Photo: TCR Germany

Sheldon van der Linde takes commanding Sachsenring win

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Audi’s Sheldon van der Linde won today’s race at the Sachsenring after a good move on the first lap over Harald Proczyk’s SEAT handed the teenager the lead. Wolf-Power Racing driver Mike Halder kept himself still in contention for the title by taking the last podium spot despite some struggles.

At the start pole sitter Luca Engstler lost the lead and slipped down to fifth as Proczyk took the lead ahead of van der Linde and Moritz Oestreich. It was not long before the excitement started, as van der Linde dived down the inside of Proczyk at the last corner and slipped past the Austrian to take the lead and never look back.

At the first corner of the second lap a contact between Luca Engstler and Steve Kirsch appeared to send the Honda driver into understeer, the Civic TCR hitting the wall and remaining stuck in the gravel, forcing the safety car to come out.

At the restart van der Linde held onto the lead and opened a gap, whereas Oestreich was put under pressure by Engstler and lost fourth to the German teenager. The Honda Team ADAC Sachsen driver was then attacked by championship leader Josh Files, who sneaked past on lap ten for fifth place after starting from tenth.

Two laps later Mike Halder appeared to pick up debris and started to lose ground from fellow SEAT driver Proczyk, the championship contender eventually coming under pressure from Luca Engstler and a charging Files. The climax came on lap 19, as the tiniest of mistakes briefly allowed Engstler through, the pair going side by side for almost half a lap until Halder eventually managed to stay ahead.

Van der Linde won the race ahead of Proczyk and Halder, with Luca Engstler and Josh Files close behind him. Oestreich finished sixth in his Honda ahead of Audi’s Tim Zimmermann, whose race-long fight for sixth was not successful. Antti Buri came eighth in his LMS Racing Audi, ahead of Target Competition’s Kris Richard, with Niels Langeveld completing the top ten after passing stable-mate Max Hofer with five laps to go.

The second race is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:50 CET, where Files has the opportunity to wrap up his second TCR Germany series title.