KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) will take on the Nordschleife for the first time in 2021 on March 27 as their preparation for the Nürburgring 24 Hours gets underway. The team is set to compete at the opening round of the 2021 Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie (NLS) this weekend, their first of a selection of events in the NLS season ahead of their third appearance at the famously challenging endurance race.
Following the cancellation of the pre-season test due to adverse weather conditions, this will be the first time the team is able to see where it stands against its rivals. Building on a successful maiden campaign with Porsche in 2020, KCMG aims to use that momentum in its preparations for the 24 Hours.
This weekend is also the first time that Nürburgring expert Marco Holzer joins Alexandre Imperatori, Josh Burdon and Edoardo Liberati. The quartet will share the #18 Porsche 911 GT3 R, sporting a new look featuring the iconic team colours of blue, white and black.
The 90-minute qualifying session for the race begins at 8:30am local time, with the four-hour race getting underway at noon.
Alexandre Imperatori: “We had to wait a little longer to get back on track after the official test day was cancelled last weekend but it’s finally time to go racing. I can’t wait to start working with my teammates and begin our season at NLS 1. It’s a bit like the feeling on the first day back at school: we have done our homework over the winter but there is nothing quite like racing!”
Edoardo Liberati: “The team has been working hard during the winter to get ready for the beginning of the NLS season. The first target for us is to continue the development of the car and to collect data on the Nordschleife, but of course we also aim to pick up a strong result straight away.”
Josh Burdon: “I’m really excited to get our season started on the Nordschleife this weekend in NLS 1. It has been a long winter with a lot of work being done off track, so I can’t wait to jump back in the car and begin our programme.”
Marco Holzer: “The long winter break is finally over, and we’re back to racing this weekend. I’m super happy to do my first race with KCMG, together with my teammates Alex, Josh and Edo. Due the cancellation of the NLS test, we’ll go straight into racing mode, collecting data and competing for a strong result at the same time.”
Matt Howson, Team Manager: “It was unfortunate the official NLS test was cancelled, but this is the Nürburgring so it's part of the challenge, and we look forward to NLS 1 to continue our testing and development programme. The team and drivers have worked extremely hard all winter to be prepared, so we're happy to finally get racing underway!”
Paul Ip, KCMG Founder: “It’s really exciting to be approaching the start of the 2021 NLS season. It’s been a long time since we last went racing and everybody in the team is looking forward to the weekend and beginning our preparation for the Nürburgring 24 Hours in June. We have a settled driver line-up, boosted by the arrival of Marco, so I believe we have a great chance of achieving a strong result on Saturday.”
2021 KCMG Nürburgring Programme
27 March NLS 1
17 April NLS 2
1 May NLS 3
8-9 May ADAC Qualification Race
3-6 June ADAC TOTAL 24-Hour Race
