Team Engstler to run Audi TT in TCR season start

Team Engstler is going to start the 2015 TCR International Series season with pair of Audi TTs.
“We authorised the team to use the Audi TT, because according to their marketing strategy, Liqui Moly Team Engstler is bound to German cars,” said Marcello Lotti, head of TCR.

Team owner Franz Engstler and recently signed Russian driver Mikhail Grachev will drive the Audis at the season start in Malaysia, while third driver Lorenzo Veglia is going to drive a SEAT León.

The team originally planned to run Volkswagen Golfs in the inaugural TCR season, a plan that was changed to start the season with SEAT Leóns and switch to the Volkswagens later during the year. The Audi TT was present at the Balance of Performance test in Barcelona last week to ensure parity compared to the Honda Civic, Opel Astra and SEAT León.

”We have decided to grant the team the authorisation to campaign the new Audi TT and to show that we consider them as a valuable partner in the launch of this new racing series; and we could trust this approach because the TT technically conforms to the TCR concept totally with the exception for the body shell,” said Lotti.