KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) is looking to secure its first Super Taikyu victory at the Fuji 24 Hours for round three of the 2019 season with Matt Howson, Josh Burdon, Paul Ip and Attila Tassi (31 May – 2 June)
The Honda Civic Type R FK8 will make its third appearance with the team in the Japanese endurance series at the Fuji Speedway, where KCMG aims to build on the impressive pace shown in the opening two rounds which earned the team a podium on its debut.
Following a successful pre-event test held at the former Japanese Grand Prix venue, the Hong Kong team is confident it can further improve its pace and fight for its maiden win.
Joining the squad is 19-year-old Hungarian Attila Tassi from KCMG’s World Touring Car Cup line-up. Tassi is a race winner in the Civic Type R in both TCR Europe and TCR International, where he was the vice champion of 2017.
He will make his series debut alongside Josh Burdon, who is swapping his Intercontinental GT Challenge Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 for his first taste of TCR machinery, as his and KCMG’s Nürburgring 24 Hour event draws closer.
Team founder Paul Ip returns with 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours LMP2 winner Matt Howson, fresh from his maiden victory and a further podium in the inaugural TCR Japan round from Autopolis with the Civic Type R.
This will be the second of four 24-hour races that KCMG will compete in during its 2019 season, following a strong showing at the Dubai 24 Hours in January in both the TCR and GT3 field, with the team also entering the Nürburgring 24 Hours and the IGTC Spa 24 Hours in June and July respectively in GT3.
Practice and Qualifying will take place on Friday 31 May, with the twice-around-the-clock race starting at 15:00 on Saturday 1 June.
Matt Howson: “I’m really looking forward to my first Fuji 24 Hours and based on our performance in Super Taikyu with the Honda Civic so far, we definitely head into the race challenging for victory. The driver line-up of Paul, Josh, Attila and myself is one of the best in class, and I’ll look to use my extensive Le Mans experience throughout the event, as KCMG looks to add another 24 Hours victory to its substantial list of achievements.”
Josh Burdon: “I’m super excited to be adding on to my existing programs with KCMG by joining them for the Fuji 24 Hours this weekend. Racing a TCR car will be a new challenge for me but I am really excited to be teaming up with Paul, Matt and Attila. I think we should be a strong package.”
Attila Tassi: “I’m really looking forward to race in the Fuji 24 Hours. This race is totally different than what I’m used to. 24 hours is much longer than the races I’m used to and obviously the car has to be perfect for a day, which we have to take care of as drivers at some point. I’ve only done one 24-hour race three years ago and it has a totally different atmosphere. I can’t wait to get in the car.”
Paul Ip: “We’re very keen to get going for the Fuji 24 Hours. We had a good pre-event test and adding Josh and Attila to our line-up will only help our chances. This is the second 24 Hour race KCMG has entered in 2019, with two more to come afterwards, and we’ll be working hard to score a maiden win in the series this weekend.”
© 1/2 TCR Japan 3 Noels/HME
|
