KC Motorgroup

Last updated
Flag of Hong Kong.svg KC Motorgroup
Kcmg.png
Founded2007
Team principal(s)Paul Ip
Current series Super Formula
GT World Challenge Asia
Super Taikyu
Former series GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup
FIA World Touring Car Cup
FIA World Endurance Championship
IMSA SportsCar Championship
China Touring Car Championship
Asian Formula Three Championship
Super GT
Clio Cup China Series
Hong Kong Touring Car Championship
Asian Le Mans Series
All-Japan Formula Three Championship
NASCAR Xfinity Series (supported by Richard Childress Racing)
Intercontinental GT Challenge
Current drivers Flag of Norway.svg Dennis Olsen
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nick Tandy
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Laurens Vanthoor
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Alexandre Imperatori
Flag of France.svg Patrick Pilet
Flag of Japan.svg Kamui Kobayashi
Flag of Japan.svg Yuji Kunimoto
Flag of France.svg Pablo Sarrazin
KCMG racing at Le Mans in 2013. Le Mans 2013 (9347498324).jpg
KCMG racing at Le Mans in 2013.

KC Motorgroup Ltd, known as KCMG, is an auto racing team based in Hong Kong. Founded by former racing driver Paul Ip in 2007, KCMG has participated in a variety of championships across the world in touring car, sports car, and open-wheel racing. [1]

Contents

History

KCMG entered the Formula Nippon series in 2010 as a Toyota customer team, with Katsuyuki Hiranaka finishing 12th. In 2011, Alexandre Imperatori finished 12th. In 2012, Ryo Orime finished 19th. In the 2013 Super Formula, Richard Bradley finished 21st. Yuichi Nakayama finished 20th in 2014, 16th in 2015, and 18th in 2016.

In 2013, KCMG expanded outside Asia with an entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans [2] before entering the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2014, during which the team won three races. [3] The team went on to win the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category on its way to a second-place finish in the 2015 WEC season. However, in the following year, KCMG pared down its LMP2 participation to a one-off entry at Le Mans. KCMG did contest the full 2016 WEC season, albeit in the GTE Am category, [4] finishing fourth in what would be its final season in the championship.

Nirei Fukuzumi and Kamui Kobayashi driving for KCMG in 2024. KCMG duo 2024 SF Motegi Race.jpg
Nirei Fukuzumi and Kamui Kobayashi driving for KCMG in 2024.

Beginning in 2017, KCMG has partnered with Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, sponsoring drivers Brandon Jones, Matt Tifft, Tyler Reddick and Earl Bamber. [5] Reddick won the 2019 LTi Printing 250 with KCMG as the sponsor.

KCMG Driver Development Project

In April 2021, KCMG announced the launch of a new young driver programme named the KCMG Driver Development Project with Irish racer Alex Dunne being named as its first signing the following day. [6] [7] The program provides its members with dedicated coaching staff on race weekends, and physiotherapists, managers and tutors to improve their fitness, media skills and education.

Current members

DriverYearsSeries
Flag of France.svg Pablo Sarrazin [8] 2022– Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup

Former members

DriverYearsSeries
Flag of Ireland.svg Alex Dunne [9] 2021 F4 Spanish Championship

Drivers

Racing record

24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearEntrantNoCarDriversClassLapsPos.Class
Pos.
2013 Flag of Hong Kong.svg KCMG47 Morgan LMP2-Nissan Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Matthew Howson
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Alexandre Imperatori
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Ho-Pin Tung
LMP2241DNFDNF
2014 Flag of Hong Kong.svg KCMG47 Oreca 03R-Nissan Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Richard Bradley
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Matthew Howson
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Alexandre Imperatori
LMP287DNFDNF
2015 Flag of Hong Kong.svg KCMG47 Oreca 05-Nissan Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Richard Bradley
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Matthew Howson
Flag of France.svg Nicolas Lapierre
LMP23589th1st
2016 Flag of Hong Kong.svg KCMG47 Oreca 05-Nissan Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Richard Bradley
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Matthew Howson
Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda
LMP2116DNFDNF
78 Porsche 911 RSR Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Joël Camathias
Flag of Germany.svg Wolf Henzler
Flag of Germany.svg Christian Ried
GTE Am30041st10th

