KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) concluded the opening round of Blancpain GT Series Asia with promising performances by their drivers in multiple GT3 categories. The team’s three-car assault with pairings of Tsugio Matsuda/Yukinori Taniguchi (Pro/Am), Edoardo Liberati/Florian Strauss (Silver/Silver) and Naoto Takeda/Takuya Shirasaka (Am/Am) produced varied results over a challenging race weekend, with the team ultimately garnering two GT3 Am victories and class finishes in the top six for both Pro/Am and Silver/Silver entries.
The much anticipated season opener at Sepang International Circuit was also venue to the Blancpain GT Asia debut of the 2018-spec Nissan GTR Nismo GT3. The #18 Nissan GTR shared by Matsuda and Taniguchi emerged fastest during Friday’s second practice and went on to secure 13th and 3rd positions in a trying qualifying session on Saturday.
The first race saw Taniguchi encounter an early setback as he spun off track in an effort to avoid contact with another opponent causing the #18 car to drop several places down the field. Matsuda then took over driving duties when the pit stop window opened on the 12th lap. The Super GT legend tried to fight his way further up the field but finally had to settle with a Top 6 class finish. The Japanese duo returned on Sunday to challenge for GT3PA glory, but their efforts on Sepang’s unrelenting track only allowed them to reap a 4th place finish in the GTE Pro/Am category.
Meanwhile, the Silver pairing of Liberati and Strauss in the #23 Nissan GT-R enjoyed an impressive maiden outing in the Asian GT series after finishing both races fourth in class. Despite the frustration that both endured due to multiple safety car periods during the qualifying sessions, the drivers went on and displayed strong form as they pushed hard for points and fought tight battles on track in both races. True to form, Liberati demonstrated his adept overtaking skills in the new blue and white GT-R, while Strauss’ race pace consistently improved throughout the race weekend.
The AM pairing of Japanese drivers Naoto Takeda and Takuya Shirasaka sharing the #45 Audi R8 LMS GT3 savoured a perfect race weekend as they scored two victories in the Am/Am class. After rounding off good qualifying runs on Saturday, the Japanese duo was unstoppable and flawlessly finished each race with a class win.
KCMG Blancpain GT Series Asia Race Results:
Race 1:
#23 Nissan GT-R (Silver/Silver) – P5 overall – 4th in class
#18 Nissan GT-R (Pro/Am) – P13 overall – 6th in class
#45 Audi R8 LMS (Am/Am) – P14 overall – 1st in class
Race 2:
#18 Nissan GT-R (Pro/Am) – P6 overall – 4th in class
#23 Nissan GT-R (Silver/Silver )– P9 overall – 4th in class
#45 Audi R8 LMS (Am/Am)– P16 overall – 1st in class
Quotes from the Drivers:
Tsugio Matsuda: Overall, it was a good weekend with Taniguchi san despite the small hitches that we encountered. The Blancpain GT Asia debut of the Nissan GT-R was trouble-free and this gave us a preview of the car’s potential. I’m now looking forward to the next race in Thailand and the goal there is to dominate the field. Thank you very much for you support and excited to see you all again in Buriram.
Edoardo Liberati: “It was an encouraging weekend with us scoring points in both races for the first event. We encountered minor setbacks but generally the car was good and my teammate Florian did a very good job throughout the weekend. While there’s still more room for improvement in the upcoming rounds, P4 in the Silver Cup for the first two races is a good start!”
Florian Strauss: “Our first outing in Blancpain GT Asia went quite well, with us wrapping up both races fourth in class and scoring valuable championship points in the process. We had a good set up for the car so I’d like to thank the team for their hard work in preparation for this event and throughout the race weekend. Our results at Sepang was a good start for the season and our objective is to improve further and hopefully, deliver more points to help win the championship for the team.”
Takuya Shirasaka: “We had a very good start to the 2018 season and winning two races in a row is such a great result for both Takeda san and I. I’m very happy that we can conclude the first race weekend with two consecutive victories. Thank you to the entire crew and our engineer for providing us with an excellent car! We’re now looking forward to our next challenge in Buriram. Takeda san and I will work very hard so that we can deliver the same results in the upcoming rounds!”
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