LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler crowned TCR Asia Series 2018 Team and Driver Champions

LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler claims The Driver’s Championship and the Team Championship wins as well as claiming the Car Model of the Year award for Volkswagen, on Friday at Shanghai International Circuit. 

“It was one of those days where everything just fell into place for us and for it to happen during the finale was incredible. We are once again the Champion, this time taking both the Team’s and Driver’s Championship wins for TCR Asia Series in its 2018 season. We are also happy for Volkswagen, our trusted car partner for being awarded the Car Model of the Year Award” said Kurt Treml, Sport Director LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler. 
 
Luca Engstler can now add TCR Asia Series Champion to his already growing titles in 2018 - TCR Middle East Champion and ADAC TCR Germany vice-champion. “I am more than happy and the team did an amazing job. We started with 24-hours race in Dubai which we could win, then winning the TCR Middle East was just a nice feeling and then to Germany we had a really good result finishing second in the Championship and now winning in Asia as well it is just perfect. It just couldn’t be better. 

20-year old Sepang International Circuit’s Talent Development Programme Driver, Mitchell Cheah fought well over the back-to-back qualifying and races claiming one pole position and finishing both races in second place, to end the 2018 TCR Asia Series season in 2nd place. “Since the beginning of TCR Asia Series, I have improved myself and have learnt a lot from the team, the people around me, the mechanics and engineers, and even from the Team Manager. I am really glad to have come this far and learnt the things I did not know of.  
 
“I am really happy with my own performance today, that I qualified pole and managed double P2s in both races. Even though I lost out on the Championship, it’s been a long journey and I am really happy with the results I got for this Series this year”.  
 
Catching up and finishing third on the Championship is Diego Moran, the Ecuadorian has had a tough season this year, more so than the last but to have climbed back up to finish the season on a high was a proud moment. “We finished the season in 3rd place and it is not a bad result even though I was expecting to have a better place but this season has been quite difficult for me. I started the season with a big crash in Malaysia and also a couple of races with zero points which leaves me at the end with a lot of lost points which I couldn’t recover.  
 
“I feel there has been a lot of learning for me this season. I was racing with two young and talented drivers and I think I learnt a lot from them. I am also quite happy with my performance,  improving every time and considering the limited time I have in the car it was quite good."

After the final of the TCR Asia Series, the LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler continued straight away, because in the following 888 km race the team from the Allgäu started a VW Golf GTI with three riders. The cockpit was shared by newly crowned TCR Asia Series champion Luca Engstler, Diego Moran and Théo Coicaud.

All three riders delivered a consistently good performance at the 888km race in Shanghai so they could make up some places and finally see the checkered flag as the winner in their class and in fourth place in the overall standings.