The fourth season of the TCR Asia Series will conclude at the popular Shanghai International Circuit during the first week of October, a period of celebration and holiday in China, with TCR Asia contested once again alongside TCR China ahead of the inaugural SIC888 endurance event for which TCR is an eligible category for the October 7 event.
German-based operation Liqui Moly Team Engstler come into the TCR Asia Series final with their two high profile young drivers locked in mortal combat over the championship.
Reigning Middle-East champion and TCR Germany ‘Rookie of the Year’ Luca Engstler, currently leads Malaysia’s Mitchell Cheah by 11-points coming into the Chinese round, with both having recorded multiple wins this season.
The Engstler operation has been the most successful in recent seasons of the hotly contested regional touring car championship, with driver’s and team’s championship victories to their credit in both 2016 and 2017, the Liqui Moly supported team looking to make it a trifecta in Shanghai.
“We’re proud to be able to compete on the program of such an iconic event,” WSC Asia Limited’s David Sonenscher admitted. “Shanghai has formed an important part of our program over the last three years, and to return on the eve of such an important event as the inaugural SIC888 – we hope – is the start of a long collaboration which will allow our teams to conclude their year with a high profile endurance series to add to the regular sprint series.”
A number of TCR Asia teams have signalled their interest in the 888-kilometre endurance event, a car for which the TCR concept has proven particularly successful.
“The TCR formula was designed around low cost and high use,” Sonenscher explained.
“The cars are built for endurance to provide longer periods between engine rebuilds and for a longer service life of parts. They’ve also proven very successful in endurance races all across the world, from 12 to 24-hour races, so the opportunity to add the endurance format at the conclusion of the 2018 season was an ideal fit and has been very well received by the teams.”
Alongside TCR China for the second season, the TCR teams will get practice and qualifying laps on Thursday October 4, before both 10-lap races are contested on Friday, with those teams entered in SIC888 gaining additional track time ahead of the main event on Sunday October 7.
