- Top three overall finish and double class podium for KCMG with the Nismo GT-R in Buriram
- Double Am/Am victory for the Takeda/Shirasaka in the Audi R8 LMS
The second event of Blancpain GT Series Asia witnessed KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) round off another gripping two-race weekend with an impressive slew of podiums and victories over the three GT3 categories.
The Hong Kong-based squad’s blue and white 2018 Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3s display of strong race pace finally paid off with a top three overall finish for the #23 car shared by Edoardo Liberati and Florian Strauss and two Pro/Am podiums by Yuke Taniguchi and Tsugio Matsuda in the #18 GT3. Meanwhile, Japanese Am/Am pairing of Naoto Takeda and Takuya Shirasaki in the #45 Audi R8 LMS once again rounded off a perfect race weekend with two class victories.
Qualifying struggles did not stop Matsuda and Taniguchi to challenge for positions at the front of the field with the Super GT legend demonstrating superb overtaking skills in both races. Starting from sixteenth place for Race 3, Taniguchi completed 16 laps before handing the car over to his teammate. Matsuda then managed to bring the #18 Nissan GT-R to sixth place overall (second in class), ultimately earning them their first Pro/Am podium. Race 4 saw Matsuda start and steadily move up from eighth to third place before Taniguchi took over. The Japanese pair sealed another class podium after finishing fourth overall (second in class) on Sunday.
In the Silver Cup category, Edoardo Liberati and Florian Strauss made a fantastic recovery after being hampered by electrical issues on Saturday and a drive through penalty in Sunday’s race. Both drivers delivered promising performances in Race 3, but an electronic problem surfaced just before Liberati passed the car over to Strauss. This hampered the German driver’s stint and eventually cost them a podium finish.
Liberati and Strauss’ unrelenting efforts coupled with the Nismo GT3’s blistering race pace finally paid off in Race 4. Starting from tenth place, Strauss went up to sixth but had to go for a drive through penalty for exceeding track limits. Liberati then took over the car and had to fight his way up from fourteenth position. True to form, the Italian driver rounded off the battle with a top three overall finish.
The unstoppable Am/Am duo of Naoto Takeda and Takuya Shirasaka in the #45 Audi R8 LMS enjoyed another flawless race weekend after sealing two pole positions in qualifying and delivering two class victories. The Japanese pair remains undisputed with four wins out of four races under their belt.
Tsugio Matsuda: “We pushed really hard in both races and the team did a great job. I did my best efforts to move up the field before passing the car over to Taniguchi san. The weekend was both challenging and fun. I wanted to finish in the top three, but fourth overall and second in class is also a good result. I’m confident that Taniguchi san will do his best in the upcoming races. It was a pleasure racing the new Nismo GT3 in Blancpain GT Asia with KCMG and I’d like to extend my gratitude to everyone in the team – thank you very much.”
Yuke Taniguchi: “We had extremely close battles in both races and there are lots of learning for me to take away from the weekend. Matsuda san did a great job getting the car back up the field and it’s really a nice feeling to be up on the podium to celebrate our second place class finish.”
Edoardo Liberati: “The car’s pace was really good and we had very good chances to be up on the podium on Saturday but struggled with some electrical issues. Race 4 was mega – Florian had a good start and was up in sixth place but unfortunately he got a drive through penalty so our race was compromised. I had to start from fifteenth position but this gave me the opportunity to drive one of the best races of my career and fought my way to third place overall. It’s a great result but a bit of shame as we could’ve easily won Race 4 – but we win and lose together and the team did an excellent job. Thanks to KCMG and to Nissan Nismo for the support.”
Florian Strauss: “I’m very happy for the team – everybody worked very hard to make this result possible. We already had a great car on Saturday but sadly Race 3 didn’t go our way so we are very pleased that we finally got to show our potential. Unfortunately, I got a drive through penalty for exceeding track limits in Race 4, which I have to say placed us two steps down the podium. We had a pretty good chance to win, so I’m very sorry for the team and also for Nismo as it could’ve been a first win for the new Nismo GT3 here. However, there are lots of positives to take from the weekend. The race pace was really good, though we still need to work on our qualifying pace to make our lives easier in the next rounds. Overall, I’m very happy the car showed its potential today.”
Takuya Shirasaha: “I’m very grateful to the entire team – the crew has given us a perfect car allowing us to score two consecutive wins without any trouble. The next race is in Japan, so I’m very excited and I will definitely do my best to win at our home track.”
Naoto Takeda: “I’m very happy to have won two more victories this weekend! It’s our fourth straight win and I’d like to thank the team for this fantastic result! Our next stop is Suzuka and we’re also hoping that there’ll be more opponents in our class – that’ll make our home race really exciting.”
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