EWS Craft-Bamboo Racing confirms a 2-car, full season GT3 entry for the 2019 China GT Championship season, following a successful first round of the series at the Asia GT Festival in Malaysia. At the season opener in March, Jeffrey Lee and Alessio Picariello in the #88 were victorious, and the pairing of Frank Yu and Jazeman Jaafar in the #77 entry gave the team 2 podiums in 2 races with a 2nd place finish.
Malaysian-based EWS Spamobil (M) sdn Bhd, an innovative product distributor in the Automotive industry, shares the same pursuit of global reach and excellence as Craft-Bamboo Racing. EWS’s commitment and official Team Naming partnership highlights EWS Spamobil’s commitment to motorsport at a top level and in the rapidly growing Chinese market. The team’s line-up for the 2019 China GT Championship is a synergy of talent and experience, and will be a force to be reckoned with, giving EWS Spamobil the best possible opportunity to fight for victory in this full-season title assault.
Current team partners, Shen Guang Ying Group, increase their motorsport involvement to a full title sponsorship of the #88 J-Fly Racing pair of Jeffrey Lee and reigning 2018 Champion Alessio Picariello. The Belgian-Taiwanese pair currently sit in 2nd place in the overall championship after taking an impressive outright race win the last time out in Sepang. Lee and Picariello have their sights on the top prize, with the Belgian looking to repeat his 2018 China GT Drivers Championship win.
For the upcoming round at Ningbo this weekend, Hong Kong race driver Darryl O’Young will be standing in for Picariello in the #88 entry as the Belgian has other racing commitments on the same weekend. The 2015 GT Asia Champion and multiple-time Macau GP winner will be a formidable element in Craft-Bamboo Racing’s line-up having had experience of the Ningbo circuit, and will be keen to take on this new challenge in China GT.
Fronting the full-season line-up for the #77 entry will be Malaysian racing star Jazeman Jaafar and Hong Kong race driver Frank Yu. The #77 will be running a special one-off livery for the Ningbo round, inspired by the fabled 1971 AMG 300 SEL “Red Pig”. The Malaysian-Hong Kong pair have already proven their outright speed on-track after providing a thrilling fight through the field in front of the Malaysian fans last month, which saw Jaafar pull off spectacular overtakes to finish 2nd. Yu and Jaafar currently sit 3rd in the championship, and will no doubt be gunning for more success throughout the upcoming season.
The 2019 China GT Championship began at the Sepang Circuit, and continues at the Ningbo Circuit in Zhejiang on 4 May, followed by rounds in Shanghai, Qinhuangdao and Tianjin, with the season finale back in Shanghai on 13 October. The weather for the upcoming round in Ningbo looks set to be unpredictable, with temperatures ranging widely between 12°C and 26°C.
Ningbo (Round 3 & 4) Schedule
Thursday
1235 – 1335 | Official Practice
1440 – 1455 | GT3 Qualifying 1
1505 – 1520 | GT3 Qualifying 2
Friday
1350 – 1450 | Race 1 (Round 3)
Saturday
1430 – 1530 | Race 2 (Round 4)
2019 China GT Championship Schedule
15-17 March 2019
Sepang International Circuit – Sepang, Malaysia
2-4 May 2019
Ningbo International Circuit – Zhejiang, China
28-30 June 2019
Shanghai International Circuit – Shanghai, China
8-11 August 2019
Shougang GT Circuit – Qinhuangdao, China
6-8 September 2019
V1 International Circuit – Tianjin, China
11-13 October 2019
Shanghai International Circuit – Shanghai, China
Quotes
Datuk Zakaria | Chairman of EWS Spamobil (M) Sdn Bhd – Official Naming Partner
“It is with great pleasure that EWS Spamobil extends our partnership with Craft-Bamboo Racing to become the Official Naming Partner for the full 2019 China GT Championship as EWS Craft-Bamboo Racing. As the EWS brand aims to better the automotive industry through our breakthrough innovative products, this partnership was the next natural step after the success at Sepang in March. Racing at the front in China’s biggest GT championship will give us the best, most exciting exposure in an important market, and we are looking forward to getting on track in Ningbo.”
Shen Guang Ying Group | Title Sponsor of #88 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“We’re excited to join Craft-Bamboo Racing in the China GT Championship as Team Partners and Title Sponsor of the #88 entry, highlighting our involvement in top-level motorsport and competition in the China and Asia region. To have world class drivers representing the Shenzhen Seagirt Investment Development brand and fighting for victory is perfectly aligned with our desire for excellence in our own businesses, and we’re looking forward to more success with Craft-Bamboo Racing!”
Russell O’Hagan | Operations Director of EWS Craft-Bamboo Racing
“We’re excited to finally confirm our full season effort in China’s largest GT Championship, and given our competitiveness at the Asia GT Festival last month, our aim will be to fight at the front. A strong driver pairing is crucial for this format of GT racing, and despite only switching to Mercedes-AMG this year, our drivers have already had success on-track with the new Mercedes-AMG GT3. This bodes well for EWS Craft-Bamboo Racing’s new adventure in the highly competitive China GT Championship.”
Frank Yu | Driver – #77 EWS Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
“I’m really excited to continue with the China GT Championship! The China market is a huge market for the manufacturers, and I’m very happy and thankful to continue with the Mercedes-AMG with EWS Spamobil as the official naming partner. For the upcoming round in Ningbo, I’ve never been there , its quite technical but I’ll do my best. It’s also great to be in for the full season with a talented driver such as Jazeman.
Jazeman Jaafar | Driver – #77 EWS Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
“I’m delighted to continue the season with EWS Craft-Bamboo Racing together with my teammate from Sepang, Frank Yu. I’m looking forward to the challenge to fight for more podiums and wins, and I’d like to thank EWS, Country Heights and Craft-Bamboo Racing for this opportunity to have a strong season ahead!”
Jeffrey Lee | Driver – #88 EWS Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
“I think GT racing is really growing in China as well as across Asia, and the China GT Championship has played an important role for motorsports in China. As the level and the organization has improved in this series, I would like to compete with some of the best drivers from the region in the upcoming season, especially the superstar from Hong Kong, Frank Yu.”
Alessio Picariello | Driver – #88 EWS Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
“I’m really happy to be back in China GT and to be able to defend my title. It’s always fun to participate in that championship as it’s close racing and fair driver pairings. There are also a lot of fans coming to watch the races which makes it even more exciting. Unfortunately I will have to skip Ningbo as I was committed to other racing before our China GT campaign was confirmed but I can’t wait to be back in Shanghai for the rest of the season. In the meantime, I wish all the best to Jeffrey and our team for the upcoming round, and looking forward to jump back in our Mercedes-AMG!”
Darryl O’Young | Driver – #88 EWS Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
“I’m looking forward to my first event in the China GT Championship; I’ve attended lots of races in the series but never driven so it’s great to be stepping in this time for Alessio. Jeffrey and I have known each other for quite a long time now, so it was quite a good idea for us to race together. Looking for a strong weekend and hopefully I’ll help Jeffrey score maximum points for the championship.”
