The Road to Le Mans!

HONG KONG AT LE MANS - NEXT MONTH

2007-05-23T22:24:00.000+08:00

We have news... Matthew Marsh will race in the 2007 Le Mans 24-hours. Tune into www.matthewmarsh.net for details (and find out why this site will need a re-design).

STAY TUNED

2006-06-06T22:14:00.000+08:00

With the Hong Kong Le Mans team on hold, for a while at least, it will be best to visit Matthew's website (www.matthewmarsh.net) for up to date news about Le Mans, etc.

LE MANS, etc

2006-05-23T10:51:00.000+08:00

They say no news is good news. Well, I still can not confirm that Hong Kong will not be at Le Mans this year. Indeed, I can tell you that I certainly will be racing this year on the famous 13.65 kilometre track - one way or another.

There might be only 10 days until the Test Weekend (June 3/4) but there is still a chance that we will be racing in this year's 24-hours. It's amazing how many cars do not yet have all their drivers confirmed - especially in the context of our Hong Kong entry being rejected despite appearances in last year's Le Mans Endurance Series, having confirmed our driver line-up before we sent the entry form, etc. Indeed I am now aware that one team received an entry without actually owning the car they will race this June. It's quite bizarre - and rather annoying.

So, until you hear news to the contrary there's a chance that the bauhinia will fly at the Le Mans 24-hours in June 17/18th. Stay tuned for updates later this week.

And now for very positive and exciting news: I will be racing at the Le Mans Classic on July 8/9th. This is one of the foremost historic racing events and I am very privileged to have been invited. Once we've confirmed what's happening with the June event I'll provide full details of the fabulous cars I will be driving in July.

In closing, perhaps I can direct you to my personal website www.matthewmarsh.net which will be kept up to date with all the developements - including those of the Hong Kong Le Mans team.

Matthew

NEWS UPDATE

2006-03-03T10:44:00.000+08:00

A lot has happened since last I wrote...

In mid-January the year ahead appeared quite full. I was looking forward to a fourth season in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and my third with A-Ha Racing. They had made a committment last August to continue in the series and ordered a new 997 Cup car which arrived in Malaysia in late January.

Then there was the Supercar Challenge. It looked likely I would be racing in this series of four races in China which caters for various sports cars on street tyres. The best part was that I would be re-united with my old A-Ha 996 Cup car. I raced this car for two years and we acheived a lot together.

And of course there was the Hong Kong Le Mans project which has been constantly in my mind for, well, I suppose about a decade!

Things started to go a little off course when A-Ha decided not to continue with the Carrera Cup Asia. Their involvement in the series had been part of a carefully planned brand marketing exercise and one which had proved successful. The focus for 2006 is on driving sales in China and thus it was decided a regional racing series was less relevant than before. The bad news then was a last-moment cancellation of my Carrera Cup season; the good news was confirmation of the Supercar Challenge in the trusty 996.

Then the Le Mans organisers, the ACO, released their second entry list which showed the first 38 cars to be invited - from a total of 50. Our Hong Kong team was not included. Whilst it was too early to start contemplating suicide this was certainly not good news.

The ACO's job is very tough: they had received 79 entries for 50 places - and 26 alone for the GT2 class in which our Porsche RSR runs. Indeed of these 26 GT2's some 16 were Porsches. Of course ours is the only entry from Hong Kong and would be the first team from Asia in the 74 year history of the 24-hours. Hopefully that will help us in our bid for selection.

The final entry list will be published very shortly after the Sebring 12-hours on March 18th. If you don't find the HK car on that list it's probably best to take care when walking close to tall buildings in Hong Kong. I won't be wearing a parachute...

KWAN BACK BEHIND THE WHEEL FOR LE MANS

2006-01-18T10:17:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong’s greatest motor racing driver, Charles Kwan, is coming out of retirement to boost the SAR’s pioneering Le Mans team.

The track legend has agreed to compete for Noble Group-GruppeM Racing if they are invited to the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.

Kwan, 42, retired after the 2004 Macau Grand Prix following an illustrious 20-year career in the sport.

But the lure of driving for Hong Kong’s official team in the world’s greatest sports car race has proved too strong.

“I had a great career and I’m happy in retirement, so it’s fair to say Le Mans is the only race that can get me back behind the wheel,” said Kwan.

“The Hong Kong Le Mans team is a fantastic project and, after giving it careful thought, I’ve agreed to be one of the drivers.

“I’ll obviously need to do some testing and it’s possible I may compete in a couple of races here in Asia as a warm-up, but I don’t think it will take me long to get back to the level I was at.”

Kwan was already an off-track advisor to Noble Group-GruppeM Racing but now, after months of intense lobbying from team spearhead and fellow driver Matthew Marsh, he has agreed to put on his racing suit once more.

“Matthew has been very persuasive!” laughed Kwan. “But, seriously, I’ve been following the team with interest and they’ve had some good results. I’m impressed by what they’ve achieved.

“Now, I’m looking forward to going to Le Mans and flying the flag for Hong Kong.”

