Craft-Bamboo to Contest Kyalami; Juncadella Joins Lineup

Craft-Bamboo Racing has announced its presence in the Kyalami 9 Hour field with a single Pro-class Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo to be piloted by three factory drivers.

Maro Engel and Luca Stolz will be joined by Daniel Juncadella for Craft-Bamboo’s second consecutive Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli outing of the year, after it contested the Indianapolis 8 Hour with Jules Gounon included in the crew.

Craft-Bamboo will make its South African racing debut with a one-off livery celebrating the 30th anniversary of sponsor Evisu.

The Hong Kong-based team carried a Moon Eyes design on its Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo at Indianapolis, where it raced at the sharp end before retiring late in the day due to contact between Gounon and McLaren driver Ben Barnicoat.

“I am excited and looking forward to Kyalami for the next IGTC round,” said team director Darryl O’Young, who recently won at Macau in a Craft-Bamboo Mercedes-AMG.

“After the disappointment at Indy, it’s great that we can so quickly have a chance to make amends for that event and go for the victory in South Africa.

“A lot of preparation has gone in leading up to this event. We have been able to get more of our regular crew over to this race, so we’re looking to put our best foot forward at the season finale and get us in a position to fight for the win.

“The car looks amazing with our partners Evisu and Tarmac Works joining us for this striking livery. It’s a sharp-looking car and it will definitely stand out in the field of cars.

“We have a great driver line-up with Maro, Luca and Dani and a determined team to have a successful outing at Kyalami.”

Juncadella finished second at Indianapolis with AKKA-ASP and is one of Mercedes-AMG’s IGTC championship contenders with the final round of the season to go.

The Spanish driver and Raffaele Marciello sit 19 points behind leaders Nicklas Nielsen, Come Ledogar and Alessandro Pier Guidi from Ferrari, while Boguslavskiy is the highest-ranked driver of Mercedes-AMG machinery with a 15-point deficit.

Boguslavskiy and Marciello are set to team up with Gounon at Kyalami, as Mercedes-AMG seeks to spread the chances of its drivers who are in mathematical contention.