KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) heads to Sportsland Sugo for the second round of the Super Taikyu endurance series, with Matt Howson, Paul Ip and Jim Ka To aiming for class victory on board the Honda Civic Type R TCR FK8.
Having scored a debut podium in the five-hour Suzuka opener, the Hong Kong squad will look to use its TCR experience to fight for the win at Sugo, which will host two three-hour races this weekend.
Since the TCR class arrived to the series in 2017, the Honda Civic Type R has dominated at the 3.704 km circuit, winning both previous races. This is KCMG’s first taste of the Japanese venue in the TCR class, though the squad has run here in Super Formula since 2010.
Howson returns to the squad after a strong performance at Suzuka, in which he climbed from fifth to third during his final stint to help KCMG score a debut podium. The 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours LMP2 winner raced at Sugo with the team in the 2011 and 2012 Japanese Formula 3 Championship, scoring a best finish of sixth.
KCMG founder Ip and Ka To continue in the #501 Honda following their strong performances at Suzuka, with the latter having recorded the team’s fastest lap of the weekend and was amongst the quickest in class.
With KCMG also running Howson in TCR Japan this season, this event will act as a good test for the British driver, who will return to Sugo for the second round of the Japanese-based touring car series on 22-23 June.
The team will be in action for both qualifying sessions on Saturday, with the first three-hour race beginning at 14:10 (local time), before the second gets underway at 13:20 on Sunday.
Matt Howson: “We had a surprisingly strong Super Taikyu debut at Suzuka, taking a third place on merit in a tough TCR field. So, with many lessons learned we’ll be looking for the same or better at Sugo. It’s a tough circuit but also one of my favourites from Formula 3, so I’m looking forward to driving it in the KCMG Honda!”
Jim Ka To: “It was a great start to our Super Taikyu campaign in Suzuka. We can now build on that performance to hopefully fight for the TCR victory at Sugo this weekend. The Honda Civic Type R has been quick here in the past and tyre management will be key. I’m looking forward to joining up with the team, Matt and Paul again. We have more experience behind us and should be in a great position to achieve another podium.”
Paul Ip: “Sugo is a place we know well having driven here in various formulae over the years. At the last Super Taikyu round we showed great strategy and consistency to score a podium on our debut. Now with experience of a race weekend in this series, we all believe we can go even better here. There’s some tough competition out there, but as long as we run a good pace and manage the traffic, we should be in a strong position come the end of both races.”
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