KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) has finalised their Blancpain GT Series Asia line up for 2018. Drivers Yukinori Taniguchi, Edoardo Liberati and Florian Strauss will be joining Alex Imperatori and Tsugio Matsuda in the Hong Kong-based squad’s upcoming three-car assault in the Asian GT championship. Last month, KCMG also announced that they will once again run their Audi R8 LMS GT3 in the Am/Am category with Japanese gentlemen drivers Naoto Takeda and Takuya Shirasaka.
KCMG’s pair of 2018-spec Nissan GTR Nismo GT3 machines will enter the Pro/Am and Silver/Silver grids. Top drivers, Imperatori and Matsuda – who both scored LMP2 victories for KCMG in the FIA World Endurance Championship – will co-pilot the Pro/Am car with Yukinori Taniguchi. The Japanese duo will represent KCMG in the series’ first (Malaysia) and second (Thailand) events, while Imperatori will take over driving duties from Matsuda in the remaining rounds slated to take place in Japan and China.
Liberati and Strauss, who are both making their Blancpain GT Series Asia debut this season, is set to reinforce the team’s 2018 Blancpain GT programme with their formidable Silver/Silver pairing. Edoardo Liberati is an accomplished driver who has competed in various championships, namely, Lamborghini Super Trofeo, Porsche Carrera Cup Italia, International GT Open and Blancpain Endurance Series. In 2016, the Italian driver finished 1st in GT Asia –GT3.
Meanwhile, Florian Strauss is a Nissan GT Academy winner who went on to professionally race for NISMO in 2014. The German driver has competed in Liqui-moly Bathurst 12 Hours, where he and his teammates took victory in 2015. In the same year, he also participated in the 24H Dubai and finished second in the A6-Am class.
Alex Imperatori: “I’m delighted to rejoin KCMG for their upcoming GT project, especially considering that I’ve been part of every exciting new campaign that they have launched since the beginning. To once again race for KCMG is almost like coming home. The entire team, together with NISMO, has taken a tremendous amount of work to develop the 2018-spec GTR Nismo GT3 – I’m excited to getting on track and know more about its capability. I’m absolutely looking forward to race with my co-pilot Taniguchi san who has a lot of potential as a driver. We have a great set of drivers and crew who have experience in the international racing scene, so we definitely have all the tools and people to perform well in the series. Lastly, I’d like to thank Paul Ip for his continued trust and for allowing me to be part of KCMG’s new challenge.”
Tsugio Matsuda: “I’m very happy to once again represent KCMG, this time in Blancpain GT Series Asia running the new Nissan GTR Nismo GT3. I have been part of the KCMG family since 2014 and have raced for them in Asian Le Mans Series, FIA WEC and 24 Hours of Le Mans and I’m confident that the entire crew, from the mechanics to our engineers, will do a great job to provide me and my teammates with a winning package this season. I’d like to thank KCMG Founder Paul Ip and Head of Motorsport Ryuji Doi for giving me this opportunity to once again represent the team. I cannot wait for the season to start and looking forward to seeing you all at Sepang!”
Edoardo Liberati: “I’m really happy to join KCMG in this new challenge with NISMO. It will be a very intensive season and we’ve started to test the new car. This new challenge is a great chance for me to once again race in the region after winning GT Asia in 2016. Its good to be back in this environment – I like the atmosphere and extremely enjoy the circuits. I’d like to extend my massive thanks to NISMO and KCMG for this opportunity and their confidence in me.”
Florian Strauss: “I’m delighted and would like to thank to Paul Ip and KCMG for giving me this opportunity to be involved in their Blancpain effort with NISMO this season. I’m very happy to be part of the line up and looking forward to be working together with a professional team who has extensive experience in different racing series’ around the world. It will be my first time to compete in Blancpain GT Series Asia and I’m especially happy that we’re running the 2018-spec Nissan GTR Nismo GT3. The KCMG livery suits the GTR very well and the car really looks good. I have experience with the old car so I’m looking forward to see and feel the difference of the new version. The upcoming season will be a new challenge for me given that I’m unfamiliar with some of the circuits, but I’m confident that with the team’s experience from last year, they will help me to be prepared as best as they can. I can’t wait for the season to start and I hope that we will have a successful year.”
Yukinori Taniguchi: “It’s a great honor to be part of this project and to be racing with KCMG alongside Alex and Matsuda san. Personally, it will be a massive challenge but I’m ready and looking forward to work with the entire team and to know from my co-drivers. The new Nissan GTR Nismo GT3 is a very powerful package and I’m excited to race this car in some of the best circuits around Asia. Thank you to Paul Ip and Ryuji Doi for this opportunity!”
2018 Blancpain GT Series Asia Calendar:
April 14-15 – Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia
May 12-13 – Chang International Circuit. Thailand
June 30- July 1 – Suzuka International Circuit, Japan
July 21-22 – Fuji Speedway, Japan
September 22-23 – Shanghai International Circuit, China
October 13-14 – Ningbo International Speedpark
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