Kwan carved his name in Macau Grand Prix folklore in 1993 when he became the only driver in the event’s history to win three races in the same weekend – the Macau Cup in a Group A BMW M3, the Supercar Race in a Porsche 911 Turbo and the Guia Race aboard a DTM BMW M3.

He capped his career by winning the inaugural Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia series in 2003.

Marsh was delighted by Kwan’s decision. “This is fantastic news,” he said. “Charles is, quite simply, the finest driver Hong Kong has ever produced and to have him back behind the wheel for our team is a massive boost. When I conceived this project it was all about driving with Charles in the world’s greatest race. This is not only the final piece of the jigsaw – it’s the whole picture.”

Noble Group-GruppeM Racing are attempting to become the first Hong Kong team to compete at Le Mans.

The team, which races a bauhinia-emblazoned Porsche GT3 RSR, was launched last June. Being unable then to lure Kwan from retirement, Marsh gave up-and-coming local racer Darryl O’Young the opportunity to share the driving with him in series of six-hour races in Europe as well as last October’s three-hour FIA GT race at Zhuhai.

A two-man team is enough for six-hour races but three will be needed for the gruelling Le Mans 24 Hours. The identity of the third driver will be confirmed soon.

Marsh has just submitted the team’s entry application to the Le Mans organisers, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), and will learn in March whether it has been accepted.

“In most cases, entry to Le Mans is by invitation only and is at the discretion of the ACO,” he explained. “They take into account various factors, including results, organisation and capability, as well as what a team can bring to the race in terms of profile and publicity.

“Given our performances, the media interest we have generated and the fact that we would feature the first ever Chinese driver at Le Mans, we’re quite hopeful.”

NEW TEAM GEAR

2006-01-05T09:56:00.000+08:00

At the recent event at IFC Mall, Matthew and Darryl were wearing the new team t-shirts designed by Hong Kong-based creative director Tony Crampton. Click here for photographs.

HONG KONG's TEAM ON DISPLAY IN HONG KONG

2005-12-16T09:53:00.000+08:00

The Hong Kong team's Porsche RSR was on display in the prestigious IFC Mall for four days in early December. Click here for photographs

LOCATION AT IFC MALL - 9th December

2005-12-07T13:01:00.000+08:00

The Hong Kong car will be on display at IFC Mall, Podium One, Main Concourse from Friday 9th through Monday 12th December. Matthew and Darryl will make an appearance from 5pm on Friday.

APPEARANCE IN HONG KONG - 9th December

2005-12-05T10:43:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong's Le Mans team will be making an appearance at the IFC Mall, Hong Kong, on 9th December at 5:30pm. Matthew and Darryl will be on hand for photography and to sign autographs. The team's Porsche RSR will remain on display until 12th December.

REPORT AND PHOTOS READY

2005-10-26T19:15:00.000+08:00

A race report and photographs from Zhuhai are now available on this site. Choose 2005 from the menu and then item 11. For downloading high-resolution pictures choose Resources and item 16.

FOURTH PLACE AT ZHUHAI - Now the focus is Le Mans

2005-10-24T11:20:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong duo Matthew Marsh and Darryl O’Young are hopeful they have done enough to merit an invitation to next year’s Le Mans 24 Hours after an encouraging performance in their final race of 2005 at Zhuhai today (Sunday).

The Noble Group-GruppeM Racing co-drivers finished fourth in their class – and 10th overall – in the FIA GT Championship at the southern China track.

“We have shown we are competitive and that is an important part of the Le Mans equation,” said Marsh. “The other key point is that we would be the first ever entry from Hong Kong – in fact, the first entry from Asia apart from Japanese teams – so we would certainly bring something different to the party.

“These factors will be taken into account when the Le Mans organisers begin sending out invitations in January. We think we’ve got a good chance.”

With cars for Sunday’s race divided into GT1 and GT2, the Hong Kong pair qualified fifth in the GT2 class to start 15th overall on the grid in their bauhinia-emblazoned Porsche GT3 RSR.

After Marsh completed the first 80 minutes, O’Young took over behind the wheel for the remainder of the 500km (three hours) race. The team waged a race-long battle for third place with a similar Porsche run by the Italian Ebimotors team. At the half-way mark the Hong Kong duo had the upper hand but lost the position in the final pitstops.

O’Young then experienced a dramatic moment on the penultimate lap when his brakes failed, causing him to career off into the gravel trap. He was towed out and completed the race at cruising speed, secure in the knowledge that the mishap had made no difference to the team’s fourth placing.

“We’re a bit disappointed not to be on the podium in what is effectively our home race,” said O’Young. “We were within 10 seconds of the third-placed car for much of the race.

“But we’ve got to be positive. It was a good performance by the team and the experience will serve us well in the future.”

Sunday’s race was Noble Group-GruppeM Racing’s fourth outing this year but their first in Asia.

After a high profile launch in June, they competed in three 1,000km races in Europe as part of the Le Mans Endurance Series (LMES).

After bad luck dogged their first two outings at Monza and Silverstone, causing early retirements, they scored Hong Kong’s first ever LMES point when finishing eighth in their GT2 class at Nurburgring on September 4.

