Kids com Team KCMG brought home solid points at the Super Formula season opener, as Nirei Fukuzumi secured sixth place in his debut event for the Hong Kong-based outfit.
The first qualifying action of the year saw Fukuzumi start seventh on the grid in his first outing with the team, while a tough session for Kamui Kobayashi meant he lined up 14th.
In the race, Fukuzumi put in a strong performance which saw him make some impressive overtakes while also showcasing his defensive ability, particularly during an intense Safety Car restart after the fifth lap. His efforts put him into sixth place, earning him five championship points.
In the #7 car, Kobayashi endured a frustrating day, as a tyre issue forced him to retire just three laps before the end of the race.
Super Formula is set to return on 17-19 May, as the series heads to Autopolis for Round 2 of the 2024 season.
#8 NIREI FUKUZUMI
“I’m pleased with my debut outing for Kids com Team KCMG. We were competitive in qualifying and while our race pace wasn’t quite what we’d hoped for, we managed to secure a solid haul of points. This performance gives us a good base to build on, and I’m confident that the team can use what we learned here to make improvements to the car ahead of the next round. I’m already looking forward to getting back on track in May at Autopolis!”
#7 KAMUI KOBAYASHI
“First of all, I’d like to thank all the fans who came to watch our season opener and created such a special atmosphere. On track however, this weekend was a disappointing one for me. In qualifying, I could feel my seat moving during the session which hampered my lap times. In the latter stages of the race, I felt my left tyre shaking under braking at the hairpin, and after I pitted we found that it was being caused by the tyre’s wheel nut coming off. While this event has been frustrating, I have full faith that the team can iron out the issues that we had and unlock the true pace of our car in the two-month gap between now and the next round. Finally, I would like to congratulate Nirei on his strong debut performance with us!”
RYUJI DOI KCMG HEAD OF MOTORSPORT
“I was pleased to see Nirei secure five valuable points for us despite the difficult conditions, and it’s been encouraging to see how well he’s been settling into our team throughout the weekend. Kamui had a difficult weekend, with a few car issues that we need to investigate and understand. Despite this, there are a lot of positives to take from this weekend, and we will look to continue making improvements to the car in between events. We have a two-month break before the next round, and I’m certain that we can make the most of this time to come back stronger in Autopolis!”
Media enquires: Cristina Villar
Email address: cristina@kcmg.com.hk
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. This includes the FIA Motorsport Games, where KCMG is the official supplier of hybrid F4 cars, and the KCMG Driver Development Project. For more information on all of the team’s activities please visit www.kcmg.com.hk or email info@kcmg.com.hk.
