CEFC Manor TRS Racing: the people behind the name

It’s a bit of a mouthful as team names go, but every element of CEFC Manor TRS Racing has its own narrative and deserves equal recognition.  

But who are the people behind the team name and, more importantly in view of the 6 Hours of Shanghai taking place on 5 November at Shanghai International Circuit, what role do they play in endurance racing and Chinese motorsport?

Manor, of course, needs little introduction.  Established in 1990 by former single-seater champion driver John Booth and now run by the Yorkshireman and Graeme Lowdon (President and Sporting Director), the company has raced at every level of motorsport.  

Famous for nurturing young racing talent, Manor branched into endurance racing with entry to the WEC at the start of 2016 and has quickly found its feet in this very different and demanding discipline.  A podium finish in Mexico last month showed just how much the team has developed in the highly competitive LMP2 category.

TRS (Talent Racing Sports Ltd) is a privately owned, emerging Chinese company set up with the aim of promoting and encouraging quality motorsport competition throughout the vast nation.  Providing a platform for governmental, racing teams’ or drivers’ interests, TRS has gained experience of top level motorsport such as the WEC and working with world class motorsport technical partners. 

Working closely with Manor, who bring practical experience and knowledge to the burgeoning market, TRS aims to raise the profile of international motorsport events in China and has already begun by introducing Chinese companies to motorsport – one of which is CEFC.

CEFC is a Chinese private collective enterprise, with energy and financial services as its core business, regularly found on the Fortune Global 500 list indicating the scale and enormity of its reach.  With an annual revenue of over RMB 263 billion and over 30,000 employees, it is one of the 10 largest private companies in China. 

Currently expanding into overseas markets – notably eastern Europe and the Middle East, CEFC is actively looking to grow into new markets and finds the World Endurance Championship an ideal vehicle to spread knowledge of its activities.

CEFC Manor TRS Racing carries the hope of all Chinese racers, and looks forward to proudly seeing the Chinese national flag flying over the WEC’s podium again, pushing Chinese racing and its associated automobile industry forwards.