Sunday’s event saw Marsh and O’Young switching competition from the LMES to the FIA GT Championship, an 11-race series that takes place throughout Europe and Asia.

Anthony Kumpen, Bert Longin and Mike Hezemans, driving a GT1-class Corvette C5R, won Sunday’s race. Marc Lieb and Mike Rockenfeller in a Porsche 996 were first home in the GT2 category and seventh overall.

HK TEAM RACING AT ZHUHAI THIS WEEKEND

2005-10-18T10:11:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong Le Mans hopefuls Matthew Marsh and Darryl O’Young are looking forward to racing in front of their “home” fans in Zhuhai this weekend.

After competing in Europe during the summer, the Noble Group-GruppeM Racing co-drivers will give their bauhinia-emblazoned Porsche GT3 RSR its first ever Asian outing in Sunday’s FIA GT Championship at the southern China track.

“We’re really excited about the race,” says Marsh. “The Hong Kong team has been very well received in the media across Asia. Everyone is behind this first effort from a Hong Kong team to race in top-level international sports car racing.

“Now that we are, if you like, coming home, the reaction is bound to be fantastic. Perhaps some people were a bit surprised by how competitive we were in Europe. We'll certainly be shooting for a podium finish in Zhuhai.”

Noble Group-GruppeM Racing are attempting to become the first Hong Kong team to be invited to take part in the world’s greatest sports car race, the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Since a high profile launch in June, they have competed in three 1,000km races in Europe as part of the Le Mans Endurance Series (LMES). Bad luck dogged their first two outings – a 260 km/h tyre blowout ended their race at Monza while gearbox failure ruined their chances at Silverstone – but they scored Hong Kong’s first ever LMES point when finishing eighth in their GT2 class at Nurburgring on September 4.

The team expect to find out later this year whether they have secured an entry to Le Mans in June 2006.

This weekend sees Marsh and O’Young switching competition from the LMES to the FIA GT Championship. Sunday’s 500km race is the ninth stop in an 11-race series that takes place throughout Europe and Asia.

Marsh took part in last year’s race at Zhuhai, when he partnered Hong Kong motorsport legend Charles Kwan to fourth place in the GT2 class in a Ferrari 360.

“That successful effort proved that the concept of a Hong Kong endurance racing team was sound and Noble Group have since come on board as title sponsor for our Le Mans programme,” says Marsh.

“They've been sending us off to our LMES races with much enthusiasm and now they'll be able to watch us at home, which is great.

“Sadly, Charles is in retirement now, but he has been ably replaced by Darryl, who has driven very well so far. Hopefully Charles will come to Zhuhai to cheer us on.”

-- ENDS --

Released by Two Up Front, the official media relations partner of Noble Group-GruppeM Racing.

For further information, please contact:
Niall Donnelly Bonnie Lam
Tel: (852) 2854 2136 / 6052 3330 Tel: (852) 2110 5890
Fax: (852) 3579 5955 Fax: (852) 3579 5955
Email: niall@tuf.com.hk Email: bonnie@tuf.com.hk

Photographs from Nurburgring

2005-09-08T17:02:00.000+08:00

Now available - go to 2005 on the main menu and choose items 8 and 9

FIRST POINT FOR HONG KONG TEAM

2005-09-04T22:50:00.000+08:00

Matthew Marsh and Darryl O’Young were celebrating in Germany on Sunday after claiming a slice of Hong Kong motor racing history.

The Noble Group-GruppeM Racing co-drivers piloted their Porsche GT3 RSR to eighth place in their class at the 1,000km of Nurburgring – and in doing so claimed the SAR’s first ever point in Europe’s elite sports car competition, the Le Mans Endurance Series (LMES).

The duo overcame a crash involving O’Young shortly before the halfway point in the six-hour race to register their first finish on their third outing in the series.

“This is a huge step for us,” said Marsh. “We’ve shown all along that we’re competitive and up with the pace, but we’d been held back by a bit of bad luck in the first two races. Our goal here was to finish – and we’ve achieved that.”

O’Young added: “We’re progressing all the time. It’s great to register our first finish and our first point, but we’re still slightly disappointed because, without the crash, we could have finished second. Next time out, we’ll definitely be targeting a podium finish.”

The pair started seventh on the grid out of 15 cars in their GT2 class. Marsh took the wheel for the first 80 minutes and by the time O’Young took over they were in fourth place.

But the team had a setback when O’Young, running eighth at the time, collided with a backmarker, damaging the Porsche’s front left suspension. The car was in the pits for 25 minutes while mechanics repaired it and the team dropped to last place.

“It was an error of judgment on my part,” said O’Young. “I went to overtake, locked up and we came together. But the guys did a great job fixing the car so quickly. The main problem after that was the handling because the car’s set-up was badly affected. From then on, we simply had to nurse it around and make sure we finished.”

The duo each took another turn behind the wheel, using their skill and experience to pick their way through the field to eighth place in their class and 28th overall.

