Pepe Oriola and Luca Engstler lead 15-car TCR Asia series entry
The 2019 TCR Asia International Series kicks off this weekend at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, with 15 drivers entered in one of the most competitive seasons in the series’ short history.
Luca Engstler returns to defend his 2018 title with the Engstler Motorsport team, this time racing a Hyundai i30 N TCR after securing last year’s title with a Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR.
The Engstler Motorsport team will field five cars in total. Two Hyundais, with the other driven by Frenchman Theo Coicaud, who competed for the team in the TCR Germany championship last year, and then running three Volkswagen Golf GTI TCRs for former ADAC Procar Series champion Roland Hertner, Adam Khalid and Diego Moran.
The main benchmark for the series will be 2018 World Touring Car Cup title contender Pepe Oriola, who has ended his long association with the SEAT Cupra brand and switched to Hyundai for 2019. The Spaniard will race an Solite Indigo Racing-prepared i30 N TCR, with South Korean team-mate Kim Jin Soo.
Teamwork Motorsport, which won the 2018 TCR China drivers’ championship and recently announced a TCR UK championship programme, will return to the TCR Asia series with Alex Hui driving one of the team’s Audi RS 3 LMSs, with fellow Hong Kong driver David Lau as his team-mate.
Eurasia Motorsport meanwhile will field a pair of Hyundai i30 N TCRs for Daniel Miranda and Hua Yang Gao in their first full TCR Asia series season.
Prince Racing follow up on their TCR Malaysia championship programme with a TCR Asia series entry, fielding a pair of Honda Civic Type R FK8 TCRs for Michael Choi, the 2015 TCR Asia series champion, and team-mate Kenneth Lau.
Completing the grid will be a pair of Cupra TCRs, one run by Alpha Factory Racing Team for Thai driver Jakraphan Davee, and one by Viper Niza Racing for Malaysian Douglas Khoo.
Entry list
No – Driver – Nat – Team – Car
1 – Luca Engstler – GER – Engstler Motorsport – Hyundai i30 N TCR
2 – Kenneth Lau – HKG – Prince Racing – Honda Civic Type R FK8 TCR
3 – Roland Hertner – GER – Engstler Motorsport – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
4 – Adam Khalid – MAS – Engstler Motorsport – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
7 – Michael Choi – HKG – Prince Racing – Honda Civic Type R FK8 TCR
11 – Alex Hui – HKG – Teamwork Motorsport – Audi RS 3 LMS
20 – Daniel Miranda – PHI – Eurasia Motorsport – Hyundai i30 N TCR
23 – Diego Moran – ECU – Engstler Motorsport – Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR
26 – Theo Coicaud – FRA – Engstler Motorsport – Hyundai i30 N TCR
30 – Hua Yang Gao – CHN – Eurasia Motorsport – Hyundi i30 N TCR
33 – Jakraphan Davee – THA – Alpha Factory Racing Team – Cupra TCR
36 – David Lau – HKG – Teamwork Motorsport – Audi RS 3 LMS
65 – Douglas Khoo – MAS – Viper Niza Racing – Cupra TCR
74 – Pepe Oriola – SPN – Solite Indigo Racing – Hyundai i30 N TCR
97 – Kim Jin Soo – KOR – Solite Indigo Racing – Hyundai i30 N TCR
Timetable
Friday 5th April
09:00 – Free Practice 1
16:45 – Free Practice 2
Saturday 6th April
09:00 – Qualifying
15:25 – Race 1 (11 laps)
Sunday 7th April
09:50 – Race 2 (11 laps)