FIA World Endurance Championship results

YearClassDriversNo.123456789WEP
pos.
Points
2014 LMP2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Matthew Howson
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Richard Bradley
Flag of Japan.svg Tsugio Matsuda
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Alexandre Imperatori
47 SIL
2
SPA
2
LMS
Ret
COA
1
FUJ
2
SHA
Ret
BHR
1
SÃO
1
3rd130
2015 LMP2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Matthew Howson
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Richard Bradley
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nick Tandy
Flag of France.svg Nicolas Lapierre
47 SIL
4
SPA
3
LMN
1
NÜR
1
COA
2
FUJ
Ret
SHA
3
BHR
2
2nd155
2016 LMGTE Am Flag of Germany.svg Christian Ried
Flag of Germany.svg Wolf Henzler
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Joël Camathias
78 SIL
4
SPA
4
LMN
5
NÜR
EX
MEX
3
COA
2
FUJ
3
SHA
3
BHR
2
4th125

Formula Nippon/Super Formula results

YearChassisEngineNo.Driver12345678910T.C.Points
2010 Swift 017.n Toyota RV8K SUZ MOT FUJ MOT SUG AUT SUZ 7th4
18 Flag of Japan.svg Katsuyuki Hiranaka RetDNS137Ret71213
2011 Swift 017.n Toyota RV8K SUZ AUT FUJ MOT SUZ SUG MOT 9th2.5
18 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Alexandre Imperatori 107Ret11C12812
2012 Swift 017.n Toyota RV8K SUZ MOT AUT FUJ MOT SUG SUZ 12th0
18 Flag of Japan.svg Ryo Orime 1715RetRetRetRet1815
2013 Swift 017.n Toyota RV8K SUZ AUT FUJ MOT SUG SUZ 11th0
18 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Richard Bradley 19RetRet14Ret1318
2014 Dallara SF14 Toyota RI4A SUZ FUJ FUJ MOT AUT SUG SUZ 10th0
18 Flag of Japan.svg Yuichi Nakayama Ret131610Ret1613Ret18
2015 Dallara SF14 Toyota RI4A SUZ OKA FUJ MOT AUT SUG SUZ 11th1.5
18 Flag of Japan.svg Yuichi Nakayama 13Ret15161910Ret6
2016 Dallara SF14 Toyota RI4A SUZ OKA FUJ MOT OKA SUG SUZ 11th0
18 Flag of Japan.svg Yuichi Nakayama 13109151713Ret1411
2017 Dallara SF14 Toyota RI4A SUZ OKA FUJ MOT AUT SUG SUZ 6th16.5
18 Flag of Japan.svg Kamui Kobayashi 94515277CC
2018 Dallara SF14 Toyota RI4A SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT OKA SUZ 9th7
18 Flag of Japan.svg Kamui Kobayashi 10C612213
Flag of Japan.svg Yuichi Nakayama 13
2019 Dallara SF19 Toyota RI4A SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT OKA SUZ 9th19
18 Flag of Japan.svg Kamui Kobayashi 9102621812
2020 Dallara SF19 Toyota RI4A SUG MOT OKA SUZ FUJ AUT 8th37
7 Flag of Japan.svg Kamui Kobayashi 141441511
Flag of Japan.svg Yuichi Nakayama 1118
18 Flag of Japan.svg Yuji Kunimoto Ret7543Ret15
2021 Dallara SF19 Toyota RI4A FUJ SUZ AUT SUG MOT MOT SUZ 10th4
7 Flag of Japan.svg Kazuto Kotaka 151616†171418
Flag of Japan.svg Kamui Kobayashi 10
18 Flag of Japan.svg Yuji Kunimoto 8RetRet1311Ret15
2022 Dallara SF19 Toyota RI4A FUJ SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT SUZ 10th19
7 Flag of Japan.svg Kamui Kobayashi 1895Ret171414171810
18 Flag of Japan.svg Yuji Kunimoto 13156119815122018
2023 Dallara SF23 Toyota RI4A FUJ SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT SUZ 8th24.5
7 Flag of Japan.svg Kamui Kobayashi Ret61411697817
18 Flag of Japan.svg Yuji Kunimoto 1216161091510168
2024 Dallara SF23 Toyota TRD-01F SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT FUJ SUZ 4th77.5
7 Flag of Japan.svg Kamui Kobayashi 19†1010812351410
8 Flag of Japan.svg Nirei Fukuzumi 6813495263
Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolas Lapierre</span> French racing driver (born 1984)

