Malaysia will be the play host to the opening round of the 2019 TCR Asia Series on April 5 to 7, which held at the Sepang International Circuit in Selangor, Malaysia.
Now on its fourth year, the ‘home’ base for the popular regional series presents an impressive field of entries with a number of star performers included in the entry.
Reigning champion Luca Engstler, the man who holds the mantel as the youngest ever winner of an FIA event (WTCC 2013) and the 9-time winner of TCR competition at the highest level, Spanish racing champ Pepe Oriola, will be the two participants that stand out among the rest. Both will drive Hyundai i30N TCRs, Engstler for Liqui Moly Team Engstler, the team for whom he claimed the 2018 TCR Asia Series title, and more recently—the inaugural TCR Malaysia title—whilst Oriola will join Solite Indigo Racing, the Korean team that claimed the TCR Korea title in their last year.
Meanwhile, TCR China drivers’ champion Alex Hui, a driver with immense experience in touring cars and a former China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) winner returns to TCR Asia, together with David Lau, the 2017 Renault Clio Cup champion having past experience in TCR competition in both TCR Malaysia and in a number of endurance races across Europe over recent years.
Multiple TCR Asia Series winner Diego Moran will also return to the wheel of the #23 entry for his third season, hopeful to convert his well recognized pace into more victories, whilst new Sepang Circuit supported rising star Adam Khalid will be looking to display more of the speed he’d shown during a cameo appearance in TCR Malaysia earlier in the year.
Experienced Asian campaigners Eurasia Motorsport will make their TCR Asia Series debut with rising Filipino star Daniel Miranda, the 23-year old having experienced time in both Production Cars and open-wheelers, the Eurasia team convinced that his time in Formula Renault will mark the youngster as one to watch during his maiden TCR Asia Series season.
TCR Asia Series veteran Douglas Khoo returns with the iconic Viper Niza Racing Cupra TCR. Joining Khoo for the Spanish marque will be TCR Thailand regular Jakraphan Davee, the Alpha Factory Racing Team by Pulzar driver looking to gain more valuable miles in TCR Asia after a number of cameo appearances over recent years, drives that delivered impressive performances at home in both Bangsaen and Buriram.
Also entered on the card is a team who are returning to TCR Asia for the first time since the 2015 season, a season in which Michael Choi claimed the inaugural title for Prince Racing, he and long-time team-mate Kenneth Lau will return in a pair of Honda Civic FK7 TCRs following on from a successful campaign in TCR Malaysia.
Malaysia’s leading international circuit has played host to the TCR Asia Series every season since 2015.
Here’s the list of Participants at Sepang International Circuit:
1. Luca Engstler (GER) Liqui Moly Team Engstler Hyundai i30N TCR
2. Kenneth Lau (HKG) Prince Racing Honda FK7 TCR
3. Roland Hertner (GER) Volkswagen Team Oettinger Golf GTi TCR SEQ
4. Adam Khalid (MAS) Volkswagen Team Oettinger Golf GTi TCR SEQ
7. Michael Choi (HKG) Prince Racing Honda FK7 TCR
11. Alex Hui (HKG) TeamWork Motorsport Audi RS3 LMS TCR SEQ
20. Daniel Miranda (PHI) Eurasia Motorsport Hyundai i30N TCR
23. Diego Moran (ECU) Volkswagen Team Oettinger Golf GTi TCR SEQ
26. Theo Coicaud (FRA) Liqui Moly Team Engstler Hyundai i30N TCR
30. Hua Yang Gao (CHN) Eurasia Motorsport Hyundai i30N TCR
33. Jakraphan Davee (THA) Alpha Factory Racing Team by Pulzar Cupra TCR
36. David Lau (HKG) TeamWork Motorsport Audi RS3 LMS TCR SEQ
65. Douglas Khoo (MAS) Viper Niza Racing Cupra TCR
74. Pepe Oriola (SPA) Solite Indigo Racing Hyundai i30N TCR
97. Kim Jin Soo (KOR) Solite Indigo Racing Hyundai i30N TCR