Mitchell Cheah claims close victory as Luca Engstler suffers late puncture
The first TCR Asia race of the weekend at Buriram in Thailand was dominated by Team Engstler with Mitchell Cheah winning by a mere 0.169 seconds over team-mate Diego Moran as pole-sitter Luca Engstler retired with just two laps left.
Engstler started from pole position and immediately pulled up a big gap. Cheah started third but made his way past Moran.
Moran got closer and closer as the race progressed and was right on the back of Cheah’s Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR with six laps left.
The fight for second place turned into a fight for the lead as Engstler pitted with a left-front puncture and despite Moran’s best efforts, actually getting past at one stage only to get re-passed again, Cheah held on to the lead to claim victory.
Pattarapol Vongprai claimed the final podium finish for Vattana Motorsport, over 12 seconds from the leaders, fighting his way up from seventh on the grid to claim the amateur class victory.
Lo Sze Ho of Maximum Racing and Chariya Nuya of Billionaire Boy Racing made it three Hondas in the top five, claiming positions four and five, with Sze Ho making his way past his manufacturer colleague at mid-point of the race.
Alex Liu Lic Ka headed Elegant Racing Team team-mate Wong Kian Kuan in sixth and seventh, both driving a SEAT Leon TCR.
Jakraphan Davee, who briefly was second after a strong start only to drop several positions by running wide twice on the opening lap, rounded off the top eight.
