Charles Kwan
Encyclopedia
Charles Kwan Siu-Cheung (Traditional Chinese: 關兆昌, born September 3, 1963) is the most successful Hong Kong
racing driver who has competed in the Macau Guia Race
, Japan GT Championship
, FIA GT Championship
, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, South East Asia Touring Car Zone Challenge (SEATCZC) and the Asian Touring Car Championship
. He was the winner of the 1993 Guia Race
, three times SEATCZC champion and the 2003 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champion. He also performed roadtests and wrote columns for car magazines in Hong Kong.
and a saloon car race). In the Supercar Challenge in 1994, he was the first driver to give the Ferrari F355
its first win on its race debut and for the following year, it was a Ferrari F50
he repeated the feat.
, Charles had qualified his BMW M3 second on the grid. Right at the race start, both Charles and fourth place starter Henry Lee Junior
were hit by Thailand's S. Prutarit and Man Manit, who drove Mercedes Benz 190E
s for AIM Motorsport and were on pole position and third place. Both Charles and Henry retired as a direct result. In a 2006 interview with Car Plus magazine, Charles said he still considers that to be his most memorable race, due to the unsporting behaviour against him.
Charles went on to beocome 3 times champion of the SEATCZC from 1997 to 1999, driving a Super Touring BMW 318i for EKS Motorsport and sponsored by Total/Fina
.
in the Macau Guia Race
and became the first Chinese driver to drive for Schnitzer Motorsport
, alongside regular drivers Steve Soper
and Joachim Winkelhock
in the team's BMW 318is. The race was also a round of the Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship
. In the end, Charles finished fifth overall as Winkelhock won and Soper finished second. He would continue to drive for Schnitzer in the next few years.
race cars, to be driven by Henry Lee Jr
and C. Nattavude, with support from engine tuner Richard Longman
in the UK..
Charles Kwan stayed with EKS Motorsport and the team entered two BMW 320i
s for the season, one for Kwan and one for Paul Chan
. Charles drove one of his most memorable races at the Batu Tiga Speedway at Shah Alam
this year. His engine had broken down during practice. Although his teammate Paul Chan kindly lent him his engine for the race, the engine replacement work meant Charles did not take part in qualifying and had to start the race from the back of the grid. Amazingly, in the race he passed all the drivers in front of him to claim a superb victory.
Despite his great drives during the season, he lost the championship to Peugeot driver Henry Lee Jr at the final race in Macau
. This was to be his last appearance in the Guia Race
.
, sharing a Mazda RX-7
with team owner Genji Hashimoto. With Charles driving, the car was up to third place in the GT300 class when it brokedown.
From 2002, the team switched to a BMW M3 GT prepared by Schnitzer Motorsport
, but the car was just not competitive against the fully tuned up Japanese machines.
In 2002, Charles, Kevin Wong and Genji Hashimoto drove the Japan GT spec Mazda RX-7 in the race, although it set a scintillating pace, it did not have the reliability to finish the race.
In 2003, he shared the driving of the BMW M3
GT with Genji Hashimoto and Matthew Marsh
. The team led the race after a fierce battle with BSA Motorsport's Radical SR3 and Porsche 911 GT3 Cup until problems hit. The team finished way down the order.
In 2004 he did the MMER again with Amprex Motorsports, this time using an ACO/FIA GT1 spec Lamborghini Murcielago
R-GT and sharing with German driver Norman Simon and Genji Hashimoto. The team easily out-performed every other entry and led most of the race until it brokedown once again, handing victory to the Honda Malaysia Racing Team.
In November 2004 he made his only appearance in the FIA GT Championship
by competing in the series' China Round in Zhuhai
. Driving for GPC Sport, he shared a Ferrari 360 Modena with Matthew Marsh
and finished 4th in the GT2 class, after suffering long delays in the pits due to a starter motor problem.
.
After the final race of the 2004 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Series in Macau, he announced his retirement from racing so he could spend more time with his family. But he clarified that his retirement is from seasonal championship style racing only and he would still take part in endurance races. He finished third in the race and set fastest lap: 2:31.956. http://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo/mgpc/public_html/gp51/en/index.php?cat=result&race=porsche_r.csv#view
He also finished third in the championship.
