MERCEDES-AMG TEAM CRAFT-BAMBOO RACING CONFIRMS 2-CAR ENTRY FOR THE 2019 FIA GT WORLD CUP

Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing confirms a 2-car entry for the 2019 FIA GT World Cup as part of the 66th Macau Grand Prix. The Official Performance Team of Mercedes-AMG will field two Mercedes-AMG GT3s at this prestigious and world renowned event at the Guia Street Circuit in Macau, one driven by Swiss GT star Edoardo Mortara, and the other by Belgium’s rising young gun Alessio Picariello. Title sponsors and liveries for the #77 and #88 Mercedes-AMG GT3 entries will be announced in the coming weeks.

EDOARDO MORTARA
Edoardo Mortara, who has been given the nickname “Mr. Macau” from his all-time win record at the Macau Grand Prix, joins Craft-Bamboo Racing at the helm of the #77 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Mortara is the most successful Macau Grand Prix driver in the history of the event, having taken victory on 10 occasions at this challenging street circuit. The current Formula E driver has won 4 times in the Formula 3 category and 6 in the top GT class at Macau, and will be gunning for the top-step of the podium come the race in November.

ALESSIO PICARIELLO
Belgian young gun Alessio Picariello will be making his Macau Grand Prix debut in the #88 entry, completing Craft-Bamboo Racing’s line-up for the 2019 FIA GT World Cup. Despite the 2019 FIA GT World Cup being Picariello’s debut at the daunting Guia circuit, he has come off the back of a strong debut season with Mercedes-AMG with the team. Picariello has no doubt shown his talent by taking several victories in both the Blancpain GT World Challenge Asia as well as the China GT Championship in 2019, and will be looking to make a spectacular first impression on this star-studded event.

THE WEEKEND AHEAD
The weekend in Macau is set to be a thriller, with First Practice starting on Thursday, Final Practice and Qualifying on Friday. The racing action begins with Race 1 on Saturday, and Race 2 on Sunday. The 66th Macau Grand Prix will be broadcast across 315 internet platforms and 103 TV networks globally in addition to the various live streams on social media channels.

SCHEDULE
14 November 2019 | Thursday
1235 – 1305    Free Practice 1
15 November 2019 | Friday
1230 – 1300    Free Practice 2
1610 – 1640    Qualifying
16 November 2019 | Saturday
1305 – 1405    Qualification Race (12 Laps)
17 November 2019 | Sunday
1225 – 1340    FIA GT World Cup Race (18 Laps)

QUOTES

Edoardo Mortara | Driver #77 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“I’m really happy to be with Craft-Bamboo Racing for the upcoming Macau Grand Prix. I’ve known some members of the team for some time and I think it would be fantastic if we scored a good result. For me I’m looking to try to win this race again, after having last taken the victory in 2017 and being on the podium last year. I’ve got a lot of success in the past in Macau and I hope this year we can achieve a good result. Very motivated and determined to come back to Macau with Craft-Bamboo Racing, and I’m hungry for success like never before and let’s see what we can achieve!

Alessio Picariello | Driver #88 Mercedes-AMG GT3
“It’s a dream coming true since I’ve started racing cars; I’ve always wanted to race in Macau and now it’s finally happening. It’s such a special feeling with a mix between excitement, happiness and let’s be honest, a little bit scary too! It’s going be a huge personal challenge doing my debut straight into a race with the world’s best GT drivers, but I’m really grateful for the opportunity Mercedes-AMG is giving me. Learning has been the main thing this year and being part of this team with Edoardo Mortara (Mr. Macau) as a teammate is the best way to do it.

Craft Bamboo Racing are Macau experts so they will make sure to prepare me the best possible way. This wouldn’t happen without their trust and the support of Jeffrey Lee and all the sponsors, it’s really motivating to see so many people believing in me!”

Darryl O’Young | Director of Craft-Bamboo Racing
“The Macau Grand Prix is a really important race for the team, it’s a home event for us and a race that we’ve been doing for many years. The FIA GT World Cup always brings together the best of the best drivers from different manufacturers to compete and its a special event. It’s one that we haven’t won as a team despite coming close so many times. This season we’ve moved to Mercedes-AMG and we’ve had the car for almost a full season, so we feel that we’re prepared well for the event. We have an amazing driver lineup, with Edoardo’s experience at this circuit and Alessio’s raw speed and abilities, we feel confident as we head to the race.

Source. Craft Bamboo Racing