It was third time lucky for Marsh and O’Young. In their first outing, at Monza in July, a puncture ended their race early while a broken gearbox meant they also failed to finish at Silverstone last month.

Noble Group-GruppeM Racing are bidding to become the first Hong Kong team to take part in the world’s greatest endurance race, the Le Mans 24 Hours. They are competing in the LMES – a series of six-hour races at some of Europe’s top tracks – in an effort to secure an invitation to Le Mans in June next year.

The team’s next LMES event will be in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 13. Before that, they are hopeful of taking part in the three-hour FIA GT Championship race at Zhuhai on October 23.

Marsh added: “We’re looking forward to Istanbul and, if logistics allow, we’ll be at Zhuhai as well. It would be great if we could race in our own backyard and give Hong Kong fans the chance to see us in action. But one thing is certain – wherever we race next, we’ll be going for a top-three finish.”

Victory in the GT2 class at Nurburgring went to Sebah Automotive's Marc Lieb and Xavier Pompidou in a Porsche 996 GT3 RSR.

The overall race winners were the Zytek Engineering team of Hayanari Shimoda and Tom Chilton, piloting a Zytek 04S in the top class, Prototype 1. It was a remarkable win for the pair – despite being fastest in practice, they had to start from the back of the 44-car grid due to a technical infringement.

TUNG IMPRESSES AT NURBURGRING

2005-09-04T17:48:00.000+08:00

Chinese ace Tung Ho Pin remains hopeful of joining Hong Kong’s pioneering Le Mans team after an impressive sports car debut alongside project leader Matthew Marsh today (Sunday).

Dutch-born Tung – who has done all his racing to date in single seaters – put on a scintillating display in the Maserati Trofeo race at Nurburgring in Germany.

Co-driving with Marsh for the first time, the would-be Formula One star made the transition to sports cars look easy, powering through the field from 11th on the grid to sixth by the time he handed over the wheel to Marsh 40 minutes into the hour-long race.

Marsh, Hong Kong’s most high-profile driver, experienced braking problems that saw him lose three places, but both men felt the eventual ninth-place finish was less important than the fact they had learned a lot about each other’s driving.

“I really enjoyed the race,” said Tung, a test driver for the Williams F1 team and currently racing in Formula 3 in Germany. “I had only done 15 laps in the car prior to today, so I was very happy with my performance. I was half a second quicker than in qualifying and my lap times were very consistent.”

The Maserati race was a support event to the main race later in the day, the 1,000km of Nurburgring, in which Hong Kong’s Le Mans team, Noble Group-GruppeM Racing – led by co-drivers Marsh and Darryl O’Young – were taking part.

That gave Tung, 22, the opportunity to meet team personnel and watch them in action with a view to working together in the future.

Noble Group-GruppeM Racing, who are hoping to race in the Le Mans 24 Hours next June, already have Marsh and O’Young signed up for six-hour races like the one at Nurburgring but need a third driver for 12 and 24-hour events.

“It’s an interesting project and one I’d like to be involved in, if my schedule next year allows,” said Tung. “In that respect, it’s been very useful to have the co-drive with Matthew, to learn more about driving sports cars and to meet the team. We will see what happens.”

Marsh, 36, added: “It was slightly disappointing to end up ninth because we felt we could have finished higher, but in terms of the Le Mans project – driving with Ho Pin and introducing him to the team – the weekend’s been a success. Hopefully we’ll work together again.”

Noble Group-GruppeM Racing are bidding to become the first Hong Kong team to take part at Le Mans, the world’s greatest sports car race. Their Porsche GT3 RSR is owned and sponsored by SAR companies and both British-born Marsh and Chinese-Canadian O’Young are Hong Kong residents

Gearbox Failure at Silverstone Night Race

2005-08-14T14:40:00.000+08:00

A broken gearbox forced Hong Kong’s pioneering Le Mans team to retire from the 1,000km of Silverstone on Saturday just as Darryl O’Young was producing an outstanding drive in treacherous conditions.

The Noble Group-GruppeM Racing star had shown immense skill and maturity to keep his bauhinia-emblazoned Porsche GT3 RSR in the running as torrential rain turned the track into a skidpan and spray thrown up by cars reduced visibility to a few metres.

But O’Young was powerless to do anything about the broken gearbox that ended the Hong Kong team’s hopes an hour and a half into the six-hour race.

“I was in fifth gear when I felt it go – and I knew straight away it was serious,” explained O’Young, 25. “I got it back to the pits in third gear and within minutes the mechanics were telling us there was nothing they could do.

“It’s too bad. It had taken me a while to get used to the track and the conditions, but after that I felt I was going really well.”

The breakdown came as O’Young was running seventh out of 15 in his category and just a few laps before co-driver Matthew Marsh was due to take over behind the wheel.

The setback mirrored the team’s misfortune in their first outing at Monza last month when a rear tyre blowout forced Marsh into the gravel trap and out of the race before O’Young had taken his turn in the driver’s seat.

Marsh, 36, refused to be downhearted. “Obviously, it’s disappointing, but we have to concentrate on the positives,” he said.

