Craft-Bamboo Racing is ready to kick off their 2016 GT Asia series championship title defence in South Korea this weekend. The team will be running two brand new Porsche 911 GT3 Rs that have been undergoing rigorous testing at the Korea International Circuit earlier this week. The first entry is title sponsored by Interush, who have been a constant force behind the team in various campaigns and will once again run the number #88. The team’s second entry, number #91, is title sponsored by VLT and will display their iconic livery for the second year running. The two Porsches will be driven by an expert line-up of four international drivers and are up against an ever evolving GT Asia Series competition, but both cars have their sights firmly set on the podium.
The #88 Interush Porsche will be driven by Richard Lyons and Frank Yu who completed their first full GT Asia season together in 2015. With two podiums and multiple pole positions throughout the season, the pair had the pace and experience but often found themselves victim to contact. They return with a renewed sense of vigour and determination to take their #88 Porsche straight to the top of the standings. The pair were able to claim a podium at the Korean circuit last year and both drivers have considerable experience here, which makes them formidable opponents to compete against for the opening round.
The #91 entry will see 2015 GT Asia drivers’ champion, Darryl O’Young, team up with Thai rising star, Naiyanobh Bhirombhakdi. Bhirombhakdi is stepping up into GT cars after impressing in various touring car series in his home country of Thailand. While Bhirombhakdi is new to GT cars, O’Young has been lending a championship winning hand and teaching the Thai driver everything he can before the action starts on Friday. O’Young has had great success with Porsche in the past and he was able to take the win in the second race in Korea last season, which makes the 2015 drivers’ champion and his teammate surely one of the top contenders for the podium. With the official practice sessions on Friday still left to fine tune their performance, O’Young and Bhirombhakdi are confident that they will be a competitive force to be reckoned with when the lights go out for the first time on Saturday.
To watch the opening round of the GT Asia Series, you can stream the action live at https://www.youtube.com/user/afosTV/videos or catch the race on Now TV Channel 671 (Fox sports 2) in Asia.
The #88 Interush Porsche 911 GT3 R’s pursuit of the 2016 GT Asia Series title would not have been possible without Interush, W66.com, Gravity, POAD, Orangebus, Dixcel, freem and Tunewear.
The #91 VLT Porsche 911 GT3 R’s pursuit of the 2016 GT Asia Series title would not have been possible without VLT, Singha Estate, TMB, Gravity, POAD, Orangebus, Dixcel, freem and Tunewear.
Timetable: GT Asia Series Race 1 & 2, Korea International Circuit (GMT +9)
Friday
09:40 – 10:40 GT Asia series – Official Practice 1
13:00 – 14:00 GT Asia series – Official Practice 2
16:10 – 17:10 GT Asia series – Official Practice 3
Saturday
09:50 – 10:05 GT Asia series – Qualifying Session 1
10:15 – 10:30 GT Asia series – Qualifying Session 2
15:20 – 16:20 GT Asia series – Race 1 (60 minutes) Rolling Start
Sunday
14:00 – 15:00 GT Asia series – Race 2 (60 minutes) Rolling Start
Quotes
#88 Interush Porsche 911 GT3 R
Richard Lyons, #88 Driver
“I am really looking forward to the start of another season with Craft-Bamboo Racing and the new Porsche 911 GT3 R.We know this weekend will be a really steep learning curve for the whole team. In terms of a target, we would be happy with two top five finishes from these two rounds building momentum for the rest of the season.”
Frank Yu, #88 Driver
“It’s my first time in a Porsche; so far the car has been great. I have only had three laps of dry running so I can’t really tell how it handles in the dry but in the wet it is amazing. We were able to go really quick in the test and we will see how it goes the rest of the weekend.”
#91 VLT Porsche 911 GT3 R
Darryl O’Young, #91 Driver
“The test went well, unfortunately the weather was a bit mixed so we didn’t get a chance to try all the conditions, but it was more about working as a team with a new car and going through procedures. We are now a lot more prepared for the test day coming up on Friday. We will be working hard for the next couple of days to get the final preparation done and I am looking forward to the weekend.”
Naiyanobh Bhirombhakdi, #91 Driver
“This is my first time in a GT3 car and we only had four dry laps, so I am still trying to get used to the initial feeling of the car, but so far things have been really positive as the Porsche gives you a lot of confidence. I have also learnt a great deal from my teammate, Darryl, who has really helped bring me up to speed. Hopefully we will get some more dry running on Friday to prepare for the first qualifying session on the weekend.”
Richard Coleman, CEO of Craft-Bamboo Racing
“It is great to be back in the GT Asia Series for another season. It is the first weekend of our new partnership with Porsche in the series and we have had limited running so far, so it is going to be a challenge. We are here to defend the title though and have been working hard during testing to get the cars set up for the weekend.”