Shanghai International Circuit was a good start for Roland Hertner, finishing second in Class at TCR Asia Round 5 but for Khalid Adam it was a roller-coaster
finish to the race as he secured his best finish of the season so far.
Adam did his most impressive race of the season but was shattered at the end after his 7th placed finish was destroyed when a penalty was meted out to him for a pitlane infringement at the start of the race.
“It was harsh but it’s already happened. We won’t be hard on him, he is still young and everyone, even experienced drivers, makes mistakes. It is something to learn from and for sure he will be more careful in future” said Team Manager of Volkswagen Team Oettiger, Kurt Treml.
“He did a most impressive race today, 7th before the penalty, he was quick, he was consistent throughout, he stayed safe and had a great race. We are impressed and happy that he has shown he is capable of challenging these top drivers”.
It was another bumped up grid as TCR Asia Series takes place during the China Touring Car Championship, running together with the TCR China Series with a total of 21 cars starting the race. Adam was quick during Qualifying, securing the top 12 times to participate in Q2.
The young Sepang International Talent Development Driver lined midway through the grid with Volkswagen Team Oettinger teammate, Hertner a few rows behind.
From the start, both drivers fought hard to stay near the frontrunners, Adam was up two places at the start and was pushing hard. He gained a couple more places as the race wore on to 7th place, a position he kept all the way to the chequered flag. In the end, a 30-second time added penalty was given to him after the race, pushing him down the order to 15th.
“It was a bit upsetting that they gave me a penalty. It was a really good race coming up from P11. We were struggling in Qualifying and then we made a change in setup and managed to climb up from P11 to P7. It was good but I think all in all we will need to focus on tomorrow because of course they gave us a penalty so we will need to finish again in a good position” said Adam after the race.
“I am confident with the team, I am confident with everyone around me and I have all the support that I need to perform for Race 2. It wasn’t so much of a bumper-car today but I think I quite like that rather than the other way around.”
As for his German teammate and gentleman driver, Hertner once again showed great pace and consistency. Starting the race further back on the grid, he was on pace with the drive and slowly picked his way up the grid to finish the race second in his class.
“It was an eventful race but a very clean race. The Safety Car did not come out and we had a clean race throughout. I was careful making my way up the grid and I am very happy to finish second in class on quite a packed grid today. Looking forward to tomorrow” said Hertner after the race.
Treml said in closing, “Being their first time here, we knew it would not be easy as Shanghai is a highly technical circuit but seeing their performance today, I am very proud of the two drivers and thankful to the team for a great race”.
Round 4 is scheduled for Sunday, 2nd June at 9.45am local time. The live stream of the race can be viewed on www.facebook.com/TCRAsiaSeries
TCR Asia Series will then head to the last of the China rounds at the Zhejiang Circuit on 5th to 7th July before heading to the finale at Bangsaen Circuit in Thailand early September.
The team is supported by Liqui Moly, VW Motorsport, Pagid Racing, Motec rims, Recaro and Eibach.
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