“Considering his relative lack of experience at this level, plus the fact it was an unfamiliar track and very difficult conditions, Darryl drove fantastically well. He showed tremendous coolness under pressure in a race where some of Europe’s top drivers were unable to keep their cars on the track.

“It’s almost impossible to explain to the casual observer just how tough it is to drive in heavy rain like that. Racing tyres are very efficient at removing water from the track, but the place they remove it to is the air and that creates a huge amount of spray. It is very, very difficult for a driver to see where he is going.”

Marsh, who had placed seventh in qualifying, added: “However, for the second race in a row, we’ve shown we’re on the pace. We were running seventh in our category, but we were on the same lap as the fourth-placed car and in position to challenge the leaders later in the race.”

The Silverstone race was the latest event in the 2005 Le Mans Endurance Series (LMES), a string of 1,000km races at some of Europe’s top tracks.

Noble Group-GruppeM Racing are competing in the LMES with the aim of being invited to take part in the Le Mans 24 Hours in June next year. It is the first time a Hong Kong team has targeted the world’s greatest endurance race.

The team’s next outing is the 1,000km of Nurburgring on September 4, when they will be hoping for better luck.

“We’re competitive, there’s no doubt about that,” added O’Young. “But you need a little bit of good fortune in endurance racing. Let’s hope we get it in Germany.”

Tung joins the team!

2005-08-02T18:35:00.000+08:00

Chinese ace Tung Ho Pin has emerged as a serious candidate to join Hong Kong’s pioneering Le Mans team after agreeing to co-drive a Maserati with project leader Matthew Marsh at a race meeting in Germany next month.

It will be the first time Dutch-born Tung has raced with Marsh, the SAR’s most high-profile driver, and both are hopeful it will lead to bigger things.

The Hong Kong Le Mans team, Noble Group-GruppeM Racing, already have Marsh and teammate Darryl O’Young signed up for a series of six-hour races in Europe but need a third driver for 12 and 24-hour events.

Tung – currently racing in Formula 3 in Germany – and Marsh will join forces for the Maserati Trofeo race at Nurburgring on September 4 and the Chinese star is relishing the challenge.

“It will be a great experience to work with Matthew and it will also be an opportunity for us to find out about each other’s driving,” said Tung, 22. “I have a busy schedule but I’m very keen to be part of the Le Mans project. If I can fit it into my plans and, crucially, give it the undivided attention it deserves, then I’d love to join up with Matthew and Darryl.”

Noble Group-GruppeM Racing are bidding to become the first Hong Kong team to take part in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the world’s greatest sports car race. Their Porsche GT3 RSR is owned and sponsored by SAR companies and both British-born Marsh and Chinese-Canadian O’Young are Hong Kong residents.

The team are currently competing in a series of endurance races in Europe with a view to being invited to Le Mans in June next year.

Marsh, the reigning Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia champion and the man who has spearheaded the Le Mans project, believes Tung – scheduled to demonstrate a BMW Williams F1 car on the streets of Rotterdam this Sunday – would be the perfect foil for himself and O’Young.

“Ho Pin is fantastically talented – the fact that Formula 1 teams are closely monitoring his progress says it all,” said Marsh. “Just as importantly, he is a team player, something that is crucial in endurance racing. Darryl and I have worked very well together so far and we think Ho Pin would fit in very well.”

The Maserati race is a support event to the 1,000km of Nurburgring, which Noble Group-GruppeM Racing are competing in, meaning it will be a hectic weekend for Marsh. Hours after sharing driving duties with Tung, he will be teaming up with O’Young to race the Porsche in the main event.

“The Maserati Trofeo is a short event and there’s a break of several hours before the 1,000km race, so tiredness won’t be a factor,” said Marsh. “Darryl and I both agreed it would be good to meet up with Ho Pin and for one of us to share a car with him to see his driving at first hand. Darryl is contracted exclusively to Porsche, so it has to be me.”

Tung and Marsh will be driving a Maserati Trofeo GranSport, the racing version of the road car that is sold in Hong Kong by importer Auto Italia, the company that is funding the duo’s entry.

Marsh will be hoping history repeats itself – in his only previous Maserati Trofeo outing, at Silverstone last year, he partnered British TV presenter Vicki Butler-Henderson to victory.

He added: “I'm excited by two things: firstly to be racing a Maserati again, because it’s one of the great sports car marques; and, secondly because again a Hong Kong company has backed our team. Auto Italia had to make a quick decision to get us into this race and they made it boldly. Now we have to win!”

As for Noble Group-GruppeM Racing, Nurburgring will be their third race since the team was announced last April. Marsh and O’Young took part in the 1,000km of Monza three weeks ago, when they were forced to retire while running fifth in their category, and they are next in action at Silverstone on August 13.

-- ENDS --

Released by Two Up Front, the official media relations partner of Noble Group-GruppeM Racing.

