Team KCMG showed competitive speed throughout the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours weekend, but the squad’s race would be brought to a premature end in the opening hours of the iconic enduro.
The crew of David Pittard, Jesse Krohn, Nirei Fukuzumi and Naoya Gamou were able to gain further valuable experience throughout Thursday and Friday on the Nordschleife, with the team having already advanced to Top Qualifying 3, thanks to their efforts during the NLS season.
Pittard took the wheel of the #47 Mercedes-AMG for the final qualifying session, with the Brit putting in a 8:13.676, securing 10th on the grid.
On Saturday afternoon, Pittard would start the 24-hour enduro for the squad, enjoying an excellent first lap, where he gained three places before leaving the Grand Prix layout of the circuit.
He then handed over to Krohn who, after the first round of pit-stops, had moved up to fourth and was constantly battling inside the top 10 in tricky damp conditions. Unfortunately, during the Finn’s second stint, a misunderstanding in the inconsistent signals given by the marshals resulted in an incident which caused race ending damage to the chassis of the #47 entry.
Team KCMG will be back in action at the Nürburgring on 20 June to tackle NLS6.
DAVID PITTARD
“It’s a shame what happened during the race, but KCMG have put together a front running car at one of the most competitive races in the world in a very short amount of time. I think everyone in the programme can be extremely proud of themselves for that. We didn’t get the result we wanted but unfortunately that’s just motorsport sometimes. We’re pleased we battled at the front of such an iconic event and we’ll come back stronger next time.”
JESSE KROHN
“The whole team has worked incredibly hard for us to be in this 24-hour enduro and it was very disappointing for it to end that way. The squad has built an amazing car in a limited amount of time, but there was nothing we could’ve done differently to avoid the incident. It’s not what everyone at KCMG deserved, however, I would like to thank them all for their efforts.”
NIREI FUKUZUMI
“This weekend was my Nürburgring 24 Hours debut and it was brilliant to experience night and wet weather driving across the event at this amazing circuit. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the opportunity to race during the enduro, but the most important thing is that Jesse is alright.”
NAOYA GAMOU
“It was my first Nürburgring 24 Hours in the SP9 class and I learned how competitive this category is throughout the event. The result is a shame, however, I know we’ll come back stronger and achieve something great next year.”
MATT HOWSON TEAM MANAGER
“All of us at KCMG are devastated by the unfortunate retirement so early in the race. The Nürburgring 24 Hours is a gruelling event, which takes months of careful preparation to be competitive. The team and drivers were doing an incredible job to show what all their effort had produced by running comfortably at the front, but it wasn’t our year. The incident was no fault of the drivers involved and we’re grateful they were unharmed, but the damage to the car was too severe to continue. We’re proud of Nirei, Naoya, Jesse and David for a flawless performance on their part, and our thanks to them and the whole KCMG team who deserved to have their effort rewarded. However, the racing never stops, so we turn our attention to the next NLS round where KCMG will come back stronger and hungrier than ever!”
PAUL IP KCMG FOUNDER
“Today’s result is extremely disappointing for everyone at KCMG. We had a competitive car and strong pace throughout the event, but unfortunately our race ended following an incident caused by inconsistent flag signalling, as confirmed by the stewards. This is part of the challenge of racing at the Nordschleife, where situations outside of your control can end your race instantly. I want to thank our drivers, engineers, mechanics and partners for all their hard work and commitment during this programme. Despite the result, we showed great potential and we will come back stronger.”
Media enquiries: 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 X and Instagram.
About 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.
