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]

Hong Kong KC Motorgroup
Founded2007
Team principal(s)Paul Ip
Current seriesSuper Formula
GT World Challenge Asia
Super Taikyu
Former seriesGT 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 driversNorway Dennis Olsen
United Kingdom Nick Tandy
Belgium Laurens Vanthoor
Switzerland Alexandre Imperatori
France Patrick Pilet
Japan Kamui Kobayashi
Japan Yuji Kunimoto
France Pablo Sarrazin
KCMG racing at Le Mans in 2013.

History

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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.

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

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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

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Driver Years Series
  Pablo Sarrazin[8] 2022– Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup

Former members

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Driver Years Series
  Alex Dunne[9] 2021 F4 Spanish Championship

Drivers

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Racing record

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24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Entrant No Car Drivers Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2013   KCMG 47 Morgan LMP2-Nissan   Matthew Howson
  Alexandre Imperatori
  Ho-Pin Tung
LMP2 241 DNF DNF
2014   KCMG 47 Oreca 03R-Nissan   Richard Bradley
  Matthew Howson
  Alexandre Imperatori
LMP2 87 DNF DNF
2015   KCMG 47 Oreca 05-Nissan   Richard Bradley
  Matthew Howson
  Nicolas Lapierre
LMP2 358 9th 1st
2016   KCMG 47 Oreca 05-Nissan   Richard Bradley
  Matthew Howson
  Tsugio Matsuda
LMP2 116 DNF DNF
78 Porsche 911 RSR   Joël Camathias
  Wolf Henzler
  Christian Ried
GTE Am 300 41st 10th

FIA World Endurance Championship results

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Year Class Drivers No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Points WEP
pos.
2014 LMP2   Matthew Howson
  Richard Bradley
  Tsugio Matsuda
  Alexandre Imperatori
47 SIL
2
SPA
2
LMS
Ret
COA
1
FUJ
2
SHA
Ret
BHR
1
SÃO
1
130 3rd
2015 LMP2   Matthew Howson
  Richard Bradley
  Nick Tandy
  Nicolas Lapierre
47 SIL
4
SPA
3
LMN
1
NÜR
1
COA
2
FUJ
Ret
SHA
3
BHR
2
155 2nd
2016 LMGTE Am   Christian Ried
  Wolf Henzler
  Joël Camathias
78 SIL
4
SPA
4
LMN
5
NÜR
EX
MEX
3
COA
2
FUJ
3
SHA
3
BHR
2
125 4th

Formula Nippon/Super Formula results

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Year Chassis Engine No. Driver 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Points T.C.
2010 Swift 017.n Toyota RV8K SUZ MOT FUJ MOT SUG AUT SUZ 4 7th
18   Katsuyuki Hiranaka Ret DNS 13 7 Ret 7 12 13
2011 Swift 017.n Toyota RV8K SUZ AUT FUJ MOT SUZ SUG MOT 2.5 9th
18   Alexandre Imperatori 10 7 Ret 11 C 12 8 12
2012 Swift 017.n Toyota RV8K SUZ MOT AUT FUJ MOT SUG SUZ 0 12th
18   Ryo Orime 17 15 Ret Ret Ret Ret 18 15
2013 Swift 017.n Toyota RV8K SUZ AUT FUJ MOT SUG SUZ 0 11th
18   Richard Bradley 19 Ret Ret 14 Ret 13 18
2014 Dallara SF14 Toyota RI4A SUZ FUJ FUJ MOT AUT SUG SUZ 0 10th
18   Yuichi Nakayama Ret 13 16 10 Ret 16 13 Ret 18
2015 Dallara SF14 Toyota RI4A SUZ OKA FUJ MOT AUT SUG SUZ 1.5 11th
18   Yuichi Nakayama 13 Ret 15 16 19 10 Ret 6
2016 Dallara SF14 Toyota RI4A SUZ OKA FUJ MOT OKA SUG SUZ 0 11th
18   Yuichi Nakayama 13 10 9 15 17 13 Ret 14 11
2017 Dallara SF14 Toyota RI4A SUZ OKA FUJ MOT AUT SUG SUZ 16.5 6th
18   Kamui Kobayashi 9 4 5 15 2 7 7 C C
2018 Dallara SF14 Toyota RI4A SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT OKA SUZ 7 9th
18   Kamui Kobayashi 10 C 6 12 2 13
  Yuichi Nakayama 13
2019 Dallara SF19 Toyota RI4A SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT OKA SUZ 19 9th
18   Kamui Kobayashi 9 10 2 6 2 18 12
2020 Dallara SF19 Toyota RI4A SUG MOT OKA SUZ FUJ AUT 37 8th
7   Kamui Kobayashi 14 14 4 15 11
  Yuichi Nakayama 11 18
18   Yuji Kunimoto Ret 7 5 4 3 Ret 15
2021 Dallara SF19 Toyota RI4A FUJ SUZ AUT SUG MOT MOT SUZ 4 10th
7   Kazuto Kotaka 15 16 16† 17 14 18
  Kamui Kobayashi 10
18   Yuji Kunimoto 8 Ret Ret 13 11 Ret 15
2022 Dallara SF19 Toyota RI4A FUJ SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT SUZ 19 10th
7   Kamui Kobayashi 18 9 5 Ret 17 14 14 17 18 10
18   Yuji Kunimoto 13 15 6 11 9 8 15 12 20 18
2023 Dallara SF23 Toyota RI4A FUJ SUZ AUT SUG FUJ MOT SUZ 5* 8th*
7   Kamui Kobayashi Ret 6 14
18   Yuji Kunimoto 12 16 16
Notes
  • * – Season still in progress.

References

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  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.
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