In the beginning of 2006, Charles Kwan was persuaded by Matthew Marsh to race for the team at the Le Mans 24 Hours race
. Although he agreed, the team was not granted an entry by the A.C.O.
for 2006 and therefore did not race.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
racing driver who has competed in the Macau Guia Race
Guia Race
The Guia Race of Macau is an international touring car race, and currently a round of the World Touring Car Championship. It is held on the temporary Guia Circuit on the steets of Macau, the Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China as part of the Macau Grand Prix weekend...
, Japan GT Championship
Super GT
The Super GT series, formerly known as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship or JGTC , is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT-Association...
, FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, South East Asia Touring Car Zone Challenge (SEATCZC) and the Asian Touring Car Championship
Asian Touring Car Championship
The Asian Touring Car Series is a touring car racing series that takes place each year across several Asian nations. It includes events at circuits in Malaysia, China and Indonesia. It ran as the Asian Touring Car Championship between 2000-2001, and 2005-2006.The championship consists of three...
. He was the winner of the 1993 Guia Race
Guia Race
The Guia Race of Macau is an international touring car race, and currently a round of the World Touring Car Championship. It is held on the temporary Guia Circuit on the steets of Macau, the Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China as part of the Macau Grand Prix weekend...
, three times SEATCZC champion and the 2003 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champion. He also performed roadtests and wrote columns for car magazines in Hong Kong.
Racing career
Charles first came to prominence, after winning numerous supporting races in prior years, he won the Guia Race in 1993 in a DTM spec BMW M3 and two other races on the same weekend (one was the Supercar Challenge in a Porsche 911Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
and a saloon car race). In the Supercar Challenge in 1994, he was the first driver to give the Ferrari F355
Ferrari F355
The Ferrari F355 is a sports car built by Ferrari from May 1994 to 1999. It is an evolution of the Ferrari 348 and was replaced by the Ferrari 360. It is a mid-engined, rear wheel drive V8-powered 2-seat coupe...
its first win on its race debut and for the following year, it was a Ferrari F50
Ferrari F50
The Ferrari F50 is a mid-engined range-topping sports car made by Ferrari. The F50 was introduced in 1995 to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary. The car is a two door, two seat convertible with a removable hardtop...
he repeated the feat.
South East Asia Touring Car Zone Challenge
In 1994, he competed in the South East Asian Touring Car Zone Challenge (SEATCZC), driving a BMW M3 for Three Crowns Racing. In the Zhuhai street race supporting the BPR Global GT SeriesFIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
, Charles had qualified his BMW M3 second on the grid. Right at the race start, both Charles and fourth place starter Henry Lee Junior
Henry Lee Junior
Henry Lee Man-Kee Junior is a Hong Kong celebrity and a racing driver.-Early life:Lee is the son of Henry Lee Hok-Ping who was a motorcycle racer and worked for Sime Darby. Lee Jr. majored in Business Administration and graduated from University of Southern California. He was an auto racing fan...
were hit by Thailand's S. Prutarit and Man Manit, who drove Mercedes Benz 190E
Mercedes-Benz W201
The Mercedes-Benz W201 is a compact executive car manufactured by Mercedes-Benz from 1982–1993, positioned below the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and S-Class — and marketed under variants of the Mercedes 190 nameplate....
s for AIM Motorsport and were on pole position and third place. Both Charles and Henry retired as a direct result. In a 2006 interview with Car Plus magazine, Charles said he still considers that to be his most memorable race, due to the unsporting behaviour against him.
Charles went on to beocome 3 times champion of the SEATCZC from 1997 to 1999, driving a Super Touring BMW 318i for EKS Motorsport and sponsored by Total/Fina
Total S.A.
Total S.A. is a French multinational oil company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world.Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and production to power generation, transportation, refining, petroleum product marketing, and...
.
