The KL Grand Prix, which will bring high speed thrills to the heart of Kuala Lumpur come August 7 to August 9 as we’ve previously detailed, adds three more international series to its roster: V8 Supercars, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, and Audi R8 LMS Cup.
V8 Supercars, the touring car series from Australia, is regarded in some circles to be one of the most competitive and entertaining motorsports in the world, with spectators flocking from far and wide to witness the spectacle.
V8 Supercars is set to be a headlining race at the KL City Grand Prix after signing a four-year agreement to host a Championship round on the city streets of the Malaysian capital until 2019. For this year’s inaugural event, the series will stage a competitive exhibition race that will feature its five top drivers: Craig Lowndes, Scott McLaughlin, Chaz Mostert, Will Davison, and Todd Kelly – setting the stage for the full round starting next year.
James Warburton, CEO of V8 Supercars was in Kuala Lumpur for the Media Briefing to officiate the agreement. He said, “We are absolutely delighted to begin the partnership with the KL City Grand Prix and be the first international racing series to participate at this spectacular event.”
Along with the announcement of V8 Supercars’ participation, it was also confirmed that two other world class motor racing series are also slated to take part: the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and Audi R8 LMS Cup.
The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is currently in the midst of its 15th season and features highly competitive teams in specially prepared Porsche 911 race cars. It is one of the most popular of Porsche’s “one make” and quickly established itself as one of the premier sportscar series in the region.
The Audi R8 LMS Cup is into its fourth season right now and promises some very exciting racing from the Ingolstadt automaker’s marquee racing series. Malaysia’s own Alex Yoong is also competing in the series and will presumably be one of the first to pilot the racing-spec R8 through the familiar streets of KL at high speed.
These new additions to the KL City Grand Prix’s inaugural race roster will join the previously announced Lamborghini Super Trofeo Cup and Formula Masters to pack the three day August event to the brim with racing action.
In addition to that, it was announced the organisers have plans underway to develop a racing series of their own called GT City Cup that will have world-class drivers competing in a mixed line-up of racing cars.
The KL City Grand Prix is expected to inject a large economic stimulus into the country, primarily by way of tourism.
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, a leading business advisory firm, projects the races and its supporting events to draw 100,000 new visitors to the country, leading to over 6,300 new jobs created by the first event in 2015. By 2020, the resulting national economic contribution is estimated to be RM1.2 billion.
Keyword: KL City Grand Prix Adds Three More International Racing Series To 2015 Line-Up