Nicolas Lapierre is a retired French professional racing driver and team principal. Notable for winning the LMP2 class four times at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Lapierre was a factory driver at Toyota during the early days of the WEC before becoming a staple of the Alpine team until his retirement in 2024. He is also a two-time winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 2003 champion at the Macau Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Signatech</span> French motor racing team

Signatech, currently competing as the Alpine Endurance Team, is a French auto racing team and racing car constructor that competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Signatech has been a long-term partner for Alpine since 2013, and has been responsible for running their Le Mans Prototype race cars in the WEC, most notably in the LMP2 class and more recently stepping up to the Le Mans Hypercar class with Alpine's A424 sports prototype. Alpine purchased a stake in Signatech in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandre Imperatori</span> Swiss racing driver (born 1987)

Alexandre Emmanuel Imperatori is a Swiss racing driver who lives in Shanghai, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebellion Racing</span> Sports car endurance racing team in the World Endurance Championship

Rebellion Racing was a Swiss racing team that competed in endurance racing. The team competed in the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup season and won the LMP1 teams' title in the 2011 Le Mans Series season. The team started as an association between Speedy Racing and Sebah Racing, which began in 2008. Rebellion Racing's last team principal was Alexandre Pesci and the team manager was Bart Hayden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathias Beche</span> Swiss professional racing driver

Mathias Beche Aussel is a Swiss-French professional racing driver who currently competes in the European Le Mans Series for Richard Mille by TDS. He is a former ELMS champion in the LMP2 class, as well as an LMP1-L champion and overall race winner in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Rebellion Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julien Canal</span> French racing driver

Julien Antoine Jules Canal is a French racing driver. Having won his class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2010, 2011 and 2012 whilst driving GT cars, Canal became a staple of the LMP2 category, winning the WEC class title in 2015 and 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Delétraz</span> Swiss racing driver

Louis Charles Hubert Delétraz is a Swiss racing driver currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series for Prema Orlen Team and in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Tower Motorsport. He also competes in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup with Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 FIA World Endurance Championship</span>

The 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship season was the third season of the FIA World Endurance Championship auto racing series, co-organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series was open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars from four ACO categories. World Championship titles were awarded for Le Mans Prototypes drivers and for LMP1 manufacturers, and several World Endurance Cups and Endurance Trophies were also awarded. The eight race series began in April at the Silverstone Circuit and concluded in November at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthieu Vaxivière</span> French racing driver (born 1994)

Matthieu Vaxivière is a French racing driver from Limoges, who currently drives for Alpine in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas</span> Sports car endurance race held at the Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Texas, USA

The 2014 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas was a six-hour endurance sports car racing event held for Le Mans Prototype and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance cars at the Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Texas on 20 September 2014. It served as the fourth of eight rounds of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship and was the second time the race was held as part of the championship. A total of 50,334 spectators attended the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 FIA World Endurance Championship</span> Fourth season of the FIA World Endurance Championship

The 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship season was the fourth season of the FIA World Endurance Championship auto racing series, co-organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series was open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars meeting four ACO categories. World championship titles were awarded for Le Mans Prototypes drivers and for manufacturers in the LMP1 category, and several World Endurance Cups and Endurance Trophies were also awarded in all four categories. The season began at the Silverstone Circuit in April and ended at the Bahrain International Circuit in November after eight rounds, and included the 83rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul-Loup Chatin</span> French racing driver

