KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) will contest the upcoming Dubai 24 Hours (9-11 January), with its 2019 line-up returning to the #122 Honda Civic Type R TCR as they look to kick off the new decade with victory.
After a successful season with the Honda Civic across the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup, TCR Japan and Super Taikyu series, Hong Kong squad KCMG is returning to the 24H Dubai having shown class-winning potential at the previous event.
The driver line-up is unchanged, with KCMG founder Paul Ip bringing more experience this time out, having contested TCR Japan and Super Taikyu rounds in the Civic Type R this year, scoring two podiums in the latter.
Ip’s Super Taikyu team-mate Jim Ka To will also benefit from his 2019 WTCR wildcard outings, as well as his promising FIA Motorsport Games appearance where he beat several proven touring car specialists in the Honda.
Elsewhere, 2016 TCR Series Asia champion Andy Yan rejoins the team after a year that saw him take an SP8 class podium at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, and a strong ninth-place finish in the TCR Spa 500, which featured several WTCR front-runners.
Former TCR Asia driver Kenneth Ma and Hong Kong touring car ace Henry Lee Jr. complete KCMG’s returning 24H Dubai line-up, with all five drivers bringing extensive experience.
Unofficial testing begins Wednesday 8 January, before free practice and qualifying on Thursday. The twice-around-the-clock event at the Dubai Autodromo gets underway at 15:00 (local time, GMT+4) on Friday.
Kenneth Ma: “I am happy to return to this challenging circuit for the Dubai 24 Hours. We have a strong team with KCMG and excellent technical back up. I am quite sure we can win the TCR class using the strategy we ran at the last event.”
Jim Ka To: “I’m excited that KCMG has once again given me this opportunity to participate in the Dubai 24 Hours. It’s an amazing race, especially at night. I was very impressed by our performance in 2019 so hopefully we can equal that. I will do my best for the team to score a strong result.”
Henry Lee Jr: “I’m thrilled to be part of the KCMG team to challenge one of the most famous 24-hour races in the world. In 2019 we were hampered by mechanical issues but this time out we are definitely targeting a podium finish. Many thanks to Paul Ip for this opportunity.”
Andy Yan: “It’s a great feeling coming back to the team for another assault on the Dubai 24 Hours, so thanks to Paul for giving me this opportunity again. Despite things not going our way in 2019, I am confident we can rectify this in the 2020 edition of the famous event and at least score a podium.”
Paul Ip: “The Dubai 24 Hours is the perfect place for KCMG to kick off its 2020 campaign – a challenging endurance race with a beautiful setting. In the previous event we showed strong pace so we have an unchanged line-up to make sure we still have that advantage. We will benefit from an extra year’s racing experience under our belts too, which should also help us. Our ambitions are high once again, and we believe with a clean race we can achieve those goals.”
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.
