Photo: TCR Germany

Luca Engstler takes his first TCR Germany victory at Zandvoort

Luca Engstler led a Engstler Motorsport 1-2 at Zandvoort, finishing ahead of Hyundai team-mate Theo Coicaud, while Racing One Audi driver Niels Langeveld extends his points lead after a storming drive through the field from tenth to third.

Engstler held the lead in his Hyundai i30 N TCR into Turn 1 ahead of Topcar Sport’s Loris Prattes, who made a great start from fourth on the grid, while Coicaud was up to third from fifth.

The race was soon suspended behind the safety car when PROsport Performance’s Max Hesse went off after contact with Langeveld at Scheivlak, with Hesse’s Audi RS 3 LMS buried in the wall.

When the race resumed on lap four, Coicaud dived down the inside of Prattes to take second, with Prattes soon confirmed to have a drive-through penalty for a jump start which promoted HP Opel driver Luke Wankmüller to third.

Langeveld meanwhile was scything through the order, passing Buri’s Audi on the restart at Hans Ernst, then picking off Simon Reicher’s Yaco Racing Audi, Harald Proczyk’s HP Racing Opel, Mike Halder in the Fügel Motorsport Honda Civic TCR and then finally Wankmüller’s Opel all within four laps, but by this point the two Engstler Motorsport Hyundais had built some margin over the chasing Dutchman.

Langeveld closed in on Coicaud’s Hyundai, but with the best of his tyres gone, was unable to find a way past and settled for the final podium position.

Engstler went on to take his first win in the TCR Germany Touring Car Championship after two years of trying, and in only his second race weekend with the Hyundai i30 N TCR.

Coicaud sealed Engstler’s best result in their history in TCR Germany, with Engstler’s win only their third in the championship.

Langeveld’s third place moves him nine points clear in the standings over Austria’s Harald Proczyk, while Engstler has moved up to third in the championship, 22 points behind.

The next round of the championship takes place at the Sachsenring on September 8th-9th.