Paul-Loup Chatin is a French professional racing driver. He has had notable successes within the LMP2 class, winning the European Le Mans Series in 2014 and 2019, as well as pole positions at the 2018 and 2023 iterations of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Other achievements include a class victory at the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona and the LMP2 title in the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jota Sport</span> British sports car racing team

Jota Sport is a British sports car racing team. Founded as Team Jota by Sam Hignett and John Stack, Jota Sport is part of the Jota Group which is owned by Sam Hignett and David Clark. The team is based in Tunbridge Wells in England. Jota Sport has finished on the overall podium of 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans with two Oreca in an alliance with Jackie Chan DC Racing. In 2018/2019 Jota competed, in partnership with Arden International, RP Motorsport, Jackie Chan DC Racing and Aston Martin in the FIA World Endurance Championship with two ORECA 07 LMP2 and in the GT World Challenge Europe with Mclaren 720S GT3 cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 6 Hours of Nürburgring</span>

The 2015 6 Hours of Nürburgring was a six-hour endurance sports car racing event held for Le Mans Prototype and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance cars at the Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany on 28–30 August 2015. Nürburgring served as the fourth round of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship, and it marked the inaugural running of the event as part of the championship. A total of 62,000 people attended the race weekend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 FIA World Endurance Championship</span> 5th season of the FIA World Endurance Championship

The 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship season was the fifth edition of the FIA World Endurance Championship auto racing series co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series was open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars meeting four ACO categories. The season began at the Silverstone Circuit in April and ended at the Bahrain International Circuit in November, and included the 84th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This season was also the last WEC season for Audi Sport Team Joest as they decided not to race in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship Season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 6 Hours of Silverstone</span> 5th edition of sports car endurance race held at Silverstone Circuit

The 2016 6 Hours of Silverstone was a six-hour endurance sports car racing event held for Le Mans Prototype and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance cars at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England on 15–17 April 2016. Silverstone served as the opening round of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship, and was the fifth running of the event as part of the championship. A total of 52,000 people attended the race weekend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 6 Hours of Nürburgring</span> Racing event held in 2016

The 2016 6 Hours of Nürburgring was a six-hour endurance sports car racing event held for Le Mans Prototype and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance cars at the Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany on 24 July 2016. The Nürburgring round served as the fourth race of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship, and was the second running of the event as part of the championship. A total of 58,000 people spectated the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel Aubry (racing driver)</span> French racing driver

Gabriel Aubry is a French racing driver who last competed in the World Endurance Championship for Vector Sport. He is a stalwart of the LMP2 category, having taken a runner-up spot for Jackie Chan DC Racing in the 2018–19 WEC season before competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship and the European Le Mans Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viktor Shaytar</span> Russian racing driver (born 1983)

Viktor Viktorovich Shaytar is a Russian racing driver. He is a current member of the SMP Racing driver programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabio Scherer</span> Swiss racing driver

Fabio Luca Scherer is a racing driver from Switzerland, currently competing in the endurance racing, representing United Autosports in the European Le Mans Series.

References

  1. "Interview of Paul Ip about Asian Le Mans Series". Endurance-Info. 30 January 2013. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  2. "KCMG takes delivery of Morgan LMP2 car for Le Mans". Endurance-Info. 13 February 2013. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  3. Dagys, John (29 January 2015). "KCMG Confirms Purchase of First Oreca 05". Sportscar365. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  4. "WEC: KCMG drops LMP2 program". Racer.com. 12 January 2016. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  5. "Richard Childress Racing, KCMG expand partnership in 2018". NASCAR.com. April 2, 2018.
  6. Wood, Ida (April 29, 2021). "Super Formula team KCMG launches driver development project". Formula Scout. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  7. Wood, Ida (April 30, 2021). "F4 racer Alex Dunne revealed as KCMG's first junior driver". Formula Scout. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  8. "Pablo Sarrazin added to KCMG's driver development programme". Formula Scout. 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  9. "F4 racer Alex Dunne revealed as KCMG's first junior driver". Formula Scout. 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2021-04-30.