Craft-Bamboo Racing confirms a single Mercedes-AMG GT3, four-driver entry in the coveted Dubai 24 Hours. The around-the-clock endurance race will be run on the 9th to 11th of January at the Dubai Autodrome, and is expected to be a thriller with 23 entries in the top GT3 class out of a 76 car field.

Whilst the four drivers are established professionals in their respective industries, every year, Jonathan Hui, Antares Au, Frank Yu and Kevin Tse join forces and participate in the Dubai 24 Hours as official athletes of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The same line-up returns to contest the gruelling race in the desert with high hopes of finishing on the podium again, after taking consecutive podiums in 2017 and 2018 in the GT4 class. In the 2019 edition of the race, the four drivers finished an impressive 10th overall and 4th in the GT3 Pro-Am class, confirming their front-running pace.

As a tribute to Mercedes-Benz’s success on track, Team Hong Kong Craft-Bamboo Racing will also be running a historic livery by Zung Fu. In 1991, Mercedes-Benz scored a double podium result with a pair of black and gold Mercedes-Benz 190E Evo II DTM at the Macau Grand Prix. The #69 Mercedes-AMG GT3 will be liveried in the iconic colours, and will look menacing under the lights in Dubai.

Team Hong Kong Craft-Bamboo Racing

The combination of Hui, Au, Yu and Tse form the formidable all-Hong Kong driver line-up for the 2020 Dubai 24 hour endurance race in January. After having strong 2019 campaigns in various series around the world, the experienced drivers have great momentum going into this race.

Jonathan Hui, who races GT3 in Europe, scored one victory in in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup and finished 3rd overall in the Pro-Am class. Antares Au, who competes in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia series, recently finished 4th in the championship after finishing on the podium on 4 occasions in 2019. 2017 Blancpain GT Series Asia GT4 Champion Frank Yu is also going into this race in strong form, taking several victories in the 2019 GT World Challenge Asia in addition to his various outings in GT3 machinery. Completing the line-up is Kevin Tse, who recently took victory with the Mercedes-AMG GT4 at the highly challenging Macau circuit and is also a former Asian Le Mans Champion with Craft-Bamboo Racing back in 2014.

Craft-Bamboo Racing

Craft-Bamboo Racing is not new to the Dubai 24 Hours having contested the event twice in the past, with the team finishing 3rd outright in 2013 and 9th in class in 2014. Craft-Bamboo Racing (CBR) is a professional motorsport team and Official Performance Team of Mercedes-AMG, with a head office in Hong Kong and workshops in Sepang, Malaysia and Silverstone, UK. Besides motorsport operations, CBR have a dedicated in-house marketing team based in Hong Kong, designed to assist sponsorship partners in creating & executing customized marketing campaigns. Craft-Bamboo Racing bridges a connection between the developed European racing scene and the emerging Asia Pacific and China markets, whilst giving clients a full 360-degree platform that offers engineering, technical, and commercial solutions needed to succeed on and off the track.

The Dubai 24 Hours

Held at the Dubai Autodrome every January since the inaugural event in 2006, the Dubai 24 Hours is traditionally the first GT endurance race of the calendar year. This endurance race is exceptionally tough for the engineers and drivers, with conditions in the desert searing during the day and then dipping sharply at night. 607 laps were completed in the 2019 edition of the race, and the Team Hong Kong Craft-Bamboo Racing will be aiming to be fighting at the front until the chequered flag drops at the end of the 2020 race.

Weekend Schedule

8 January 2020 | Wednesday

1700hrs – Parade through Motor City

9 January 2020 | Thursday

1000hrs – 1130hrs | Free Practice

1540hrs – 1610hrs | Qualifying

1800hrs – 1930hrs | Night Practice

10 January 2020 | Friday

1115hrs – 1140hrs | Warm Up

11 January 2020 | Saturday

1405hrs | Hankook Dubai 24h

QUOTES

Jonathan Hui | Driver #69 Mercedes-AMG GT3

“I’m incredibly excited to be representing Hong Kong to race at the Dubai 24 hours in 2020 for the 5th time. After narrowly missing out on a podium finish in 2019, I’m hopeful of a strong showing with championship winning team Craft Bamboo Racing and their Mercedes-AMG GT3, along with the same driver line up whom I’ve partnered with since 2017. I would like to thank the team and our partners for the opportunity, in particular Zung Fu for allowing us to run this iconic livery from their DTM car in 1991.”

Antares Au | Driver #69 Mercedes-AMG GT3

“2020 will be my fourth Dubai 24H with the same all-bronze line-up, and our second year running in the top GT3 class. We are proud to have the support of the world-class team at Craft-Bamboo Racing, whose depth of experience with the Mercedes-AMG platform and long-distance races in particular will be significant assets in this challenging event. We are confident as partners and teammates, and look forward to a successful start to the 2020 international endurance racing calendar.”

Frank Yu | Driver #69 Mercedes-AMG GT3

“I’m really excited to be contesting in the Dubai 24 Hours with the same all-Hong Kong line-up as last year, with a Hong Kong Team, Craft-Bamboo Racing. We worked really well together whilst having some fun, and we know that Craft-Bamboo Racing is a world-class team and I have high hopes for the 2020 edition of this race. As for myself, I’ve driven the Mercedes-AMG GT3 several times and achieved two podiums in 2019, along with several wins in the GT4 class in the GT World Challenge Asia. Really looking forward to the first practice session where we hit the track with our striking black-and-gold Zung Fu-liveried entry.”

Kevin Tse | Driver #69 Mercedes-AMG GT3

“This is our 4th year competing in Dubai, and all the drivers are well prepared and know the circuit well. I’ve raced with Craft-Bamboo Racing previously and we won Asian Le Mans in 2014, so I know the team well and I know that they’re top notch and world class, and sure the car will be well prepped. As for the car, I haven’t driven the GT3 but I’ve been racing the GT4 version for more than a year and hopefully I will make the step up and I’ve only heard good things about the GT3 so hopefully we will get on the podium.”

Darryl O’Young | Director of Craft-Bamboo Racing

“We are really proud to run a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for this entry, as it’s a Hong Kong driver line-up, and we are a Hong Kong team. Craft-Bamboo Racing have competed in this race a few times in the past, where we finished P3 overall in 2013 as our best result. We will focus on delivering a strong team performance, to give these boys the best shot at the podium. With the combined driver and team experience in this race, having a clean race without mistakes will give us the best chance at success. There are a lot of regulations that make this race very different than other endurance events, and we have seen that avoiding small penalties play a big factor to the final result. We all look forward to the Dubai 24 to kick off our 2020 season.”

Source. Craft-Bamboo Racing