For further information, please contact:
Niall Donnelly Candy Ho
Tel: (852) 2854 2136 Tel: (852) 2854 2135
Fax: (852) 3579 5955 Fax: (852) 3579 5955
Email: niall@tuf.com.hk Email: candy@tuf.com.hk

NIGHT RACE COMING SOON

2005-08-02T10:13:00.000+08:00

The next race in the Le Mans Endurance Series is the Silverstone 1000kms on Saturday 13th August. The race starts at 4pm and will run into the darkness. Matthew and Darryl are looking forward to getting back into the RSR and hope this time to make it to the finish line.

Our team, GruppeM Racing, are in high spirits after class victory and a magnificent eighth place overall at the Spa 24-hours last weekend.

This weekend (August 7th), Darryl and Matthew will be racing each other in the Carrera Cup Asia races at Korea's Taebaek circuit before flying across the world to London.

Blow out forces retirement

2005-07-12T12:32:00.000+08:00

A high-speed tyre blowout ended the new Hong Kong Le Mans team’s hopes of a podium finish in their big-race debut in Italy.

Noble Group-GruppeM Racing were running fifth in their category in the prestigious 1,000km of Monza when the fates intervened, forcing them to retire.

The rear left tyre on the bauhinia-emblazoned Porsche GT3 RSR punctured and unravelled at 260kmh, ripping out the brake lining and causing driver Matthew Marsh to career off the track and into the gravel trap on lap 46 of the 173-lap race.

“It’s unfortunate but, all things considered, it could have been a lot worse,” said Marsh. “A puncture at that speed is pretty dangerous, but the car is OK – and so am I.

”We were in fifth position despite making two unscheduled pitstops and losing some time when I was shunted by one of the Ferraris and spun around, so we had genuine hopes of a podium finish. Then again, a lot of the teams that were forced out will be saying the same thing.”

The retirement was especially frustrating for co-driver Darryl O’Young, who had been waiting to take over behind the wheel for the second half of the five-hour race.

But he at least had the satisfaction of a solid qualifying session, posting a time good enough for the team to start seventh out of the 14 cars in their category.

“I was really looking forward to racing, but it wasn’t to be,” said O’Young. “Even so, we can take a lot of positives from the weekend. We qualified seventh and were running fifth, so that shows we are competitive.

“You need a little bit of luck in endurance racing and we didn’t get it this time, but these things even themselves out over time and we’re very confident about the rest of the season.”

Noble Group-GruppeM Racing are attempting to become the first Hong Kong team to take part in the world’s greatest endurance race, the Le Mans 24 Hours. They are competing in a series of warm-up races in Europe, China and the United States with the aim of being invited to Le Mans in June 2006.

Endurance racing cars are divided into four categories – P1 and P2 for prototypes (cars designed specifically for racing) and GT1 and GT2 for modified road cars. Marsh and O’Young, who both have plenty of experience in Porsches, are competing in GT2.

The Hong Kong team will be in action again in just over a month at the 1,000km of Silverstone in the UK, when they hope tyre supplier Pirelli can produce a more reliable set of treads.

“We had three punctures throughout the weekend and other cars with Pirelli tyres had the same problem,” said Marsh. “In contrast, the winners in our class were on Dunlops. I’m sure this is something Pirelli will be looking at between now and Silverstone.”

Marc Lieb and Xavier Pompidou, driving a Porsche GT3R for Sebah Automotive, won the GT2 class at Monza. Overall victory went to Pescarolo Sport’s Jean-Christophe Boullion and Emmanuel Collard in a P1-category Pescarolo Judd.

Both Monza and Silverstone are part of the Le Mans Endurance Series, a season of 1,000km races in Europe designed to help teams and drivers get in shape for Le Mans.

Qualifying news

2005-07-10T04:19:00.000+08:00

Darryl set a time good enough for seventh in class - of 14 entries. A good effort for our first attempt at the LMES. Check www.lmes.net for full details.

Free Practice At Monza

2005-07-09T04:28:00.000+08:00

The Hong Kong Le Mans team took the track at Monza today.

Darryl O’Young drove in the first session. After just one lap he returned to the pits with a gearbox problem. The initial prognosis was not good but number one mechanic Karl Patman found the problem was simply with the gear-change mechanism rather than the mechanicals themselves. Darryl was therefore able to rejoin the session. He quickly established a competitive pace but his session was curtailed early when the rear bumper was broken after a slide over the exit kerbs of the Lesmo II corner.

Matthew drove in the afternoon session. He also experienced a small problem when the rear left tyre deflated. It appears there was some damage to the tyre caused either by debris on the circuit or, more likely, the kerbs. A new set of tyres was fitted and Matthew enjoyed a relatively long run.

The team intends to do another long run in Saturday’s morning session to define the tyre choice for Sunday’s 1000 kilometre race. Qualifying for the race takes place on Saturday afternoon.

New photographs are added regularly to the Monza page under the 2005 menu heading.

Results can be found via www.lmes.net

Hong Kong arrives at Monza!

2005-07-08T04:20:00.000+08:00

The team has arrived in Italy and passed the first technical scrutineering checks. The car will run in practice on Friday, qualify on Saturday, and race on Sunday 10th July. Refer to 2005 on the menu to see pictures from Monza.

