KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) will continue to fight for the inaugural TCR Japan Touring Car Series title this weekend (28-29 September) at the penultimate round of the championship from the Okayama International Circuit with Matt Howson, Yukinori ‘Yuke’ Taniguchi and Paul Ip.
This will be the first visit of the season to the former Pacific Grand Prix venue for KCMG and the Honda Civic Type R TCR FK8, which will also compete in the Super Taikyu finale at the Mimasaka-based circuit (9-10 November).
Howson enters this weekend as the Saturday Series championship leader, with a win and a podium in the three events so far, and as one of the overall protagonists as he sits fourth in the standings. He will utilise his knowledge of the 3.703km circuit from his two years in Japanese Formula 3 on board the #18 car in a bid to close the points gap ahead of the Suzuka finale on 26-27 October.
With two wins and a podium under his belt, Taniguchi leads the Saturday Series Gentleman class for bronze-grade drivers in the #72 machine. He is also racing in familiar territory having scored a top 10 finish during the World Touring Car Championship’s last visit to the track in 2010.
After scoring a Gentleman class podium on his debut weekend, KCMG founder Ip returns at the helm of the #22 Honda and hopes for an equally strong performance. The Hong Kong driver is also looking to gain further race experience, ahead of representing his nation at the FIA Motorsport Games GT Cup (1-3 November).
Saturday’s 20-minute qualifying session will take place at 10:35 (local time, GMT +9) with lights out for the race at 16:00. Qualifying for the Sunday Series is at 08:30 and the race at 13:35.
Matt Howson: “After an unlucky round at Fuji with tyre and engine troubles in both races, Okayama will be the opportunity to get our championship back on track. I went well here in Formula 3 and I expect this circuit will suit the Honda Civic Type R TCR FK8, so I will work hard in testing to make sure we get the absolute best from the car. I anticipate a tough battle as scoring points becomes more and more critical.”
Yuke Taniguchi: “It’s exciting to be back in Okayama again, it’s a really fun track with lots of opportunities for good racing. I’ll be looking to defend my lead in the Saturday Series Gentleman class but also to improve my position in the Sunday Series. Hopefully we can score a good result.”
Paul Ip: “I had a very positive debut with fourth in class in my first race then a podium on Sunday, so I hope to score similarly strong results this weekend. I’ve raced at this track a few times so things should go well for us.”
For more information about KCMG please visit www.kcmg.com.hk. To keep track of all the latest updates, please like KCMG’s Facebook page or follow on Twitter and Instagram.
Who is KCMG?
KC Motorgroup Ltd (KCMG) is an international motorsport services group established in 2007 by Paul Ip. The group, with its headquarters located in Hong Kong, has operations reaching across the Asia Pacific region. KCMG operates closely with many partner companies and racing organisations around the world to provide unrivalled motorsport services, equipment, team management and quality distribution in the automotive industry. For more information on all of the team’s activities please visit www.kcmg.com.hk or email info@kcmg.com.hk.
