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TCR Malaysia @ Sepang
Luca Engstler
makes the double
For the third consecutive
year Luca Engstler began the season with a victory. After winning the
inaugural race of TCR Middle East in 2017 and the 24H Dubai last year, in
the past weekend the young German dominated the opening event of the new
TCR Malaysia championship at Sepang International Circuit.
Second in Qualifying, outpaced by the guest star Rob Huff in the TeamWork
Motorsport Volkswagen Golf GTI, Engstler got his revenge with a double
victory at the wheel of his Liqui Moly Team Engstler Hyundai i30 N.
In Race 1, Engstler pipped Huff at the start and took the lead; behind
them, Engstlers' teammate Théo Coicaud maintained his third position,
while Martin Ryba overtook Paul Ip for fourth after the pair made
contact, which eventually resulted in a broken suspension on Ip's Honda
Civic that stopped on lap 5, prompting the safety car into action. At the
same time Coicaud retired from third due to en electric issue. When the
race resumed, Huff attacked Engstler’s lead; they ran abreast and
clashed, but the German was able to resist and pulled away once again. He
crossed the finishing line with a 1.8 seconds margin, while Ryba
completed the podium in the Brutal Fish Racing Golf GTI, beating Douglas
Khoo’s CUPRA by inches.
Race 1 results
1) Luca Engstler (Liqui Moly Team Engstler, Hyundai i30 N TCR), 11 laps
2) Rob Huff (TeamWork Motorsport, Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR), 1.804
3) Martin Ryba (Brutal Fish Racing, Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR), 9.539
The second race was
delayed 90 minutes because of pouring rain. The field circulated for
three laps behind the safety car and then pole sitter Douglas Khoo was
soon passed by Kai Jordan, Adam Khalid, Charlie Kang and Engstler. Kang
and Engstler moved up to second and third, overtaking Khalid and on lap 6
Engstler took the lead passing Kang and Jordan one after the other. As
the German driver pulled away, Jordan and Kang made contact and the
Korean moved up to second. Another collision occurred between Ryba and
Khoo who were fighting for sixth; Ryba dropped to eighth and then Ip
overtook Khoo for sixth.
Engstler was victorious with a 12-second margin over Kang, while Jordan
was able to reject Khalid’s assault to finish third overall.
Race 2 results
1) Luca Engstler (Liqui Moly Team Engstler, Hyundai i30 N TCR), 11 laps
2) Charlie Kang (Indigo Racing, Hyundai i30 N TCR), 12.608
3) Kay Jordan Liqui Moly Team Engstler, Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR), 18.646
Championship points
1. Engstler 54 pts; 2. Huff 33; 3. Jordan 25; 4. Khalid 20; 5. Kang 19;
6. Ryba 19.
TCR Malaysia resumes
Saturday for rounds 3 and 4, with a one-day event, again at Sepang.
Compared to the previous meeting there are three changes in the line up
of Liqui Moly Team Engstler: Michael John Soong replaces Coicaud in the
second Hyundai, while young locals Brendan Paul Anthony and Ahmad Akid
Bin Noor Azlee take the wheel of two Volkswagen Golf in the place of
Henry Kwong and Adam Khalid.
Photos: TCR
Malaysia-Match Chong
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