Asia Pacific Touring Car Championship
Also in 1994, Charles was sponsored by San Miguel CorporationSan Miguel Corporation
Established in 1890 as a brewery, San Miguel Corporation is Southeast Asia's largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 17,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific....
in the Macau Guia Race
Guia Race
The Guia Race of Macau is an international touring car race, and currently a round of the World Touring Car Championship. It is held on the temporary Guia Circuit on the steets of Macau, the Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China as part of the Macau Grand Prix weekend...
and became the first Chinese driver to drive for Schnitzer Motorsport
Schnitzer Motorsport
Schnitzer Motorsport is a motorsport team based in Freilassing near Munich, Germany. From the early days of its establishment, the team has operated an automobile racing squad for BMW, and has remarkable results in touring car and sports car racing scenes....
, alongside regular drivers Steve Soper
Steve Soper
Steve Soper is a retired racing driver from Surrey, England, born in 1951. He raced in sports cars and touring cars at the top level for over 20 years. In 1983 he almost won the British Touring Car Championship before his Rover was deemed illegal. He finished as runner-up in the series in 1988 in a...
and Joachim Winkelhock
Joachim Winkelhock
Joachim Winkelhock , is a German motor racing driver.The younger brother of the late Manfred Winkelhock, Winkelhock was born in Waiblingen, near Stuttgart...
in the team's BMW 318is. The race was also a round of the Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship
Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship
The FIA Asia-Pacific Touring Car Championship was a motorsport championship for Super Touring racing cars, it ran in 1994 for 1 season only. The only champion was Joachim Winkelhock who drove for Schnitzer Motorsport.-Schedule:...
. In the end, Charles finished fifth overall as Winkelhock won and Soper finished second. He would continue to drive for Schnitzer in the next few years.
Asian Touring Car Series
The SEATCZC became the Asian Touring Car Series in 2000 as the series changed to use Super Production regulations. WK Longman Racing joined the series with their duo of Peugeot 306Peugeot 306
The Peugeot 306 is a small family car built by the French car manufacturer Peugeot from 1993 to 2002 replacing the 309. Peugeot gave the 306 many updates and aesthetic changes to keep up the competition but it was replaced by the 307 in 2001. Cabriolet and estate versions continued until 2002...
race cars, to be driven by Henry Lee Jr
Henry Lee Junior
Henry Lee Man-Kee Junior is a Hong Kong celebrity and a racing driver.-Early life:Lee is the son of Henry Lee Hok-Ping who was a motorcycle racer and worked for Sime Darby. Lee Jr. majored in Business Administration and graduated from University of Southern California. He was an auto racing fan...
and C. Nattavude, with support from engine tuner Richard Longman
Richard Longman
Richard Longman was a British racing driver and renowned motorsport preparation expert. He was twice champion of the British Touring Car Championship in 1978 and 1979 driving a Mini 1275 GT. The following year he switched to a class C Ford Fiesta...
in the UK..
Charles Kwan stayed with EKS Motorsport and the team entered two BMW 320i
BMW E46
The BMW E46 is the fourth generation of the 3 Series compact executive cars produced by BMW, produced from 1998 when it succeeded the BMW E36 until it was replaced by the BMW E90 in 2005....
s for the season, one for Kwan and one for Paul Chan
Paul Chan
Paul Chan Mo Po, MH, JP is the member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong . He is an accountant and the former President of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants . He holds a BBA and a MBA degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong...
. Charles drove one of his most memorable races at the Batu Tiga Speedway at Shah Alam
Shah Alam
Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighboring Klang District. It is located about west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978...
this year. His engine had broken down during practice. Although his teammate Paul Chan kindly lent him his engine for the race, the engine replacement work meant Charles did not take part in qualifying and had to start the race from the back of the grid. Amazingly, in the race he passed all the drivers in front of him to claim a superb victory.
Despite his great drives during the season, he lost the championship to Peugeot driver Henry Lee Jr at the final race in Macau
Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix is a motor-racing event held annually in Macau, one of China's Special Administrative Regions. It is known for being the only street circuit racing event in which both car and motorcycle races are held...
. This was to be his last appearance in the Guia Race
Guia Race
The Guia Race of Macau is an international touring car race, and currently a round of the World Touring Car Championship. It is held on the temporary Guia Circuit on the steets of Macau, the Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China as part of the Macau Grand Prix weekend...
.
