– Tse becomes first Hong Kong driver to win a British GT Championship race
– Contempo Concept-sponsored #18 Mercedes-AMG dominates from pole position
– Much-needed respite for Tse and Goetz after challenging start to season
Kevin Tse (HKG) became the first Hong Kong motorsport athlete to take overall victory at a British GT Championship race after a commanding win at the series’ only flyaway race in Belgium last weekend. Having teamed up with Maximilian Goetz (GER) this year in the Contempo Concept-sponsored #18 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the overall Pro-Am class, Tse finally managed to get his breakthrough at one of the most daunting circuits on the plant, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Round 5 of the British GT Championship provided a heap of drama, with an extremely chaotic start that saw a long Red Flag period and the race being reduced to 90 minutes, as opposed to the original 120 minutes. However, the duo of Tse and Goetz remained undeterred all weekend, putting together a stunning qualifying performance and following it up with a dominant pole-to-flag victory to claim the top step of the podium for the first time this season.
The 2 Seas Motorsport crew arrived in Belgium hoping to turn their fate around, after suffering a rather difficult start to the season due to a string of forgone results due to misfortune. Tse and Goetz looked strong right from the get-go, featuring at the top of the timesheets consistently in the lead-up to qualifying on Saturday. Both drivers managed to extract the maximum amount of grip from a slowly drying track which saw lap times constant tumbling through both qualifying sessions. Tse and Goetz clocked in the second fastest lap in each of their respective sessions to achieve the quickest average time and claim their second pole position of the season.
Tse started the 2-hour race from the front of the 36-car grid, which proved to be hugely monumental, as there was a significant multi-car accident that ensued out of turn 1 on the opening lap. With numerous cars out of the race and barriers to be repaired a lengthy Red Flag period followed, which led to the race duration being truncated and eventually resumed with 1 hour and 16 minutes remaining. Tse managed the Safety Car restart with ease and remained consistent as he pulled away from the chasing pack. The Hong Kong driver made his mandatory pit stop with about 40 minutes remaining on the clock and handed the car over to Goetz.
The German Mercedes-AMG driver managed the remainder of the race without breaking much of a sweat. He gradually extended his lead advantage and finally brought the car home to take his first victory of the season. It was a big sigh of relief for both drivers having finally gotten that long awaited win. The pair took the full 37.5 points climbing up the Drivers’ Standings to P7 with 4 rounds left in the series. The race also served as valuable preparation and a huge confidence booster for Tse as he sets his focus on the legendary 24 Hours of Spa scheduled to take place this weekend. He will team up with David Pun (HKG) and Indy Dontje (NED) in the Uno Racing Team with Landgraf #16 Mercedes-AMG GT3. The race will be available live on the GT World YouTube channel and official website.
