JAS Motorsport Official Test Drivers Josh Files and Attila Tassi will drive for renowned race team KC Motorgroup Ltd (KCMG) in TCR Europe this year.
The Le Mans 24 Hours-winning team, which is headquartered in Hong Kong, will contest a European-based series for the first time with the two drivers in a pair of JAS-built Honda Civic Type R TCRs.
British driver Files, 27, has won the past two TCR Germany titles and the 2017 TCR Asia crown in JAS-built Hondas while 18-year-old Hungarian Tassi was runner-up in TCR International last year.
KCMG was formed in 2007 by Team Principal Dr Paul Ip and has competed extensively in Asia and Japan with titles secured in Formula China Masters, Asian Formula Renault and the Asian Le Mans Series within the past five years.
Its most significant achievements were victory at the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours in the LMP2 division and the runner-up spot in that year’s FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2 Teams’ table. Matteo Chiarcossi will act as Sporting Director.
KCMG will also run the HELL Racing Team at the upcoming Hungaroring WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup event this weekend (April 28-29). Dario d’Esposito – Team Manager for Honda’s WTCC team from 2013-17 – will act as Sporting Director for the event.
HELL Racing Team will run a single Honda Civic Type R TCR for Tassi, who makes his WTCR debut in front of his home crowd.
Josh Files said: “I’ve had a busy 2018 season already in my role as Official Test Driver for JAS Motorsport, but I’m a racer at heart and I can’t wait for my race season to start in TCR Europe. KCMG are Le Mans winners with a superb track record and I’m extremely proud to be a part of their first touring car programme in Europe as I aim to add to the TCR titles I’ve already won in Germany and the Middle-East. I’ve driven the Honda Civic Type R TCR a lot during its development process and that should put me in a very strong position to challenge for the title.”
Attila Tassi: “I was already excited to know I’d be racing in TCR Europe and making my WTCR debut at Hungaroring. But to know that I will have a team with the quality of KCMG behind me is even better. When you look at how many championships and races they’ve won in single-seaters, saloons and sportscars, you can see that the skills and experience of everyone in the team crosses over superbly. I’m sure we’ll be able to show some people that together, we can achieve strong results.”
Paul Ip, KCMG Team Principal: “This expansion to WTCR is another huge milestone for KCMG and we are very happy to be partnering with JAS Motorsport and to have Attila Tassi represent us in our maiden outing in World Touring Cars. Our objective has always been to be the Asian team that can conquer and be a frontrunner in various motorsport disciplines and this new campaign in Europe definitely highlights that. We are looking forward to our first WTCR outing in Hungaroring and with JAS and Attila, we are confident that we’ll achieve impressive results.”
Mads Fischer, JAS Motorsport TCR Project Leader: “We are very pleased to be able to definitively confirm the race programmes for both Josh Files and Attila Tassi in TCR Europe. Both are incredibly strong touring car drivers and in KCMG they have a Le Mans-winning team with a lot of experience of touring car racing in Asia and a pedigree most drivers could only dream of. It is my great pleasure to welcome Paul Ip and his team into the JAS Motorsport family and I’m sure they will have a very good season.”
To keep track of latest updates from KCMG, please like www.facebook.com/KCMGltd/ on Facebook and follow @KCMotorgroup on Twitter and Instagram.
