South Korea already has a firmly-established motor car tradition with two of the world leaders in the automotive industry. On 4th August it will host the inaugural round of the Asian Le Mans Series on the new Inje circuit 130 kilometers from Seoul. This new series consists of four 3-hour races in South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and China. It is open to grand touring cars (GTC), and Le Mans prototypes (LM P2) with driver line-ups of two or three people. It completes the FIA World Endurance Championship, the WEC, already present in Japan and China, two strong pointers aimed at anchoring endurance racing on the Asian continent after F1. The series has been given the prestigious Le Mans label and the winners will receive an invitation for the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014.
OAK Racing has entered a Morgan LM P2 (no. 24), in this new series. The team is currently lying first and second in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and boosted by its historic double in June in front of some 22 other LM P2s in the most grueling motor race in the world, the Le Mans 24 Hours, it is determined to demonstrate the quality and the competitiveness of its Morgan LM P2s and its driver line-ups. The Morgan LM P2 chassis racing in Inje will be identical to the one which triumphed in the Le Mans 24 Hours. This time, however, OAK Racing will put its trust in the 500 bhp Judd derived from the BMW engine to power the prototype as Nissan, HPD-Honda or Judd motors can be installed in the Morgan chassis.
Total Lubricants, OAK Racing’s partner in the Asian Le Mans Series
To achieve its aim OAK Racing can count on the backing of Total Lubricants. The Total-OAK Racing partnership was announced during the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours by Patrick Devemy, the Total Lubricants China General Manager, and Jacques Nicolet, the OAK Racing President. The team is both proud and happy to receive this backing in China and Asia. In addition, the quality of the Total lubricants and products will help the team to get the maximum out of the Morgan prototype LM P2s during the 3-hours’ intense racing in each round of the series.
Patrick Devemy, Total Lubricants China General Manager : “Motorsport is part of Total’s DNA! The new Asian Le Mans Series Championship is a fantastic new opportunity for us to boost the development of our brand awareness in the region, starting with Korea. New championship, new circuit, this first race in Korea is an exciting event, well prepared by our partner team OAK Racing, as well by the drivers, who are determined to fly the Chinese flag on the topmost step of the podium!”
Three Asian drivers in the OAK Racing-Total team
Total Lubricants China and OAK Racing wanted a 100 per cent Asian driver line-up for this first Asian Series. Thus, two Chinese drivers, the experienced Ho Pin Tung and young coming man David Cheng, will team up with Jeffrey Lee from Taiwan. This will give these drivers precious experience in view of the Le Mans 24 Hours and the 6-hour races in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
HO PIN TUNG, Chinese OAK Racing driver in the no. 24 MorganLM P2 : “After experiencing the Le Mans 24 Hours I can’t wait to get back into the Morgan LM P2 car for the eagerly-awaited Asian Le Mans Series. It represents a new step forward for motorsport in Asia and is a great initiative on the part of the ACO to bring the famous Le Mans name to Asia.”
DAVID CHENG, Chinese OAK Racing driver in the no. 24 Morgan LM P2 : “I’m very excited to see this new championship getting underway! It seems that the long wait has passed very quickly, and I will be testing and racing the Total OAK Morgan LM P2 very soon. I’m looking forward to feeling the difference between it and the LMPC I’m used to driving.”
OAK Racing, a race team and a constructor
OAK Racing is the creator and constructor of the Morgan LM P2s thanks to its design office and its Onroak Automotive department. Several teams have already chosen the Morgan LM P2 chassis. In January the Hong Kong squad KCMG bought one for the Asian Le Mans Series events, which opened the doors to the team for its first Le Mans 24 Hours (sixth-fastest time in qualifying in the category). Swiss outfit Morand Racing has also chosen a Morgan LM P2 for its participation in the European Le Mans Series and the Le Mans 24 Hours in which it finished in a great fifth place. The previous season on American soil a Morgan LM P2 run by client team, Conquest Endurance, demonstrated its level of performance by winning several races in the American Le Mans Series.
Jacques Nicolet, OAK Racing President: “OAK Racing sells its prototypes all over the world and wish to develop its implantation in Asia on a long-term basis by offering investors, circuits, teams and drivers a professional welcome platform, which will help them prepare for, discover and race in the famous Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014. The candidates can also take part in numerous endurance races now organised every year on the Asian continent through the Asian Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship. “
Source : OAK Racing