Following its historic debut in 2013 as the first Chinese team to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, KC Motorgroup Ltd (KCMG) returns to France next week for the official test day in preparation for the 82nd edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours on 14/15th June.
Although teams and drivers have been preparing for many months, the Test Day signals the unofficial start of Le Mans with two days of administrative checks and scrutineering taking place on May 30/31, followed by two four-hour test sessions on June 1. With the unique 8.4-mile Circuit de la Sarthe comprising a mixture of permanent race track and public roads, this will be the only chance for teams to hone their set-ups ahead of race week.
KCMG’s strong start to this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship campaign suggests they should be amongst the front-runners at Le Mans, the only double points-paying race on the FIA WEC calendar. Indeed, its Nissan-powered ORECA 03 LMP2, driven by Richard Bradley, Alexandre Imperatori and Matt Howson, currently sits second overall in the standings after two rounds.
Imperatori and Howson made their Le Mans debuts last year when KCMG set the historic milestone of becoming the first Chinese team to ever participate in the legendary test of endurance. Unfortunately, a damaged fuel cell forced them into retirement after an otherwise impressive 19 hours, which included leading the race.
Meanwhile Bradley, who will be making his Le Mans debut this year, is no stranger to success with KCMG after helping to claim their first WEC pole position with Imperatori at Spa-Francorchamps earlier this month. The 22-year-old Briton also represented the team at the World Championship’s six-hour round in Japan last year and, most notably, was part of its winning line-up at the 3 Hours of Fuji Asian Le Mans Series race last season.
Richard Bradley: “To race at the Le Mans 24 Hours is something I’ve been aiming for since 1999. This is the event I’ve been most looking forward to since I joined KCMG for their 2014 FIA WEC campaign. It will be my first time competing in a 24-hour race or driving an LMP2 in the dark, but I’m ready to tackle the new challenge that lies ahead. Judging by our performance at Silverstone and Spa – where we managed to secure our first pole position – we have a good chance of scoring a strong result at Le Mans.”
Matt Howson:“We head into our second Le Mans 24 Hours with a great deal of expectation. The ORECA chassis has been superb on shorter circuits, which along with our better understanding of the Dunlop tyres, gives us reason to be confident of challenging for LMP2 victory this season. Last year’s Le Mans winners only narrowly beat us in the first two FIA WEC rounds, but we’re well aware the circuit is unique so we must tune the car for the long straights and low grip levels. Racing alongside Alex again will be a pleasure, and we’ll both help Richard as much as possible as he experiences Le Mans for the first time.”
Alexandre Imperatori:“I can't wait to be back at Le Mans for the 24-hour race. It’s one of those places that has such a special feel to it and we are all very eager to again measure ourselves against such a massive challenge! We arrive much better prepared than last year and on the back of strong displays in the first two WEC rounds, so we’re aiming for a strong finish. Nonetheless, I will never forget how tall an order it is to be successful at this event. We have a healthy amount of respect for the track and are acutely aware of how strong the competition is in LMP2. With the whole team, and particularly Matt and Richard, we are doing everything we can to make China proud in this world class event!"
From KCMG press release
Photo: SPA FRANCORCHAMPS CIRCUIT (SPA, ARDENNES, BELGIUM), WEC 6 HOURS OF SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, PRACTICE, FRIDAY 2ND MAY 2014. The No.47 KCMG ORECA 03 Nissan.