First run - at Snetterton

2005-06-30T02:25:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong’s Le Mans car has seen its first taste of action – and drivers Matthew Marsh and Darryl O’Young are delighted with the results.

The Noble Group-GruppeM Racing duo tested their Porsche GT3 RSR for the first time at the UK’s Snetterton circuit in preparation for their opening race at Monza, Italy in just over a week.

The testing session came just five days after the team was officially launched in a blaze of publicity in Hong Kong.

“Last week's launch was the first tangible evidence of all the hard work, and the positive reaction from all the supporters was very pleasing,” said Marsh. “Today, though, was huge. Before today there was always an element of doubt. What would it be like to drive an RSR? Could we handle it? Now we know the answers. All is well – we can do this!

“We were within a second of the times set by the other car run by GruppeM [driven by Jonathan Cocker and Tim Sugden]. This is Darryl’s first trip to Europe, yet he adapted very well to a circuit he had never seen before and ended the day two tenths of a second faster than me. He has shown we made the correct choice of co-driver.”
Noble Group-GruppeM Racing are attempting to become the first Hong Kong team to compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the world’s greatest sports car race. The team will take part in four endurance races in Europe, one at Zhuhai and another in the USA in an effort to be invited to Le Mans in June 2006.

Wednesday’s session marked the car’s first outing in bauhinia colours after it arrived from the USA in late May and was stripped and rebuilt at GruppeM’s UK workshop.

Team engineer Steve “Doc” Bunkhall was happy with the day’s events. “It was a very satisfactory start,” he said. “The car was reliable and the drivers performed well.”
The car was taken back to GruppeM’s workshop in Hemel Hempstead, north of London, to be prepared for departure to Italy on Monday.

The Monza race on July 10 is part of the Le Mans Endurance Series, a season of 1000 kilometre (about six-hours) races around Europe designed to help teams and drivers get in shape for Le Mans.

O’Young added: “The day went as we planned. We both got a good feel for the car and we’re going away happy and excited about Monza.”

Team Launch in Wan Chai!

2005-06-25T02:24:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong’s history making Le Mans team are ready for their first taste of action after unveiling their racing car in the SAR today.

Noble Group-GruppeM Racing took the covers off the Porsche GT3 RSR – which features the Bauhinia symbol emblazoned on the roof – at an official launch ceremony outside 1/5 club in Star Street, Wanchai.

Co-drivers Matthew Marsh and Darryl O’Young posed for pictures with the car which they hope will carry them to glory in the world’s greatest endurance race, the Le Mans 24 Hours, in June next year.

“This is a fantastic moment for SAR motorsport,” said Marsh. “We have brought the car here to show Hong Kong people that we truly mean business. The Bauhinia flag will be flying proudly at Le Mans next year – and we intend to prove we belong there.”

O’Young added: “It’s a magnificent racing machine and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel. We’re going testing in the UK next week and our first race at Monza is just three weeks away. We’re ready to roll.”

The two drivers fielded questions at a launch press conference in 1/5 attended by dozens of media before stepping outside to unwrap the car.

The launch was rounded off by a glamorous VIP cocktail party at 1/5 yesterday evening attended by more than 200 people including sponsors, supporters and celebrity fans.

Marsh and O’Young also revealed that Hong Kong fans would have the chance to watch them in action later this year – in the China round of the FIA GT Championship. The 11-race series for GT cars, which is staged across Europe and Asia, visits Zhuhai on October 23 and Marsh said Noble Group-GruppeM Racing would “almost certainly” be there.

“Our other four races this year are all in Europe, so it would be tremendous to compete in a top-class event on Hong Kong’s doorstep,” he said. “We’re finalising arrangements to take part and it would be fantastic if local fans could turn out in numbers to support us.”

The road to Le Mans begins on July 10 at Monza, Italy, when the team will compete in a 1,000-km, six-hour event that is part of the Le Mans Endurance Series (LMES). They will compete in further LMES races at Silverstone in August, Nurburgring in September and Istanbul in November, interspersed with the Zhuhai date.

After a winter break, Marsh and O’Young will take the car to Florida next March for the USA’s most high-profile endurance race, the 12 Hours of Sebring. A good result in that race, backed up by consistent performances in the LMES, will be enough to secure an invitation to the Le Mans 24 Hours in June 2006.

The two drivers will head to the UK early next week to begin testing at Snetterton, ironically the circuit where Marsh – the reigning Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia champion – began his racing career as a teenager in the mid-1980s.

Briton Marsh, 36, a Hong Kong resident for 14 years, has spent the past year piecing together corporate sponsorship for the ambitious project. It will be the first time that a car owned and sponsored by SAR companies and piloted by Hong Kong drivers has gone wheel to wheel with the world’s best at Le Mans.

The project has been made possible by the support and enthusiasm of two Hong Kong companies – Noble Group and the William E Connor Group – and GruppeM Racing, the UK-based outfit that is one of only two teams worldwide to carry Porsche “factory supported” status.

Another piece in the jigsaw was fitted last month with the announcement that Canadian-Chinese driver O’Young, 25, had joined the team. Born in Vancouver to Hong Kong parents, O’Young came “home” to the SAR 18 months ago to begin competing in the Carrera Cup.

