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Jonathan Hui

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許建德
Jonathan Hui
NationalityHong Kong
BornHong Kong
GT World Challenge Europe career
Debut season2021
Current teamSky Tempesta Racing
Car number93
Previous series
2017
2019		24H Series
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup
Championship titles
2021, 2023, 2023GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Pro-Am, Intercontinental GT Challenge Independent Cup

Jonathan Hui Kin-tak (Chinese: 許建德) is a Hong Kong businessman and racing driver. He is the grandson of Hui Sai-fun, the former chairman of the board of directors of China State Construction Engineering Corporation, and the son of Hui Jinqian.[1] Hui has also served as a director of BRADFORD ENTERPRISES LIMITED.[2] On October 30, 2021, Hui and Chris Froggatt won the annual GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup driver's championship in the Pro-Am category. Hui himself became the first Hong Kong racer to win that championship.[3]

Career

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Hui first came into contact with racing in Canada around 1996, and discovered his interest in this sport from track days. It was not until 2000 that he returned to Hong Kong and formally received training from Formula Campus, which was very popular in China at the time. In 2004, he participated in the annual Super Car Challenge (later renamed Asia GT) for the first time. The car that he used was a Subaru WRX, while his opponents drove cars such as Ferrari 360CS and Porsche 911. However, with constant efforts, he used a Japanese sports car to stand on the podium for the first time in the fifth round and finished third.[4]

At the 2018 Dubai 24 Hour, BLACK FALCON Team TMD Friction, composed of Frank Yu, Antares Au, Hui and Macau driver Kevin Tse, achieved good results. They drove in Mercedes-AMG GT4 and competed in the GT4 class where they completed 548 laps, finishing in third place in the GT4 class, ranking 31st overall.[5]

In mid-2018, for the January 2019 race, Hui personally traveled to tracks he had never driven before, including Monza, Paul Ricard and Spa-Francorchamps, and hired coaches to provide him with focused training. At the same time, he also asked Ouyang Ruoxi for advice on driving a racing simulator to prepare lessons for each trip to a different track.[4]

2020

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On 13 September 2020, Hui and Formula One alum Giancarlo Fisichella drove the No. 92 Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo in the Pro-Am category. He participated in the GT World Challenge Europe sprint race for the first time and won two consecutive races at the French circuit Magny-Cours.[6] On 18–19 September, in the Road to Le Mans race event held in Le Mans, France, Hui teamed with Chris Froggatt and took turns driving Sky Tempesta Racing's Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo car in the two qualifying sessions. Ranked 7th and 5th in the GT3 category, the two finished fourth in the first race and third in the second race.[7] Hui, Froggatt, Eddie Cheever III and Fisichella entered in the Pro-Am class at the 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium on 24–25 October. The four took turns driving the No. 93 The Sky Tempesta Racing Team's Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo where they finished second. Hui thus became the first Hong Kong driver finish on the podium since the event was held in 1924.[8]

2021

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On 29 May 2021, Hui, Froggatt and Cheever drove a Ferrari 488 GT3 and successfully won the Pro-Am category of the Paul Ricard 1000km. This victory kept Sky Tempesta Racing's hopes of competing for the annual championship alive, with the team accumulating 39 points in the standings and ranking third in the class.[9] Hui, Froggatt and Cheever, who were joined by Italian driver Matteo Cressoni, entered the 24 Hours of Spa. Unfortunately, the team was overtaken in the last hour due to a sudden thunderstorm, and finally crossed the line in fourth place. However, in terms of overall results, the Sky Tempesta Racing team scored enough points to rise to the top of the endurance race Pro-Am category with a 17-point advantage.[10]

On September 5, Hui, together with his team Sky Tempesta Racing teammates Rino Mastronardi and Chris Froggatt, competed in the penultimate race of the season of the GT World Challenge Europe endurance race at the Nürburgring GP circuit. He later caught up and finally crossed the line in second place. With that result, Sky Tempesta Racing scored 19 points and successfully expanded its lead in the Pro-Am class standings.[11] The 2021 GT World Challenge Europe season had its season finale on 10 October. The Sky Tempesta Racing team, which brought together Hui, Froggatt, Mastronardi and Cheever, successfully stood out from the 13 participating world-class teams and successfully locked in the Pro-Am group after five rounds. In addition, Hui and Froggatt also won the annual driver's championship in the Pro-Am category, and Hui became the first Hong Kong driver to win the GT World Challenge European category championship.[3]

2022

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At the 2022 24 Hours of Spa, the No. 93 Sky Tempesta Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Hui finished in third place in the Gold Cup. However, his compatriot, Antares, collided with Hui's car three hours into the race and had to withdraw from the race early. After the race, Hui said regretfully: "It was a joy to be on the podium at the Spa 24 Hours, but I made a mistake because I misunderstood that the race had restarted, which led to me bumping into my friend. Another Hong Kong driver, Au Tin Chun, caused the opponent to withdraw. This accident is entirely my responsibility, and I sincerely apologize to Au Tin Chun and all other Herberth Motorsport team members."[12]

2023

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Hui teamed up with Kevin Tse and Australian driver Ross Poulakis to form a three-person team to drive the Harrolds Volante Rosso Motorsport team's No. 101 Mercedes-AMG GT3 to participate in the 2023 Bathurst 12 Hour. This circuit is also the site of the first round of the 2023 Intercontinental GT Challenge, which took place from 3 to 5 February.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "許世勳出殯 吳婉芳攜奶奶哀傷致祭". Oriental Daily News. 10 December 2018.
  2. ^ "中建許氏家族逾11億購黃竹坑全幢工廈". Oriental Daily News. 10 October 2017. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b 黎永淦 (30 October 2021). "許建德 香港第一人". 文匯報. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b Mickey Loi (6 May 2019). "香港車手故事 — 許建德". 車王雜誌. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  5. ^ 張銳 (14 January 2018). "港車隊迪拜耐力賽奪亞軍". Ta Kung Pao.
  6. ^ 楊浩然 (17 September 2020). "首位香港車手贏GT賽分站 許建德創輝煌歷史". Wen Wei Po.
  7. ^ "首次挑戰「勒芒之路」 許建德喜獲三甲". Oriental Daily News. 22 September 2020. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  8. ^ "斯帕24小時耐力賽 許建德勇奪亞軍". Oriental Daily News. 29 October 2020.
  9. ^ "許建德法國耐力賽奪冠". Oriental Daily News. 7 June 2021. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  10. ^ "香港車手許建德參加比利時斯帕24小時耐力賽 助車隊進佔總成績榜首". Sina Corporation. 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  11. ^ 陳曉莉 (8 September 2021). "香港車手許建德二度登頒獎台". 文匯報. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  12. ^ 陳曉莉 (5 August 2022). "斯帕24小時賽 港車手苦樂參半". Wen Wei Po.
  13. ^ 陳曉莉 (7 June 2023). "許建德GT歐洲賽法國站奪季". Wen Wei Po.
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