Liqui Moly and their World Touring Car Championship driver Franz Engstler are looking forward to their return to the Daytona 24 Hour race this weekend, as the experienced German swaps his BMW 320TC for a Porsche 997 GT3.
Engstler, who secured his maiden victory in the World Touring car Championship at Oschersleben during the 2011 campaign is pleased to have returned to the classic 24 hour race: “I am very proud to take part here with my team together with Liqui Moly, in Daytona. It’s fantastic a completely new impression for me to run here in US. We will give our best to repeat the success of 1980 “.
The Liqui Moly Team secured the Yokohama Independents trophy for the first time in 2011, marking their best WTCC campaign to date – Engstler also secured one other podium at Donington Park, the weekend before his victory at Oschersleben.
Liqui Moly secured a Daytona 24 Hour victory back in 1980, with a Porsche 935 and an advantage of 33 laps, with the Team Principal, Reinhold Joest, being the lead driver.
This season sees the team running a 400 brake horsepower Porsche 911, with Engstler being joined in the cockpit by David Murry, Gunter Schaldach and Joe Safina, ready for the start of the race on the 28 January.
Peter Baumann, Liqui Moly Director of Marketing believes that this is the right time for the company to make their return to the US Racing Scene: “It’s time now; we have been long time away to race in the U.S. and want to show our flag there now.”
The Daytona 24 Hours may well not be the only U.S. race for the team, as the World Touring Car Championship is due to head to Infineon Raceway in September, for its maiden appearance in the U.S.