The Ningbo circuit in China will host the 2018 Blancpain GT Series Asia season finale on the 12 – 14 October 2018. After a positive showing at the previous round of the series in Shanghai with points in both races, Craft-Bamboo Racing are looking to carry the good form into the end of the 2018 season with a strong result. The Porsche 911 GT3 R’s will make return to the grid with Sandy Stuvik and Shae Davies at the wheel of the #911 and Aidan Read will partner Darryl O’Young in the #991 car. For the first time in Blancpain GT Series Asia history, an all-female driver line-up will be entered, with Diana Rosario and Naomi Zhang contesting the GT4 class in the Mercedes-AMG GT4.
#911 Craft-Bamboo Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R
Sandy Stuvik and Shae Davies are aiming to end their 2018 season behind the wheel of the #911 Porsche 911 GT3 R with a strong result, after having had a successful season so far with one podium and seven top-10 finishes. Despite the 2018 season being his first season in Asia, Davies has demonstrated his ability to adapt to new circuits as shown with his performances this year. Stuvik and Davies have worked together with the team well to fully understand the nuances of setting up and driving the car with technical support from Porsche Motorsport, and the team are pushing hard to ensure the drivers have the best possible opportunity to fight at the front.
#991 Craft-Bamboo Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R
Aidan Read and Darryl O’Young return to the cockpit of the #991 Porsche 911 GT3 R this weekend with much positivity. Read and O’Young are looking to build on their recent momentum in the second half of the season, having achieved a top-5 result at the previous round in Shanghai. Although Read has not driven the Ningbo circuit, his teammate, O’Young, has driven the twisty, technical circuit two weeks ago and will no doubt be sharing his experience with the rest of the team. His experience may prove valuable, as the Porsche expert has a unique advantage of track experience on a circuit that is new to the calendar.
#88 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4
Forming the only all-female driver line up in the GT4 class in Blancpain GT Series Asia history, Diana Rosario and Naomi Zhang will be looking to impress. Despite the upcoming round in Ningbo being their first outing together for Craft-Bamboo Racing, both have recent experience in GT cars. Rosario already has had experience in the #88 Mercedes-AMG GT4, having made her debut for the team at the previous round in Shanghai, and Zhang has had several outings in various GT series in 2018.
Practice begins on Friday at 1240hrs followed by the qualifying sessions on Saturday at 1135hrs. Race 1 begins at 1520hrs on Saturday, and Race 2 is at 1055hrs on Sunday. (All times in GMT +8)
All the racing is available through the Live Stream at the GT World by SRO YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/gt1world
The following streams are available for viewers in China:
斗鱼：https://www.douyu.com/BGTSA
蛙赛：http://live.qq.com/10067292
虎牙：https://www.huya.com/880205
熊猫：https://www.panda.tv/2231774
Timetable
Friday [12th October 2018]
Free Practice 1 1240 [45min]
Free Practice 2 1525 [45min]
Saturday [13th October 2018]
Official Practice 0900 [30min]
Qualifying 1 1135 [15min]
Qualifying 2 1200 [15min]
Race 1 1520 [60min]
Sunday [14th October 2018]
Race 2 1055 [60min]
Quotes
Russell O’Hagan – Operations Director of Craft-Bamboo Racing
“The team head to the final round of the Blancpain GT Series Asia excited for the challenge of a new circuit and looking to end the season on a high. The short and twisty Ningbo track will make for some exciting sessions and some very close racing. As always we will be pushing hard to make the most of what we have and our target is challenge for podium positions with both cars”
Sandy Stuvik – Driver #911 Craft-Bamboo Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R
“Ningbo will be a new circuit for me, I look forward to the challenge and hope that our Porsche will benefit from the tight, twisty, kerb-hopping circuit. As always, I’m going to hope for some rain to improve our chances!”
Shae Davies – Driver #911 Craft-Bamboo Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R
“I have mixed emotions going into this weekend’s race at Ningbo. Hugely pumped be be back in #911 with my teammate Sandy. We’ve punched above our weight all season, I believe & I look forward to one last hit out in our great German chariot. Adversely, it’s sad for the season to be drawing to a close. I’d love to reward all the hard working guys & girls at Craft Bamboo with a podium as thanks for a great season! We will be giving it a big crack!”
Aidan Read – Driver #991 Craft-Bamboo Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R
“Ningbo is a new venue for the series, so the race will be on to get on top of the track and car setup during free practice. It’s an exciting time for our car, we had a strong performance in Shanghai and we are doing our best to maximise the Porsche 911 GT3 R. I’m looking forward to taking on the new challenge and pushing for a season best result to end the year. We achieved a top 5 at the last event, so a podium is a realistic target. I had the same situation heading in to last year’s Blancpain Asia series finale with a best result of top 5 and a new track to deal with, and I feel like we can go for a podium like in Zhejiang where I managed 2nd in 2017.”
Darryl O’Young – Driver #991 Craft-Bamboo Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R
“Ningbo is a nice track to drive with several challenges as its not a traditional type of circuit. Some areas get a bit tight and twisty so it will be interesting to see how the GT cars will handle this track. I was racing here two weeks ago in touring cars, so hopefully that gives me a small edge heading into the weekend. The #991 crew did a strong job in Shanghai last time out, so our target is to take another step forward and finish the season off with a win.”
Diana Rosario – Driver #88 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4
“It’s so exciting to be partnering with Naomi to form the first ever all-female crew in the Blancpain GT Series Asia. This weekend will be quite challenging as Ningbo is new for both of us and we are still gathering data to find a good setup for the car. However, I believe with the support from Craft-Bamboo Racing, we will catch up to the pace of the others very quickly! For sure, we are looking forward to have a good battle and show what girl power means!”
Naomi Zhang – Driver #88 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4
“It is a long expected weekend for me. To be able to work with Craft-Bamboo Racing on the first ever full female GT team in China is like a dream come true. There is so much for us to discover and to explore. It will be my first experience with the Mercedes-AMG GT4 on a brand new track. I hope I can learn the track and the car with limited sessions and have a nice start on this new adventure!”
