KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) will tackle the legendary Nordschleife again in 2020, this time with support from Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific to run a pair of Porsche 911 GT3 R in select Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie (NSL, previously VLN) rounds, including the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Following a promising maiden Nürburgring 24 Hours, KCMG is aiming to mount a victory assault in 2020, running Porsche’s most experienced and successful factory stars, alongside some of the Hong Kong squad’s impressive drivers from its 2019 campaign.
Porsche factory drivers Nick Tandy, Patrick Pilet, Richard Lietz and Frédéric Makowiecki all know what it’s like to win the 24-hour event, having done so together with Porsche in 2018. Each of them has over 20 years of racing experience, boasting victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours, alongside titles in the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Familiar faces also return to KCMG’s line-up, with 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge stars Alexandre Imperatori, Edoardo Liberati and Josh Burdon joined by multi-discipline racer Romain Dumas, who has five Nürburgring 24 Hours class victories alongside his two overall Le Mans 24 Hours wins with the German marque.
Porsche remains one of the most successful manufacturers in the Eifel, with 12 overall victories at the Nürburgring 24 Hours having also enjoyed a promising first outing with the new Porsche 911 GT3 R, just missing out on a debut podium.
Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific is helping to develop the programme alongside KCMG, with Porsche AG support provided at NLS events and for the 24 Hours.
KCMG’s 2020 NLS schedule begins with round one on 21 March, followed by rounds two and three (4 and 18 April), before the ADAC Qualification Race (25 April) and Nürburgring 24 Hours on 21-24 May.
Paul Ip, KCMG Founder: “I’m pleased to confirm that we will continue our GT programme at the Nürburgring in 2020 and as part of this, we have rekindled our partnership with Porsche and will enter two new Porsche 911 GT3 R cars. KCMG’s campaign in the NLS and Nürburgring 24 Hours will be one of the major motorsport projects that we will have in the upcoming season and we are happy with the confidence and trust that Porsche has granted us. With their support and to be represented by a formidable driver line-up, the entire team is looking forward to another great challenge ahead. We will share more details about the programme as we approach the new season.”
Ryuji Doi, KCMG Head of Motorsports: “Porsche has an impressive record at the Nürburgring, and we’ve already seen how well the new Porsche 911 GT3 R performed across the globe this year. We gained a lot of experience of the Nordschleife in 2019 and understand the challenges that come with racing there. Conquering the legendary 24-hour race requires more than just speed, and our experienced, proven driver line-ups demonstrate our intention to win. I also would like to welcome Philippe Charissoux, who we have appointed as our Team Manager with the support of our new NLS Sporting Manager Matt Howson. We are confident that their experience and knowledge of the sport will bring valuable contribution to the programme. It’s very exciting to be working with Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific in developing this programme and we are all looking forward to unleashing KCMG’s full potential at the Green Hell next year.”
Alexandre Gibot, Head of Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific: “We are very excited to be tackling the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife with KCMG. With two strong line-ups and the team’s successful endurance racing record, this will be a partnership we’re confident can challenge right at the front. We will work alongside KCMG to ensure they are best prepared for the VLN rounds and 24 Hours. The goal is to obviously win the Nürburgring 24 Hours and we certainly have all the right ingredients to achieve this.”
Alexandre Imperatori: “I’m really looking forward to joining this new programme and continue the adventure with KCMG. I would like to thank Paul for his continued trust. The team is wasting no effort to achieve our target of winning the Nürburgring 24 Hours and I hope to contribute my experience towards that goal. I can’t wait to start working with my team-mates and be back at the Ring with our new Porsche.”
Edoardo Liberati: “I’m very excited to face a new chapter of my career. Racing with Porsche in the NLS and Nürburgring 24 Hours is something unique, I love the Nordschleife and I am sure that the KCMG/Porsche package will be very strong. Congratulations to KCMG and Paul Ip to be able to create such a strong partnership. I’m very happy to be in the team for the third year and will do my absolute best.”
Josh Burdon: “I am thrilled and proud to be a part of KCMG’s line-up in their exciting new project with Porsche at the Nürburgring. We have a very exciting and experienced group of drivers across the two cars, so I can’t wait to begin work.”
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.
