Hong Kong’s WIN Motorsport today proved they are already a formidable new force in regional motorsport by winning the prestigious Asian Le Mans Sprint Cup title at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit with one race in hand. WIN Motorsport drivers William Lok and Scott Andrews and the team put in a faultless performance on the 5.543km, F1-standard track to win the penultimate round of the series from pole to flag, locking in the team championship with an unassailable points lead. At the same time Lok, who formed the team just four months ago, secured the Drivers’ Championship and became the first Chinese driver to win a regional LMP Sprint Cup title.
WIN Motorsport has dominated this weekend’s season finale so far, topping the time sheets in both of Friday’s free practice sessions before snatching pole position for both of the weekend’s hour-long races, team owner and driver Lok taking his first career LMP3 pole position in the process.
Taking the wheel of the Ligier JS P3 LMP3 for the opening stint in Round 5 was 26-year-old Andrews, who led the field away and immediately set about building up a strong lead at the front. Lok took over driving duties at the half way mark and was immediately on the power, setting a cracking pace and thundering triumphantly across the line to win both the race and the championship. It was Andrews’ first LMP victory, and the young driver was full of praise for the newly-formed team.
From its formation in April, WIN Motorsport immediately made its mark both in Asia and beyond, winning the opening rounds of the Asian Le Mans Sprint Cup in Malaysia in May, before taking a top 10 finish amongst a strong, international field in the highly-respected Road to Le Mans race on the undercard of the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours.
WIN Motorsport has one final round of the 2017 Asian Le Mans Sprint Cup on Sunday but, having already sealed both the Team and Driver titles today, the champagne will continue to flow long after the podium celebrations are over.
WIN Motorsport Quotes:
William Lok: “To start a new team in Hong Kong where there are no race tracks, put together a world class team in such a short time, start racing in May and then straight away win a prestigious regional championship is really special. I can’t thank WIN Motorsport enough; our team manager Stewart Wild; race engineer Reece Byrne; Sjoerd Wolters our lead mechanic; and everyone involved in and around the team. The last three minutes of that race felt like a year, but we have won the championship and I am the first Hong Kong driver to win a regional LMP series.”
Scott Andrews: “I’d like to thank William for this fantastic opportunity and he did a brilliant job to bring the car home. He has raced well all year and has been really consistent. It’s great fun to work with such a good team, and my thanks to everyone at WIN Motorsport for my first LMP race win.”
Stewart Wild, WIN Motorsport Team Manager: “I could not be more proud of William and the whole WIN Motorsport team. We have won our first regional championship less than four months after we started our very first race. Congratulations to everyone and the momentum of this title will add more fuel to the strength of our 2017 Asian Le Mans Series campaign.”
About WIN Motorsport
Established by Hong Kong driver William Lok, WIN Motorsport brings together a wealth of talent, knowledge and experience from the highest levels of motorsport, including Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship, creating a veritable tour de force. WIN Motorsport Team Manager and Human Performance Chief Stewart Wild has worked with the likes of Jenson Button, while Chief Technical Officer Greg Wheeler brings 17 years of F1 experience to the new team. Richard Bradley, the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours LMP2 Champion, joins WIN as both a driver and Principal Driver Coach.
Team Principal Lok is a former VW Scirocco R-Cup China Champion, who, in 2016, made Hong Kong motorsport history by becoming the city’s first driver to successfully contest the inaugural sprint cup world final Road to Le Mans, the prelude to the world’s iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Lok has also competed in the FIA World Touring Car Championship at the Macau Grand Prix and in regional GT, single seater, prototype, touring car and endurance championships.