Noble Group-GruppeM Racing also revealed last month that recently retired SAR racing legend Charles Kwan Siu Cheung had agreed to be an official adviser to the team.

O’Young added: “We have the car, we have the driving expertise, we have the technical support and we have the sponsorship package. This is a team with ‘made in Hong Kong’ stamped all over it. Now, it’s time to race, and we aim to give the people of Hong Kong something to be proud of.”

O'Young joins Marsh in Le Mans bid

2005-06-01T10:56:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong drivers Matthew Marsh and Darryl O’Young are teaming up to fly the bauhinia flag for the SAR’s pioneering Le Mans team.

Marsh, the reigning Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia champion, and O’Young, one of his rivals in the series, are to be co-drivers on the Hong Kong team aiming to take part in the world’s greatest sports car race – the Le Mans 24 Hours.

And making it a true Hong Kong “dream team” will be recently retired SAR racing legend Charles Kwan Siu Cheung, who has agreed to act as an official adviser to the project.

“This is a dream come true – I’m still pinching myself,” said Canadian-born Chinese driver O’Young. “Since I was young Le Mans has always been the peak of sports car racing, so to land this project is the culmination of everything I’ve been aiming for in my racing career.

“At 25, I feel I’m always learning but I’m ready for the challenge and this is a fantastic opportunity. I’ve learned so much from racing in the Carrera Cup last season and this season and it’s really prepared me for this chance.”

O’Young, the son of a Hong Kong mother and a father from Guangdong province who was raised in Hong Kong, was born in Vancouver and began karting at the age of eight. He moved to the SAR at the beginning of last year to start competing in the Carrera Cup. He added: “I’ve done a 24-hour race and a 12-hour race in California. They were club-level events but they gave me good experience to prepare for this.”

Marsh, who has been spearheading the ambitious project, was delighted to secure O’Young’s services. “It’s fantastic news that Darryl has joined the project,” he said. “I know from competing against him in the Carrera Cup that he is an extremely talented driver who has plenty of experience racing Porsches.

“Just as importantly, Darryl is a team player, someone who will put the needs of the team ahead of the individual. Right from the start of our discussions he has been very enthusiastic about the Le Mans campaign and is keen to be part of Hong Kong motor racing history.”

The Hong Kong team, Noble Group-GruppeM Racing, has been further boosted by the news that former Carrera Cup champion Kwan has agreed to be an adviser.

Kwan, 41, who retired from competitive racing last November after 20 years in the sport, said: “It’s a great project, one that will raise the profile of motor racing in Hong Kong.

“Matthew and Darryl know I have plenty of experience, especially having been involved in endurance racing in Japan, so that’s why they’ve asked me to be an adviser. They’ve been putting a lot of time and effort into this and I’m happy to help.”

Marsh said Kwan’s support would be invaluable. “Charles brings vast knowledge and experience to the setup,” he said. “He will be advising us on a wide range of subjects from endurance driving skills to technical issues. He’s fully supportive of the Le Mans campaign and it’s a huge boost for the team to have him involved.”

Marsh and O’Young will be driving a Porsche GT3 RSR with a distinctive yellow, white and red livery that features a large bauhinia on the roof. It will be the first time ever that a car owned and sponsored by SAR companies and piloted by Hong Kong drivers has gone wheel to wheel with the world’s best at Le Mans.

The road to Le Mans will begin with four races this year in the Le Mans Endurance Series (LMES) in Europe – each event is 1,000km and lasts about six hours – followed by a trip to the 12 Hours of Sebring race in Florida next March. Good results in those five outings will be enough to secure an invitation to the Le Mans 24 Hours in June 2006.

A two-man driving team is enough for the LMES, but a third driver will be required for Sebring and Le Mans. “Sebring is more than nine months away, so we have plenty of time to select the third driver,” said British-born Marsh, 36, who has lived in Hong Kong for 14 years.

The Le Mans project has been made possible by the support and enthusiasm of two Hong Kong companies – Noble Group and the William E Connor Group – and GruppeM Racing, the UK-based outfit that is one of only two teams worldwide to carry Porsche “factory supported” status.

“Hong Kong could not ask for a better driving team than Matthew and Darryl,” said GruppeM owner Kenny Chen, a Chinese property developer who has lived in the UK for the past 18 years. “They are both experienced Porsche drivers with the talent and technical know-how needed to race at the highest level. We’re really looking forward to working with them.”

Noble Group-GruppeM Racing will begin their campaign at Monza, Italy, on July 10, the first of the four LMES races. Other events will be at Silverstone in August, Germany’s famous Nurburgring in September and Istanbul, Turkey, in November.

The team’s Porsche has already been delivered to the UK and Marsh and O’Young expect to begin testing at Silverstone in mid to late June.

“All the pieces in the project are coming together nicely,” added Marsh. “We worked long and hard to put the sponsorship package in place and now, with Darryl on board, Charles joining as an adviser and the car delivered, we are ready to go racing. We’ll be going all out to make a strong debut at Monza.”