With the festive season now sadly a distant memory, teams and drivers are in full swing preparing for the 2017 GT Asia Series, with a number of established stars being joined by some new teams looking to make a name for themselves in Asia’s premier GT championship.
Reigning Team’s champions Absolute Racing were the first to announce that they would be returning, looking to add the driver’s title to their consecutive victories in the team’s race, but they will have some stiff competition coming from a team with significant past experience in GT Asia (2010 team’s champion), with a marque that has established itself as a powerful force in past seasons – Aston Martin.
CMRT Eurasia already have one confirmed entry in GT Asia for James Cai and Kenneth Lim and they have confirmed that they are looking to secure a second Aston Martin Vantage GT3 for the 2017 Series which kicks off in Malaysia on 10-12 March.
“It’s great to be back in the GT Asia Series with a car in which we had so much success in the past,” Eurasia’s Mark Goddard admitted. “After a three year break, we’re looking forward to getting back into the battles which have been the hallmark of the Series in recent years. GT Asia is a fantastic championship which is very professionally run with a great media package.
“Our relationship with the successful British manufacturer sees us come in to GT Asia as an Aston Martin Partner Team, with the full technical backing of the factory in the UK, so we really have the opportunity to take the fight to the established teams and I believe, be in a position to go after the Team and Driver’s championships.”
“It’s great to have James and Kenneth back with us after the terrific job they did in 2015 in a GTC class Ferrari 458 Challenge,” GT Asia Series CEO David Sonenscher explained. “They were regularly amongst the front-runners in their class and often hassling the rear of the GT3 field, so we expect with the support and experience of Eurasia Motorsport – themselves winners in Asia with Aston Martin – that they will put the mighty Vantage right in amongst the front runners.
“Aston Martin and GT Asia have had a strong relationship in past seasons, having claimed multiple wins and the 2015 GT3 driver’s championship crown for Darryl O’Young. The car is still a proven winner, and will be a strong addition to the 2017 field.”
The 2017 season gets underway in early March, with a two-day official test at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia on 7-8 March, followed by the first two rounds of the season at the same venue on 10-12 March.
The GT Asia Series is sanctioned by the FIA as an International Series and is clearly recognised as the Region’s leading GT Championship. It is solely managed and promoted by Motorsport Asia Ltd and is backed by Michelin, KW Automotive, Motul and Race Room.