make some serious headway in the category’s overall Teams’ championship.
Richard Bradley: “First thing’s first, I’d like to dedicate this pole to my uncle Jimmy who unfortunately passed away this morning in San Francisco. So, Jimmy, this is for you. Thank you for being such a great uncle, and kudos to my mum for staying here and being so strong.
“What can I say? The first pole for the ORECA 05 is at Le Mans! It’s an incredible feeling, the car was great and now we’re looking for the big one. Overall, a great start; couldn’t be better.”
Matt Howson: “We’re absolutely thrilled with pole position, the first for the ORECA 05, and what a place to do it! I think it’s a real reflection of the whole team’s effort to develop the car in quite a short period of time. We’re happy to have controlled qualifying, and hope we can do the same in the race. I can’t say thank you enough to everyone at KCMG and am really looking forward to Saturday.”
Nicolas Lapierre: “Obviously it’s been a very good day for the team, which has done a fantastic job to consistently improve the car over the course of and since Test Day. Despite encountering a few issues during this week’s practice and qualifying sessions we’re still very happy to have a fast car at our disposal. Richard and Matt have performed very well and the car seems competitive in all conditions, which is always important at Le Mans. We’ll savour today and look forward to Saturday.”
Paul Ip, KCMG Managing Director: “It’s been a record-breaking day for us, what with KCMG giving the ORECA 05 its first pole position at Le Mans and also becoming the first Hong Kong team to achieve the feat in any class here. All three drivers have done a fantastic job, but especially Richard whose flying lap put the car on pole. But we’re well aware that there’s still a lot of work to do before Saturday and then during the race itself. This is only the start but hopefully, if we do our best, the team can bring the big one home on Sunday!”
Friday sees the team, Richard, Matt and Nicolas make an appearance at the Drivers’ Parade in Le Mans town centre, while the race itself gets underway on Saturday 13 June at 15:00 local time.
To find out more about the 24 Hours of Le Mans, visit www.24h-lemans.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.
