KC Motorgroup Ltd. heads to the Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia, for the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup super-finale (13-15 December), entering a Honda Civic Type R TCR as a wildcard for Brazilian João Paulo de Oliveira in search of a strong result to close its successful 2019 season.
This will mark KC Motorgroup’s third WTCR entry of the year, having contested the Suzuka and Macau rounds with Jim Ka To, with the Hong Kong squad electing to run de Oliveira for his first touring car outing since his one-off FIA World Touring Car Championship appearance, where he scored Independents’ Trophy points in the 2009 Race of Japan.
Super GT and Formula Nippon (now Super Formula) ace de Oliveira impressed for KCMG in the Nürburgring 24 Hours and Kyalami 9 Hour this year, with KC Motorgroup ensuring he’s best-prepared for his WTCR outing, following a positive first test at Suzuka.
On Monday, the wildcard practice session allowed de Oliveira to continue to learn the Honda Civic Type R TCR and reacquaint himself with the Sepang circuit, where he scored three victories during his Super GT career.
De Oliveira’s prior experience of the 5.542 km circuit could prove crucial, with WTCR making its debut here and many of the full-season drivers heading to the former Malaysia Grand Prix venue for the first time.
Free Practice at Sepang gets underway on Friday 13 December (10:00 and 12:45, GMT+8). Qualifying will take place that afternoon (15:15 and 19:30), with all three races scheduled for Sunday, concluding under the floodlights (R1: 15:15, R2: 18:15, R3: 20:10).
João Paulo de Oliveira: “Thanks to Paul [Ip] for giving me this great opportunity. It’s quite challenging to make my debut in the last race of the season, but I’m really looking forward to it. I want to work closely with the team on adapting myself to the car and hopefully being able to put on a strong performance.”
Paul Ip, Team Founder: “We had a very productive test at Suzuka and were also happy with the initial running on Monday at the Sepang International Circuit. João Paulo [de Oliveira] has a good record here and will benefit from that experience, as a lot of drivers will be racing at Sepang for the first time. We are looking forward to a strong end to the season and are confident of challenging the season regulars.”
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.
