Craft-Bamboo Racing will field two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs in the pinnacle GT event of the year, the FIA GT World Cup, which will be held at the historic Macau Guia circuit this weekend. The Hong Kong based team will enter the #99 VLT Porsche to be driven by Darryl O’Young, while Richard Lyons will be driving the #88 Glory Harvest Group Porsche. After enjoying a hard fought third place finish at the inaugural world cup event in 2015, Craft-Bamboo Racing returns to build on their success and ultimately claim the world’s premier GT title.
Darryl O’Young returns to Macau in a Porsche for the first time since 2009 and the Hong Kong driver, dubbed the ‘Porsche King’ by local media has a long and successful history at the track. O’Young has finished first in Macau three times and was the first driver to win the Macau GT Cup when it began in 2008. O’Young will pilot the #99 VLT Porsche 911 GT3 R and is hoping to repeat the magic results that he has achieved in the past. He is one of the most experienced drivers on the Macau grid and now that he is back behind the wheel of a Porsche, he will be one of the fiercest opponents to face on track this weekend.
The #88 Porsche driven by GT ace Richard Lyons will be supported by brand new partner sponsor, Glory Harvest Group, who joins Craft-Bamboo Racing for Macau. Lyons is a multi-award winning driver, taking championship victories in the JGTC GT500 and Formula Nippon series. Lyons is no stranger to Craft-Bamboo, racing with the team in the GT Asia series since 2014 and competing in Macau in 2015. Lyons has proven his incredible pace in the Porsche GT3 R this year by helping take the car to the podium twice in a rain soaked outing in Fuji. After competing on the track for the first time last year, Lyons now returns to the grueling street circuit with the knowledge to push the Glory Harvest Group Porsche to the limit and onto the podium.
O’Young and Lyons will first take to the 6.1km long circuit on Thursday for the first practice session, followed by another practice session on Friday before qualifying later that day. The competition heats up on Saturday, when the FIA GT World Cup qualification race gets underway. The finishing positions of the 12 lap race will determine the starting grid for the 18 lap main event on Sunday, which will ultimately crown the World Cup driver and manufacturer champion for 2016.
Macau GT Cup – FIA GT World Cup Timetable (GMT +8)
Thursday 17thNovember
12:30 – 13:00: SJM Macau GT Cup – FIA GT World Cup – Practice
Friday 18th November
10:40 – 11:10: SJM Macau GT Cup – FIA GT World Cup – Practice
14:55 – 15:25: SJM Macau GT Cup – FIA GT World Cup – Qualifying
Saturday 19th November
12:10 – 13:10: SJM Macau GT Cup – FIA GT World Cup – Qualification Race 12 laps
Sunday 20th November
12:55 – 14:15: SJM Macau GT Cup – FIA GT World Cup – 18 laps
Quotes
#88 Glory Harvest Group Porsche 911 GT3 R, Richard Lyons
“It is fantastic to be back to the streets of Macau to have another shot at the World Cup! Last year was my first time and I it took every lap just to learn the fast flow of this crazy circuit. I feel much better prepared now having those laps behind me and feel I can have a proper crack at the podium. Our team has been working on fine tuning our Porsche 911 GT3 and I’m confident the car can bring me success.”
#99 VLT Porsche 911 GT3 R, Darryl O’Young
“It is an exciting time for the Macau GP because I am back in the Porsche after several years away from the manufacturer on this circuit. It has been a tough season to start with but we are getting stronger with every race and I am confident that the Porsche will be quick in Macau. It is always hard to say as we only come here once a year, so we don’t get any testing and there is not much preparation you can do. We are going to have to work hard, have clean practices and a strong qualifying session before staying out of trouble in both races. We always have to respect the circuit here, so we have to build on every session and hopefully be at the top of the podium come Sunday.”
Richard Coleman, CEO of Craft-Bamboo Racing
“We are very much looking forward to the Macau Grand Prix this weekend. In the FIA GT World Cup race, it is effectively the team’s home race and an event we know very well. We have had much success here in the past but also a few lows. It is a circuit that can really bite you and we will take our usual approach into the weekend but we are hoping to replicate the successes that we had last year here with the Porsche brand. It is a circuit that Darryl O’Young knows very well and he always performs well in front of a home crowd. With this being Richard’s second year here, I hope he will be able to push harder and improve on his performance even further to take home some top results.”
Dr Li Wei Bo, Chairman and CEO of Glory Harvest Group
“GHG are very proud to be supporting Craft-Bamboo Racing at the famous FIA GT World Cup held at the Macau Grand Prix. It is one of the world’s most prestigious GT races that feature the world’s top manufacturers, so we are confident that Craft-Bamboo Racing and the all new Porsche 911 GT3 R will make a competitive package. This is the 10th anniversary since the establishment of GHG. Our businesses now involve mining, real estate, hotels, internet of things (netwrok connectivity), environmental protection, investments and wide variety of other ventures. We look forward to the weekend as it will mark the beginning of a long and rewarding partnership between us and we wish the team good luck in this weekend’s race.”