Photo : Frederic GAUDIN (ACO)

 

Five years after the first participation of a Chinese driver, the links between La Sarthe and Asia were tightened further in 2013. Following Cong Fu Cheng's LM P2 podium in 2008, a Chinese team competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

KCMG, pioneers in 2013… Beaten by the slimest of margins by OAK Racing at the end of the Asian Le Mans Series season in Sepang (Malaysia), KCMG still made history with its light blue Morgan-Nissan as the first Chinese team to take part in the Le Mans 24 Hours. A fuel leak would force the team to retire from the race, but drivers  Ho-pin Tung, Alexandre Imperatori and Matt Howson ran consistently in the top 10 in the LM P2, even leading the classe for a short period. KCMG showed great potential, which will no doubt be confirmed in 2014. And for the future, the team's founder doesn't hide the fact that he wants to go even further than endurance racing: he wants KCMG to be the first Chinese team in Formula 1!

… Waiting for Craft Racing in 2014. December 8, 2013 will likely remain in this Hong Kong based team's memory for quite some time. After the 3 Hours of Sepang, they finished second in the GTC title fight, resulting in an automatic invitation to the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours! " To get this invitation so soon gives us time to prepare for June 2014," explains Mark Goddard, Team Principal at Craft Racing. We can now start to organise our logistics, sponsors and drivers." The team received help from Aston Martin Racing, which, like other constructors (Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, BMW), quickly understood the importance of the Asian Le Mans Series in maintaining their image and presence in the emerging Asian market.

Twenty-two years after Mazda's victory, today the only Japanese constructor to have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a new and promising chapter in the long history between Asia and Le Mans has just begun... ,

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translated by Rainier Ehrhardt / ACO


Photo : LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013, RACE. After taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the, KCMG  Morgan-Nissan won two of four rounds of the 2013 Asian Le Mans Series.