KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) put in a strong performance at round four of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS, previously VLN) as preparations for the 24 Hours continue, finishing as the top two Porsches after qualifying on the front row and leading early on.
Starting in damp conditions on slick tyres, the #18 Porsche 911 GT3 R, fielding factory drivers Romain Dumas and Dennis Olsen alongside Alexandre Imperatori, worked its way up to fourth place over the four-hour enduro. The crew displayed the improvements the team has made since its first race weekend with the German marque in early July.
Olsen also competed in the sister #19 machine, conducting further tests and offering feedback to help maximise the performance of both cars. He and KCMG’s own Josh Burdon and Edoardo Liberati started on the front row of the 135-car field and led in the early stages of the race. A sixth-place finish further illustrated the forward steps the team has made.
The next race will be the six-hour NLS 5 on 29 August ahead of the Nürburgring 24 Hours on 24-27 September.
Romain Dumas, #18 Porsche 911 GT3 R: « It was a strong weekend for us, we have definitely made improvements compared to the previous event in terms of the car set-up. For sure, there is still a long way to go but we know where we need to improve. Overall, lots of positives and we’ll continue to push to be ready for the 24 Hours. »
Alexandre Imperatori, #18 Porsche 911 GT3 R: « We had a positive weekend and made some good steps forward. The weather was a bit tricky with the wet morning and then starting on slicks in difficult conditions, but the team did a good job. We were a bit unlucky in qualifying with a code 60 which cost us a better starting position, but we had a solid recovery to fourth which I’m pleased with. Thanks to the whole team and I’m already looking forward to NLS 5. »
Dennis Olsen, #18/#19 Porsche 911 GT3 R: « There were positives straight away from qualifying with the #19 second, very close to pole and going on to fight for the lead in the opening stint. Unfortunately we could not manage a proper qualifying lap with the #18 but at the end of the day we finished fourth and sixth which is probably one of KCMG’s best races in NLS. We saw very good progression from last time out, so if we make the same improvements again for the next race we could probably end up on the podium. »
Josh Burdon, #19 Porsche 911 GT3 R: « We made big steps forward in all areas this weekend and I appreciate the team’s hard work. Coming away from this race with both cars in the top six is an encouraging result. Once again we will do some work away from the track to come back stronger for NLS 5. »
Edoardo Liberati, #19 Porsche 911 GT3 R: « I’m quite happy with our finish result and especially the progress made compared to NLS 2/3. KCMG has done a fantastic job preparing the cars and sixth is a good result. Now we have a few weeks to analyse everything and make another step forward for the next race. Big thanks to the team, my co-drivers and to Porsche for their support. »
Paul Ip, Team Founder: « NLS 4 was another strong result for KCMG with Porsche at the Nordschleife. Both cars have improved well since the previous round and we’ve seen this development yield encouraging results. We still have a lot of work to do, but we are eager to keep progressing and will make another step before NLS 5. »
Press release KCMG
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