Liqui Moly Team Engstler’s Luca Engstler will enter the TCR Germany and TCR International Series races at Oschersleben next weekend, with the Volkswagen racer taking part in four races over the weekend.
Engstler motorsport have been absent from the TCR International Series grid so far in 2017, with the team instead focussing their efforts on the German and Asian series.
But now 17-year-old Engstler will make his début in the TCR International Series, following in the footsteps of his father Franz, who took part in the first six races of the inaugural season in 2015.
Luca has already taken part in the short TCR Middle East season earlier in the year, before focussing on TCR Germany in his first season of touring car racing. The German racer has so far scored a best result of 16th in the season opener at the circuit back in April.
Engstler’s double participation next weekend (July 7 to 9) will be far from straightforward, however, with the youngster predicting difficulties with changing from the Hankook tyres used in TCR Germany to the Michelin tyres used in TCR International.
“I will be racing with a Golf GTi TCR, but the cars are different because we are driving with different tire manufacturers,” said Engstler. “TCR International tyres from Michelin are much harder than the Hankook tyres in ADAC TCR Germany.
“The race weekend will be very busy and stressful, as I must not only manage my own travel times but also meet a lot of deadlines.
“We have worked with the team to develop a proper schedule, so I can concentrate fully on the races and still do not miss an appointment, such as the autograph hour or the driver’s talks.”
Engstler added that although he will be guest starring in the International Series, his focus remains on TCR Germany, where there is a grid of over 40 drivers competing this season.
“Priority has been given to the rookie championship of TCR Germany, where I will try to defend my championship lead with the clear goal of collecting two maximum points scores.
“For TCR International, I do not have any particular goal; starting there alone against multiple world champions already gives me enough incentive and motivation.
“I am 17 years old and I have so much time and my whole career in front of me. In these two races I just want to learn about the future and look as much as possible at the front runners.”