Liqui Moly Team Engstler will have a busy week at the Shanghai International Circuit, China this 4th to 7th October with three cars in the Finale of the 2018 TCR Asia Series and a three-driver car for the Inaugural SIC888 Endurance Race. The final two rounds of TCR Asia Series will be held earlier in the week, on Thursday 4th and Friday 5th October, with the endurance scheduled for Sunday the 7th.
18-year old Luca Engstler, who recently completed his season in the 2018 ADAC TCR Germany in second, heads to Shanghai leading the Championship. He will have to fight hard to defend his title from his Malaysian teammate, Mitchell Cheah. Both he and the 20-year old Cheah have been fighting at the head of the leaderboard since the start of the season and it will be an intense battle going into the last weekend.
Their teammate, Diego Moran will be aiming to make it a 1-2-3 in the Driver’s Championship for the team. The Ecuadorian have not had the best of luck this year and have had to fight harder to make up the points to currently be in 4th, just four points behind Hong Kong rival Lo Sze Ho.
“It will for sure be a very intense week for us. Not only are we fighting for the Championship in TCR for the drivers, we are also entering an 888km endurance race with three drivers – two who would have just finished racing in TCR Asia. It will definitely be an interesting week and we hope that we will be able to button up the TCR Asia Championship this Friday” said Kurt Treml, Sport Director LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler.
“Both Luca, who is leading the Championship now, and Mitchell are strong drivers and they are aiming for that same win with not much points separating them. As for Diego, the year was a tough one but he has a great chance and is closing in on third in the Championship” he concluded.
Entering the Dubai race winning VW Golf GTi for the endurance race allows the LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler crew ample time to setup the car for the long 888km race. Rookie-of-the-Year Engstler will be joined by his TCR Asia teammate Moran and 19-year old Frenchman, Theo Coicaud. This is Coicaud’s first year in Touring Car racing and he has made an impact as Engstler’s teammate at the ADAC TCR Germany.
Engstler will be pushing hard to make up for his outing at the TCR Germany, “I’m looking forward to the next TCR Asia event. I just came home from TCR Germany Final where I was leading the Championship until the last race weekend and I lost it by about 4-5 points. Of course I’m a bit disappointed but I am also really happy to be in second for the Championship, it is a really big step for me again.
“This week my goal is to win the TCR Asia Championship and of course I want maximum success in SIC888. I am really looking forward and super happy to drive there in Shanghai”.
Having to adapt and share a car during the endurance race will take some adjustments, despite all being quick drivers, their styles and setup preferences are different. “Diego, Theo and I have different driving styles so we will have to work out a setup which is good for the distance in the race and every driver will just have to be fast in it” said Engstler.
It will be an exciting outing for Moran, getting a chance to get into more races, something he has always wanted to do. “I’m very excited about the SIC888, about the lineup and sharing the car with teammates Luca and Theo. Both are really good drivers and to have the opportunity to share a drive with this lineup makes me really proud so I am preparing myself especially on my physical because I know it will be a very difficult race.
“I have been doing a lot of sports, cycling and some karting to get fit and ready for the SIC888 endurance race so I think I will be in good shape to do my best. I am really looking forward to this challenge and I think we have a pretty good chance to win it. I will do my best for the team and put every effort into it”.
LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler are currently at the Shanghai International Circuit for the finale of TCR Asia Series with three Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR. The TCR Asia Series will combine with TCR China and Luca Engstler of Germany will be driving car #108 for this rounds whilst the car numbers for Mitchell Cheah of Malaysia (#29) and Diego Moran of Ecuador (#32) will remain unchanged.
The team will also participate in the SIC888 with the Championship winning TCR Middle East Volkswagen Gold GTi TCR driven by Luca Engstler, Diego Moran and Frenchman, Theo Coicaud.
The team is supported by Liqui Moly, Remus, VW Motorsport, Pagid Racing, Drexler drivetrain, Motec rims, Recaro and Eibach.
2018 TCR Asia schedule
29 March – 01 April – Sepang, Malaysia
31 May – 03 June – Buriram, Thailand
12 – 15 July – Bangsaen, Thailand
23 – 26 August – Korea, South Korea
04 – 07 October – Shanghai, China
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