Craft-Bamboo Racing are ready for battle this weekend at the famous Fuji Speedway in Japan and they have their sights set on further Blancpain GT Series Asia podiums. The team hopes to build on the success and pace they found in Suzuka earlier this month. Shae Davies and Sandy Stuvik in the #911 Porsche 911 GT3 R scored a second-place podium and were challenging for the win throughout the race. With their newfound pace, the #911 pair hope to go one better this weekend and take their first win of the season. Aidan Read and Darryl O’Young are eager to fight back in Fuji after a tough run at Suzuka. The #991 duo have shown good development over the season and Fuji provides them with the perfect opportunity to claim a spot on the podium.
Sandy Stuvik and Shae Davies will be focused on furthering their positions in the championship standings with another strong weekend of points. Taking their biggest haul of the season so far in Suzuka was a testament to the team’s hard work and continuous evolution of the Porsche 911 GT3 R. Both drivers have been flawless throughout the 2018 season, extracting the most out of their car to frequently see them finish in the top ten. Stuvik’s prior experience at the 4.563km circuit should come in handy and he will be working hard to get a good setup dialled in by the end of Friday. Fuji Speedway is another new Japanese circuit for Shae Davies but so far, he has proven to adjust quickly and continues to maximize the performance of the #911. After finishing the last three races in the points, they plan on delivering another step up in performance to put on a brilliant showing for the Japanese GT fans.
Darryl O’Young and Aidan Read have faced some tough challenges in the first half of the season but they have continued to push forward. Both O’Young and Read have raced at the Fuji Speedway before, which gives them an early advantage over the biggest Blancpain GT Series Asia grid of the season. After some tough luck in Suzuka, damage prevented the #991 car from realizing its full potential and both drivers are keen to bounce back this weekend. The pair have shown great resilience in the #991 Porsche and with a clean race, the pair should be able to capitalize on the car’s potential. The Craft-Bamboo Porsche showed excellent pace last year at Fuji with a podium in race one, and both drivers will be hoping to build on those results. With the Porsche’s strong top-end and Fuji’s lengthy 1.475km straight, the two Fuji experts are in with a good shot to rise above the competition and claim their best finish of the season with a place on the podium.
FUJI TIMETABLE GMT +9
Friday 20 July
13:00 – 13:45: Free Practice 1
15:45 – 16:30: Free Practice 2
Saturday 21 July
08:00 – 08:30: Official Practice
11:25 – 11:40: Qualifying 1
11:50 – 12:05: Qualifying 2
15:10 – 16:10: Race 1
Sunday 22 July
13:05 – 14:05: Race 2
Quotes
Russell O’Hagan, Operations Director of Craft-Bamboo Racing
“The team heads to Fuji after a strong showing in Suzuka and are on the hunt for more points and podiums. After a good weekend there last year and a lot of hard work since, I am confident we will see the strong performances from Suzuka continue.”
Sandy Stuvik, #911 Porsche 911 GT3 R
“I’m excited to race under Mt. Fuji again. I feel like we are making good progress with the setup of the car and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do! The goal for the Fuji round will be to carry on the momentum from the Suzuka round, and hopefully do one better as we aim for victory.”
Shae Davies, #911 Porsche 911 GT3 R
“Once again, I head to a new track, but this time to one I’ve been really looking forward to. Coming off the back of a great run in Suzuka. I feel the team and our crew on car #911 are poised for a strong weekend. Craft-Bamboo showed great pace there last year so I’m hoping sandy and I can reward the hard-working guys and girls with something to smile about come Sunday!”
Darryl O’Young, #991 Porsche 911 GT3 R
“It’s always a pleasure to race in Japan. Last year we had strong pace in Fuji, so we hope to make gains for this year’s race. Mixed conditions are usually the case at this track in July, so I don’t expect much to change this year. Let’s see how the weekend plays out, but Aidan and I will work hard to hunt down a first win for the team this season.”
Aidan Read, #991 Porsche 911 GT3 R
“Fuji Speedway is an amazing track with a lot of history, below the famous Mount Fuji. It has a 1.475Km straight which is the longest on the calendar. I expect to see the highest top speeds of the season this weekend, which is a thrill.
I have seen big developments in my confidence and aggression in GT this year and we have seen strong speed from Porsche in Suzuka. The Craft-Bamboo team have been working extremely hard to isolate problems on the #991 from the last round and I expect to be in a top car on pace. I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel and continue to execute my best stints.”
