> MSAA licensed as exclusive Asian distributor for Vantage GT3 and GT4 race cars
> Sepang and Zhuhai-based operations headed by GT ace Weiron Tan and team manager Ron Reichert
Motorsports Services AMR Asia Limited (MSAA) will serve as Aston Martin Racing’s exclusive distributor and technical support partner in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and the Southeast Asia region.
The new company is headed up by Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS race winner Weiron Tan and team manager Ron Reichert who are tasked with expanding the British manufacturer’s GT3 and GT4 footprint across the region.
AMR has confirmed its primary targets include Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS – the continent’s biggest championship for GT3 and GT4 cars.
MSAA will begin servicing the region immediately from its existing workshop near Sepang in Malaysia and a second base of operations in Zhuhai to serve the Chinese market. This avoids any pandemic-related supply chain issues while also ensuring that MSAA and AMR are permanently based near two GT World Challenge Asia venues.
Aston Martin Racing and MSAA’s partnership comes as a welcome addition to the region’s motorsport industry, and just in time for 2021’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS campaign which is set to begin at Sepang on May 28-30.
Weiron Tan, MSAA Director: “We’re very happy to conclude this partnership between Aston Martin Racing and MSAA to become the official representatives and distributor for Asia. It’s been a challenging year for the motorsport industry, especially in the Asian region, because of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, we are certain that the timing of this announcement and the infrastructure we are putting in place will allow us to repay the faith of Aston Martin and expand the AMR GT racing footprint throughout the region, providing quality service and support to our valued customers.”
David King, President of Aston Martin Racing: “We have viewed China and the Southeast Asian region as a key strategic area of growth in motorsport for some time. Now with the continued and growing success of Vantage in the GT3 and GT4 the global GT arena, we have the perfect platform with which to do this. MSAA gives us the ability to provide works level servicing across Asia and assist our partners as they compete for championships with Aston Martin.”
Benjamin Franassovici, Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS Director: “The sheer number of factory and customer racing achievements underline Aston Martin’s status as one of the world’s best GT manufacturers. As such, their official presence in Asia through MSAA represents a fantastic development for the region’s motorsport landscape. It’s no coincidence that Audi, Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche – all of whom benefit from dedicated distributors on the continent – have achieved so much success in GT World Challenge Asia and beyond. I have no doubt that, with MSAA’s help, Aston Martin Racing can be similarly effective across the region once high-level racing resumes.”
The selection of MSAA as the Southeast Asian distributor is the latest step in Aston Martin Racing’s strategy to extend and support its global network of partner teams. Alongside the expanded programme of deploying on-the-ground and remote support from its FIA GT World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship-winning engineers and technicians, MSAA becomes the third established regional hub to provide local support and technical assistance.