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Sim racer Lau excited to begin dream challenge at Le Mans
Wed 14, Jun, 2017

Edgar Lau is excited to begin his dream challenge at the Road to Le Mans sprint event this week, where he will take his driving career to the next level by facing some of the world’s best prototype and GT drivers in two 55 minute sprint races. Lau will hit the historic Circuit de la Sarthe in the #6 DKR Engineering Norma M30 on Thursday the 15th of June for race one, while race two will be held on Saturday the 17th before the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans gets underway for the 85th time. Lau was originally meant to race in the #43 KEO Racing entry but was forced to make a last minute switch when his partner dropped out of the race. The Hong Kong driver was quickly picked up by DKR Engineering and given a seat in the #6 Norma M30 to continue his Road to Le Mans challenge. Lau is focused on gaining as much experience as possible this weekend in what is his biggest professional debut to date and he is intent on showing the world his talents now that he has broken onto motorsport’s world stage.

After making it to the final round of the famous Nissan GT Academy in 2014, Lau has worked tirelessly to make the transition from sim racer to professional driver. He has continued to work his way up the professional ranks and will start a new chapter in his success story this week in France. Lau will team up with experienced driver Jacques Wolff, who runs the Norma M30 in the 2017 VdeV championship. Wolff will be able to assist Lau and get him up to speed with the new car, allowing the pair to extract the performance necessary to claim a top result in front of one of the World’s biggest motorsport crowds.

It will be Lau’s first time at the grueling 13.629km circuit, so he will have to adjust quickly if he is to get the most out of qualifying on Thursday. The #6 driver has been training hard for the Road to Le Mans ever since he got the call up for this incredible opportunity. Lau has not only focused on putting in time on the simulator to help memorize the circuit but has pushed himself physically with various forms of exercise, diet, and conditioning, which will ensure that he is up to the demanding physical task of the Le Mans circuit.

With a grid of 50 entrants, Lau recognizes the upcoming challenge but is confident that he and his teammate can contend with the competition and shoot for a top result. The early sessions will be dedicated to Lau getting a handle on the Norma M30 and its setup, while also discovering the circuit’s finer details that can only be learnt on a flying lap and not on the simulator. Lau will then put his skills to the test in qualifying to secure the #6 DKR Engineering racer a good spot on the grid. From here, the pair will mount their Road to Le Mans fight for glory, and in doing so; Lau will cement himself as a one of motorsports biggest rising stars in front of a worldwide audience.

 

Quotes

Edgar Lau, Driver #6

“I am really excited at the opportunity to race in front of the best in the sport at Le Mans. It is my dream to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and now I am another step closer to doing just that. My goal is to rack up as much experience as possible over the weekend. There will be some challenges in acclimatizing to the car and negotiating a completely new track with very limited practice time. In light of the last minute team change, I am happy to be working with DKR Engineering now with the Norma M30 LMP3. The Norma has shown its potential in the first round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup Monza, with a pole position and a podium finish. I am confident that we can get some good results for the big race, thanks to a good car and a good team behind me."

Kendy Janclaes, DKR Engineering Team Principal

“I'm really happy to have a new driver in my team. Edgar is young and very motivated and we appreciate this mentality in a driver. Edgar’s job will not be easy because he will have to learn the car and the track at the same time, but we will work together to make the best results possible.”

Road to Le Mans Schedule (GMT +2)

Free Practice 1: 14/06/2017 20:30 Duration: 60 min.

Free Practice 2: 15/06/2017 09:00 Duration: 60 min.

Qualifying session 1: 15/06/2017 13:30 Duration: 20 min.

Qualifying Session 2: 15/06/2017 14:05 Duration: 20 min.

Race 1: 15/06/2017 17:30 Duration: 55 min.

Race 2: 17/06/2017 11:30 Duration: 55 min.