Jeffrey Lee and Maximilian Götz confirmed line-up for first of two Mercedes-AMG GT3s
Second Mercedes-AMG GT3 entry confirmed, driver line-up and livery to be announced
Hong Kong squad aims to go for Pro-Am class championship in 2023 season
Hong Kong’s Craft-Bamboo Racing has confirmed a 2-car entry to the upcoming season of Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS to contest for the Pro-Am class honours. The team has confirmed the livery and line-up for the #77 Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Jeffrey Lee (TPE) and Mercedes-AMG driver Maximilian Götz (GER) joining forces for the entire 6-round championship season. Further details of the sister car driver line-up will be announced in due time. The team is gearing up for the opening round, which is set to be held at the Chang International Circuit from 12 to 14 May 2023. Chinese Taipei driver Lee brings a wealth of experience to the team, with a proven track record of multiple podiums and wins at various circuits in the region. He has entered over 250 races in Asia during his illustrious GT and formula car racing career and was even awarded the Mercedes-AMG Driver Champion award in 2019 thanks to his 3 class victories in that year’s Fanatec GT Asia championship. He will be joined by German Mercedes-AMG driver Götz in the J-Fly Racing-liveried #77 Mercedes-AMG GT3 to create a strong Pro-Am line-up that will go for the overall championship. Götz is an experienced driver in sportscar racing, most notably winning the DTM championship in 2021, and is also extremely familiar with the Mercedes-AMG GT3, having raced with the German marquee for the past several seasons. He has also competed for Craft-Bamboo Racing in 2019 in the Suzuka 10 Hours, as well as driven with Lee previously in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia round in South Korea, making the duo an extremely strong pairing. The Hong Kong squad has also confirmed a second entry in the Pro-Am class of 2023 Fanatec GT Asia, however, details of this entry are set to be announced closer to the first round in Buriram, Thailand. The 2023 season will feature 6 rounds of racing, with points on offer for the top 10 finishers in each of the 2 sprint races at all the rounds. Craft-Bamboo Racing will be looking to maximize the points haul at Chang International Circuit and kick off its campaign with a strong points haul in the championship fight. The team thanks its partners J-Fly Racing, Hong Kong Asia Medical Group, Gravity, Evisu and FreeM for their constant support. Craft-Bamboo Racing has been a regular name at SRO’s Asia-based GT racing championship, however, was unable to contend since its last outing in 2019. The series is one of a select few multi-class championships for GT3 and GT4 cars in the region, which has helped quickly establish Fanatec GT Asia as the continent’s most popular GT championship. It attracted an average of more than 30 cars per race from manufacturers like Mercedes-AMG, Audi, Porsche and Ferrari from 2017 to 2019. Similar entry numbers are expected in 2023 as the championship gets back on its feet.
2023 Season Calendar
12 - 14 May Chang International Circuit Rounds 1 & 2
16 - 18 June Fuji International Speedway Rounds 3 & 4
14 - 16 July Suzuka International Circuit Rounds 5 & 6
21 - 23 July Motegi Rounds 7 & 8
18 - 20 August Okayama International Circuit Rounds 9 & 10
22 - 24 September Sepang International Circuit Rounds 11 & 12
Jeffrey Lee | Driver, #77 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
“It has been a few years since we last raced in Fanatec GT Asia, so to be finally returning to a full season in this championship is amazing. I am excited and ready to go racing once again across Asia as J-Fly Racing partners up with Craft-Bamboo Racing once again. Max is a strong driver and he will be a great asset to our team as we hopefully go for the overall win this year. Overall, we have a very strong team and it will be our aim to maximise results each weekend.”
Maximilian Götz | Driver, #77 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
“I am looking forward to driving again with Craft-Bamboo Racing. We have done some races in the past together and it was great, including a couple in Fanatec GT Asia. I know the team quite well and I know Jeffrey as we have raced as teammates previously. We have a strong line-up, of course, it's never easy to win races but that is our target. This championship is growing and features some big names so the competition will be high. With my expertise, I will try to help Jeffrey and the team to improve and put our best foot forward to score the most points over the season so we can go for the championship. My aim is to always win no matter which championship I race in, and I want to be on the podium as much as I can. The tracks are really cool and unique so it will be fun and I am looking forward to getting into it.”
Darryl O’Young | Team Director, Craft-Bamboo Racing
“I am extremely delighted to finally be back on track in Asia. It has been a process to rebuild our team after the region opened up again this season. Things are looking positive and I believe the hardest times are behind us now. We are very focused to bring our drivers an organised infrastructure and good car preparation, all key points to delivering consistent performances and race wins. For sure it won’t be easy with a lot of strong teams and drivers, so we will look to our experience and teamwork to bring us results. We look forward to the challenge ahead this season.”
