KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) defied all odds and rounded off Asian Le Mans Series’ third event by scoring an impressive podium at Zhuhai International Circuit over the weekend. Jordan Oon, Gary Thompson and James Winslow delivered strong drives and finished the 3 Hours of Zhuhai in second place despite several hurdles that preceded Sunday’s race.
The international motorsport group ran Murphy Prototypes’ Oreca 03, which made its Asian Le Mans debut last weekend in Zhuhai. Notably, the Oreca-Nissan LMP2 won in the 2013 European Le Mans Series’ season finale at Paul Ricard in September.
Due to inopportune circumstances, the team was not able to participate in free practice and Saturday’s qualifying session. However, this did not deter the team’s will to challenge for the win despite an overwhelming disadvantage on the starting grid.
Oon, Thompson and Winslow demonstrated remarkable prowess; with each driver having only three laps of practice in the new car prior to Sunday’s race. Starting from the back of the grid, James Winslow worked his way through the field to secure second position and managed to make up a 20-second deficit within the first hour of the race.
Making his Asian Le Mans debut over the weekend, Australian driver Jordan Oon hunted down Oak Racing’s Shaun Tong on Zhuhai’s 4.319km circuit during the second hour of the race.
Gary Thompson then took over the Oreca-Nissan prototype and was setting quick lap times during his stint. As Thompson closed in on Oak Racing’s lead driver Ho Pin Tung, the Irish ace managed to set the fastest lap of the race during its concluding hour. Unfortunately, Thompson had to nurse the car home towards the end of the race with an engine misfire, finishing 58 seconds behind Ho Pin Tung in the Oak Racing Morgan.
With two wins and one podium under its belt, KCMG is looking forward to challenge for its third and ultimate victory in the Asian sports car endurance series’ season finale at Sepang International Circuit on December 8.
Jordan Oon, KCMG Asian Le Mans Driver: “It was a difficult weekend of course, but given the track time we had, the boys did a great job to get the car to the end. It was a great opportunity to get a feel of an LMP2 car and I hope I can work with KCMG again in the future.”
Gary Thompson, KCMG Asian Le Mans Driver: “It was a very a tough weekend for us with so little track time. The race went as well as we could have hoped for. To finish second with fastest lap is a great achievement. We had a small electrical issue from the start of my stint that gradually got worse. Despite this, we were still able to close the gap on the leader from a minute down to under 40 seconds. Thank you to everybody at KCMG and Murphy Prototypes for their help this weekend in less than perfect circumstances. Everybody worked extremely hard and I think we achieved the maximum result possible.”
James Winslow, KCMG Asian Le Mans Driver: “In a tough situation the team showed its strength in depth by coming through and giving us a car we could use to challenge the leader. With no practice, starting from the rear of the field and catching the leading car by over a second a lap showed that we have a great group of guys. When things go our way, we are a tough team to beat”.
Paul Ip, KCMG Managing Director: “Finishing second in Zhuhai is a huge accomplishment given the circumstances that we had over the weekend. I’d like to commend the team for their hard work, especially our drivers – Gary, James and Jordan, for their professionalism and unyielding determination to win. I would also like to thank Murphy Prototypes, it has been a pleasure working with them in Asian Le Mans over the weekend. We are now looking forward to the series’ last event in Sepang; with an aim to win the Asian Le Mans title and secure another LMP2 entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year.”
To find out more about the 2013 Asian Le Mans Series, visit www.asianlemansseries.com.
For more information about KCMG, visit www.kcmg.com.hk. To keep track of latest updates, please like KCMG’s Facebook page or follow @KCMotorgroup on Twitter.
