LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler makes it a fourth in a row as TCR Asia Series Team Champions 2019. Two more wins this weekend at Zhejiang International Circuit cemented the team’s title ahead of the finale in Thailand next month.
“It is an amazing feeling. What can I say but to congratulate the whole team for such an amazing year” said Andreas Klinge, Team Manager for LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler.
Driver Championship leader, Luca Engstler claimed the win in Round 7 yesterday whilst Diego Moran drove the Hyundai i30 N TCR to victory in today’s nail-biting Round 8 race.
“Both drivers did an outstanding job this whole season and this weekend they finished with two podiums each. What more can we ask for?
“It has been a perfect season with the drivers and the crew that we have and with the support of our sponsors and partners we are able to achieve another great milestone for the team. Our fourth TCR Asia Series Team Championship title. Thank you to Hyundai for the amazing car, we can say that it is quite unbeatable.
“One more race weekend to go and we are aiming for the Driver’s Championship title, but for tonight, we will all sleep happy as we head back home for a short break” ended Klinge enthusiastically.
Engstler had an uncontested Round 7 race from pole to flag after an outstanding Qualifying session early Saturday morning. “Yeah Qualifying was amazing. We struggled a lot with the setup during the weekend but the team did an amazing job to give me the perfect car for qualifying so I could push for pole.
“In the race, my focus was on the start. I was pushing like crazy in the first two laps to build a gap. Pepe was fighting then with Lloyd and an Audi so I knew I could back off a bit so I took 5% off and just managed the gap and could run the speed until the end in front of the others, which made me super proud and happy.
“Big thank you to Hyundai Germany, Hyundai Motorsport and of course the team for giving me the chance to race here in Asia with a perfect car and a perfect team. Mega happy” said the German after the race yesterday.
Moran fought hard throughout the race but the smaller circuit does not allow much overtaking and was only able to improve one position by the end of the race.
“It was a good race at the end. We managed to fix the setup problem so the car was really good but this track is just difficult to overtake and I only managed to improve one position”.
The Ecuadorian redeemed himself in Round 8. The reverse grid order meant he started the race fifth but Moran found a way past in just the first few corners of the opening lap.
“It was a very good start. In the first turn I managed to pass two cars, then the two guys in front were fighting when at turn 6 they touched, one of them spun, I saw a gap and I put the car there, put first gear and just attacked. From there I did not look in the mirror, tried to make qualifying laps and to make a gap”.
“Very happy with the result. I was looking for this P1. Today was an amazing race, the car was amazing and yeah we did it. I am really happy and grateful to the team because they did an amazing job. We never stopped improving the car, yesterday we had some problems but today the car was perfect and I was able to push and make a gap to the guys that were fighting and it was a very clean race for me and yeah… super happy”.
Moran ended with thoughts on the season finale.
“We are still in the fight for the Championship and looking forward to Bangsaen, it will be a nice end of the season for us to all celebrate together”.
His German counterpart had a bit more difficult path up the order in the second race, starting in 10th and having to fight with the likes of Pepe Oriola, Daniel Miranda and the impressive Huang Chu Han. Just as the race started, he moved through the pack up to sixth, avoiding the incident at the start. By lap 2 Engstler was right in the mix with the trio and went on switching positions a few times with Huang and Miranda but just could not find a way past Oriola.
In the end, he had to settle for a solid third for the points.
“Yeah, it was a really tough one today. I was fighting a lot and while fighting I touched the tyres and damaged the car a bit so I had to back off. The last lap the damper finally broke so I really had to slow down but I managed to bring P3 home.
“I am really happy with this and couldn’t be better for now. The goal was to keep the gap in the Championship and we now increased it to 30 points with one race weekend to go. More than happy and thankful”.
LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler claims the Team Championship ahead of the season finale with a total of 328 points. Luca Engstler maintains his lead in the Driver’s Championship with 183 points, 30 points ahead of his teammate, Diego Moran in second.
TCR Asia Series will return to Thailand with the finale scheduled to be held from 31st August to 1st September 2019 at the Bangsaen International Circuit.
LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler is supported by Eibach, Hyundai, Liqui Moly and Pagid Racing.
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