What the Drivers Said on Friday at 6 Hours of Shanghai
The following comments were made on the occasion of the 6 Hours of Shanghai Pre-Event Press Conference at Shanghai International Circuit.
Earl Bamber – Porsche LMP Team, No.2 Porsche 919 Hybrid
“It’s great to be back here in Shanghai as actually, on the map, it is the closest I get to a home track. It is special as it is at this track where I got my first ever championship back in 2013 in the Carrera Cup with Porsche. Ironically they are racing this weekend so I have to keep an eye on my little brother (Will Bamber) who is racing here as well.
“The challenge for us this weekend is trying to do a double stint as the asphalt is very aggressive, but we didn’t see too much degradation in the first Free Practice session. Toyota looks strong as they have brought a few updates to their car. I think we will see a great fight just like we did at Austin in the dry and Fuji in the wet.”
Ho-Pin Tung – Jackie Chan DC Racing, No.38 ORECA 07 Gibson
“We have come off a fantastic run at the beginning of the year but after the summer break we had a run of bad luck which started in Mexico with a clutch problem. But we are coming here full of confidence and we have done our homework for this track as we would really like to shine at our home track. The welcome from the fans has been tremendous, we went on the metro with our own personalised tickets, and we've seen big LED screens with us on in the Bund!”
David Cheng – Jackie Chan DC Racing, No.37 ORECA 07 Gibson
“For us this weekend the goal for the whole team is to help and secure the championship. Obviously we want to take points away from our competitors so we want both cars up there fighting for the podium.
“I have been in China for the last few weeks and it has been great to see the awareness and the expectations. The preparations and level of interest from our partners here has been quite tremendous. I think we are in a strong position here and we would love to make a good showing in front of our home crowd.
"With regard to the growth of endurance racing [in China], ever since Ho-Pin and I did our first race here in 2013, it has been great and the fans come out more and more...especially with Jackie (Chan) showing up as he did last year. Who knows we may have a surprise or two for everyone this Sunday!”
Matt Rao – CEFC Manor TRS Racing, No.24 ORECA 07 Gibson
“It has been great to come back to Manor as they are a great team and there has been some good progression from last year which was quite strong anyway. The team is quick and competitive and, yes, there have been a few niggles but I think we can fight for regular podiums like we did in Austin."
Weng Sun Mok – Clearwater Racing, No.61 Ferrari 488 GTE
“It has been a really unbelievable season so far. In our debut year and we really had no expectations but we started out with the win at Silverstone. We said ‘let’s not get ahead of ourselves' but there is the challenge now. All of a sudden, from now, expectations have risen as we are in the running for the championship. We will be pushing this weekend and the team has been gelling really well. It's nice to come back here to Shanghai where I did my first race in 2007."
