As the maiden season of TCR Asia Series gets closer to it’s historical first round in Malaysia, more details are starting to emerge of entries for the new global touring car phenomenon, with Hong Kong’s Kenneth Lau and Michael Choi campaigning a pair of brand new JAS Motorsport built Honda Civic TCRs under the Prince Racing banner.
The cars have just departed the JAS technical centre in Milan [Italy] bound for Singapore, where they will feature Racingin a promotion on August 22-23 as part of the build up for the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix, where TCR International, and the TCR Asia Series will feature as a support category.
From there they will go straight to Sepang to be given their final shakedown ahead of the opening round of the TCR Asia Series in early September [4-6].
Prince Racing and its two drivers have a long association with JAS Motorsport, having campaigned JAS-prepared Honda Accords in Asia since 2009, so it was only natural that the relationship continued into the maiden season of the TCR Asia Series.
“We’ve been watching developments closely since the TCR Series concept was revealed 12 months ago,” Lau admitted. “With our close working relationship with JAS, the success they’re having in the International Series, and our desire to be a part of this great new program that sees us racing alongside F1 in Singapore and on the streets of Macau, we just had to be a part of it. It’s also the start of an exciting new chapter in Asian motorsport, something which also appealed to Michael and I. We’re really looking forward to it.”
The two Prince Racing drivers are no strangers to Asian motorsport, with both of them enjoying immense experience in a variety of categories including open-wheelers, GT cars and Touring Cars, Lau a regular in the Hong Kong Touring Car Championship [he was the 2010 series champion] in a JAS-prepared Honda Accord, and Choi recently completed the first KL City Cup on the streets of Kuala Lumpur in third place in a Lamborghini Super Trofeo.
“I think it’s fantastic that two established stars in the Asian region have been quick to sign on for the maiden season of the TCR Asia Series,” David Sonenscher, the TCR Asia Series promoter and the Asian region’s representative of WSC Ltd admitted.
“We’re getting close now, and the cars are starting to arrive ahead of Sepang, so we’re looking forward to revealing more information about this historic new addition to Asian motorsport in the coming days.
“It’s fantastic to have the JAS Hondas in Asia, they’ve proven to be particularly capable in the International Series in the hands of Gianni Morbidelli and Kevin Gleason, which will play nicely into the hands of the Prince Racing team by giving them some valuable additional data to kick off the season. We’ll also see the JAS Motorsport guys back for Singapore, Thailand and Macau, so that will also prove a great boost for the performance of the local Honda team.
“It’s going to be a fantastic season, and the start of something which I think perfectly fits in the Asian motorsport market.”
“These are the first JAS TCR cars in Asia,” Mads Fischer, Customer Support Manager for JAS Motorsport added. “Kenneth and Michael have been loyal customers of JAS for years and we are delighted that they are joining the TCR category. We have had a lot of enquiries from Asia and have laid down a batch of six additional cars to be ready for January delivery as we expect existing and new customers to sign up for the TCR Asia Series for 2016.”
2015 TCR Asia Series – Calendar
4-6 September, Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia
18-20 September, Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore
23-25 October, Buriram International Circuit, Thailand
20-22 November, Guia Circuit, Macau
