Craft-Bamboo Racing is one of the benchmark teams in the Mercedes-AMG ‘customer-racing’ program in the GT3 category. Based in Hong Kong, the formation is a regular partner of the German firm in Asia, competing with machinery from the Stuttgart brand in the GT World Challenge Asia or in the FIA GT World Cup. Link that has led Craft-Bamboo to win in importance within Mercedes’ plans, to the point of planning to score points for the manufacturer in the final round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) 2021.
In fact, Craft-Bamboo had planned to compete in the 9 Hours of Kyalami, but its change of date until February of this year left the structure without the opportunity to be present on the South African track. In exchange, Craft-Bamboo will defend the interests of Mercedes-AMG at the Bathurst 12 Hours, the first round of the 2022 IGTC season. Faced with the impossibility of moving the cars and personnel of certain European-based teams, Mercedes relies on Craft-Bamboo Racing to race at Mount Panorama.
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The Hong Kong-based team will field a unit of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. For the moment, the team has not revealed the livery that this GT3 will wear, nor has it revealed a line-up of drivers who, by regulation this year, have to be Pro-Am, since, in their eagerness to save the race, SRO Motorsports has converted the Bathurst 12 Hours in a Pro-Am based race. It will be Craft-Bamboo’s fifth start at Mount Panorama after competing in 2020 with factory Mercedes-AMG drivers and finishing fifth.
Although the presence in Bathurst seems logical, the truth is that Craft-Bamboo Racing seems to be redirecting its efforts to the IGTC. He already disputed the 8 Hours of Indianapolis last year and only the date change prevented him from also being in Kyalami. Background that may lead, along with his participation in Bathurst, to a full-time program at the IGTC as a Mercedes team. For the moment, Darryl O’Young, director of Craft-Bamboo, has not wanted to comment on the matter.
Yes, Darryl O’Young commented on the team’s participation in Bathurst: “It feels a bit surreal to say that we are finally going to return to the Bathurst 12 Hours this year. The pandemic hit the last time we came to Australia to race and it’s a great feeling to be back two years later at Mount Panorama. The 12 Hours has always been a special race for our team and this year it will be even more so as we have Pro-Am line-ups to go for the overall win.”
Photos: Craft-Bamboo Racing