KCMG to take on the Nordschleife with Porsche for a second year
Porsche will continue its partnership with KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) in 2021 as the team once again takes on selected rounds of the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie (NLS), along with the world-famous Nürburgring 24 Hours.
KCMG begins its sophomore campaign with the Porsche 911 GT3 R, following a promising maiden season in which the Hong Kong squad was in podium contention at the Nürburgring 24 Hours and TOTAL 24 Hours of Spa.
Returning to the legendary German track with Porsche’s continued support, Marco Holzer joins the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champion Alexandre Imperatori alongside Edoardo Liberati and Josh Burdon who made their global Porsche debuts last season. Porsche has rich history in the NLS, having taken over 1,000 class victories in the series. The Stuttgart-based marque has also taken 12 outright Nürburgring 24 Hours wins, most recently in 2018.
Founded in 2007 by Paul Ip, KCMG has competed in several series in its 14-year history, including the Intercontinental GT Challenge, Super Formula, WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup, and FIA Motorsport Games, and took the LMP2 class victory at Le Mans in 2015. The NLS season begins on 27 March 2021, with the six-hour ADAC Qualification Race on 8-9 May 2021 before the Nürburgring 24 Hours on 3-6 June 2021.
Alexandre Imperatori: “After a long winter I’m stoked to be back with the team for another year of competing at some of the world’s best endurance races, with the Nürburgring 24 Hours as the pinnacle. We have good experience with the Porsche 911 GT3 R on the Nordschleife from last year and with the addition of Marco to our line-up we will aim to be competitive from the get-go. I feel we are in a much stronger position than at this stage last year and I’m looking forward to getting back on track.”
Edoardo Liberati: “I can't wait to start the new season. It looks very promising for us, we all learned a lot last year and the experience will help us face the 2021 NLS season and the Nürburgring 24 Hours. I want to thank KCMG for trusting me and for putting together a very strong squad, I’m very happy to share the cockpit again with Alex and Josh and wish a warm welcome to Marco.”
Josh Burdon: “I’m very excited to get the season started. It’s our second year as a team with Porsche on the Nordschleife and we have all been working hard during the off-season. Our goals are clear and I can’t wait to be part of the challenge. I’m very happy to be re-joining Alex and Edo and welcoming Marco to our car.”
Marco Holzer: “I´m very happy to join KCMG for the NLS & Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2021. It’s really cool to be racing the Porsche 911 GT3 R on one of my favourite race tracks in the world. I’m looking forward to working with the team and being back behind the wheel soon.”
Paul Ip, KCMG Founder: “It was amazing to see our cars on the world’s most fearsome track in 2020, so we’re very excited to have the KCMG name associated with Porsche at the Nürburgring for a second season. We are delighted to welcome Marco to the team, he brings incredible ability and experience of the Nordschleife. Alex, Edo and Josh work really well and Marco will only help to improve that balance. Together they can be very competitive and we’re anticipating a strong season. Of course, we would like to have two cars again but the impact and uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic mean that it’s sensible for us to just run one, but we believe we can still have a positive year with extra focus and dedication on that car.”
Alexandre Gibot, Head of Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific: “We’re very excited to partner again with KCMG as they continue their adventure at the Nürburgring. They had a solid first year with Porsche in 2020 despite all of the challenges with COVID and we’re looking forward to a successful season. They will be helped by the experience of Marco, he’s an expert at the Nürburgring and has the ability to take the team to the next level. Alexandre, Edoardo and Josh are already a great crew and the addition of Marco will only improve that.”
2021 KCMG Nürburgring Programme
20 March NLS Test
27 March NLS 1
17 April NLS 2
1 May NLS 3
8-9 May ADAC Qualification Race
3-6 June ADAC TOTAL 24-Hour Race