Japan GT Championship
In 2001, he joined Amprex Motorsport and raced in the Japan GT Championship's invitational race at SepangSepang International Circuit
The Sepang International Circuit is a racing circuit in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located near Kuala Lumpur International Airport, approximately 60 km south of the capital city Kuala Lumpur. It is the venue used for the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix, A1 Grand Prix as well as the...
, sharing a Mazda RX-7
Mazda RX-7
Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...
with team owner Genji Hashimoto. With Charles driving, the car was up to third place in the GT300 class when it brokedown.
From 2002, the team switched to a BMW M3 GT prepared by Schnitzer Motorsport
Schnitzer Motorsport
Schnitzer Motorsport is a motorsport team based in Freilassing near Munich, Germany. From the early days of its establishment, the team has operated an automobile racing squad for BMW, and has remarkable results in touring car and sports car racing scenes....
, but the car was just not competitive against the fully tuned up Japanese machines.
Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race
Between 2002 and 2004 he also competed in the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race at Sepang, Malaysia with Amprex Motorsport.In 2002, Charles, Kevin Wong and Genji Hashimoto drove the Japan GT spec Mazda RX-7 in the race, although it set a scintillating pace, it did not have the reliability to finish the race.
In 2003, he shared the driving of the BMW M3
BMW M3
The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M. M3 models have been derived from the E30, E36, E46 and E90/E92/E93 3-series, and sold with coupé, sedan and convertible body styles...
GT with Genji Hashimoto and Matthew Marsh
Matthew Marsh (racing driver)
Matthew Marsh is a British racing driver who now resides in Hong Kong.-Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race:...
. The team led the race after a fierce battle with BSA Motorsport's Radical SR3 and Porsche 911 GT3 Cup until problems hit. The team finished way down the order.
In 2004 he did the MMER again with Amprex Motorsports, this time using an ACO/FIA GT1 spec Lamborghini Murcielago
Lamborghini Murciélago
The Lamborghini Murciélago is a two-door, two-seat sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 2001 and 2010. Successor to the Diablo and flagship of the automaker's lineup, the Murciélago was introduced as a coupé in 2001. The automaker's first new design in eleven years, the car...
R-GT and sharing with German driver Norman Simon and Genji Hashimoto. The team easily out-performed every other entry and led most of the race until it brokedown once again, handing victory to the Honda Malaysia Racing Team.
FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
by competing in the series' China Round in Zhuhai
Zhuhai International Circuit
Zhuhai International Circuit is located at Jin Ding town in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.Motorsport started in Zhuhai when it hosted a race on its street circuit in 1993, racing continued until 1996 when the motor racing circuit was constructed and became China’s...
. Driving for GPC Sport, he shared a Ferrari 360 Modena with Matthew Marsh
Matthew Marsh (racing driver)
Matthew Marsh is a British racing driver who now resides in Hong Kong.-Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race:...
and finished 4th in the GT2 class, after suffering long delays in the pits due to a starter motor problem.
Porsche Carrera Cup Asia
In 2003, he moved back to the Asian scene and became the first champion of the inaugural Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Series, despite losing the final race to Malaysian former F1 driver Alex YoongAlex Yoong
Alexander Charles Yoong Loong , is a Malaysian race car driver of European and Asian parentage. His mother, Joanna Bean, is from England. His father, Hanifah Yoong Yin Fah , a Malaysian Chinese, is a former racer and manager of the Shah Alam circuit between 1988 and 1998...
.
After the final race of the 2004 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Series in Macau, he announced his retirement from racing so he could spend more time with his family. But he clarified that his retirement is from seasonal championship style racing only and he would still take part in endurance races. He finished third in the race and set fastest lap: 2:31.956. http://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo/mgpc/public_html/gp51/en/index.php?cat=result&race=porsche_r.csv#view
He also finished third in the championship.
Hong Kong Le Mans Team
In 2005, he acted in a consultancy role for the Hong Kong Le Mans Team setup by Hong Kong based-British racing driver Matthew Marsh.In the beginning of 2006, Charles Kwan was persuaded by Matthew Marsh to race for the team at the Le Mans 24 Hours race
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
. Although he agreed, the team was not granted an entry by the A.C.O.
Automobile Club de l'Ouest
The Automobile Club de l'Ouest , sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the organising entity behind the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race...
for 2006 and therefore did not race.