After a highly successful first weekend of the 2019 Blancpain GT World Challenge Asia at Sepang, which saw Craft-Bamboo Racing score an outright GT3 victory and podiums in both GT3 and GT4 classes, the team heads to Buriram, Thailand, with high expectations.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Craft-Bamboo Racing currently sit 2nd overall in the Teams Championship, with the #88 J-Fly Racing pair of Jeffrey Lee and Alessio Picariello sitting in P3 in the outright GT3 standings after their victory last time out. Christina Nielsen and Darryl O’Young in the #55 car are in 5th position overall, but sit 2nd place in the Silver Cup after a strong recovery drive at the last round. Daniel Au and Melvin Moh in the #55 car have not yet scored points, but the pair have made solid progress since the start of the season and will be fighting for points soon. In the closely fought GT4 class, 2017 champions Frank Yu and Jean-Marc Merlin are currently tied for 2nd overall.
THE WEEKEND AHEAD
The weekend in Buriram is set to be a scorcher, with conditions reaching a high of 37 degrees. This presents a challenge to the teams and the drivers, as tyre management and fitness levels will undoubtedly come into play.
Practice begins on Friday at 1230hrs followed by the qualifying sessions on Saturday at 1115hrs. Race 1 begins at 1530hrs on Saturday, and Race 2 is at 1145hrs on Sunday. (All times in GMT +8) All the racing action will be available through the Live Stream at the GT World by SRO YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/gt1world
- Timetable
Friday [10 May 2019]
Free Practice 1 – 1230
Free Practice 2 – 1515 - Saturday [11 May 2019]
GT4 Qualifying – 1115
GT3 Qualifying – 1202
Race 1 – 1530 - Sunday [12 May 2019]
Race 2 – 1145
QUOTES
Daniel Au | Driver
#55 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“Going into this weekend in my second GT3 race in Thailand, and I feel that the progress that we’ve made the last time out at Sepang gives us a better chance at fighting towards the sharp end. Looking forward to being back in the car with Melvin and to be with the team this weekend!”Melvin Moh | Driver
#55 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“I’m really looking forward to getting back in the car and driving with Daniel once again. He made big improvements last time out in Sepang and I’m sure he will make good progress again this time around. As it will be my first time in Buriram, my aim is to learn the track as quickly as possible and hopefully we will be able to fight at the front”Alessio Picariello | Driver
#88 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“I’m really excited for the upcoming weekend as I love going to Buriram for many reasons. I love the circuit and the atmosphere and it’s been 2 years since I’ve been there so really looking forward to see what we can do with Mercedes-AMG at this amazing place!”Jeffrey Lee | Driver
#88 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“After a great weekend in Sepang last time, Alessio and I are currently 2nd place in the championship going into this weekend in Thailand. The circuit looks great and I can’t wait to get back in the car! The goal is to score maximum points and hopefully to score another win!”Darryl O’Young | Driver
#99 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“It was great to leave Sepang with a podium, but this isn’t giving us any feeling to sit back and relax. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 is still a very new car to us, and despite getting more familiar with the car each weekend, we must continue to put in the hard work to get stronger race by race. Our clear aim is to fight for the championship title this season, so we need to push every weekend up until the very last race. We are motivated and ready to work for it.”Christina Nielsen | Driver
#88 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“Looking forward to going to a new circuit, I’ve only heard good things about it and will be great to be back with the team! Hopefully we will have a good run during the races this weekend and we’re aiming for a podium and to score maximum points for the championship!”Jean-Marc Merlin | Driver
#77 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“Frank and i enjoyed some success in Buriram in the last 2 Blancpain asia seasons, we both enjoy the track and the Thai hospitality. I am looking forward to this year’s event”Frank Yu | Driver
#77 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“Excited to be back with Jean-Marc in Buriram, Thailand this weekend! We’re currently 2nd in the championship and I have high expectations to be competitive here and to score maximum points for the season.”
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