China. 2nd June 2019 – It was another good outing for Volkswagen Team Oettinger where
Roland Hertner was on the podium once again claiming second in the TCR Asia Series Cup
Class and further establishing his lead in the Cup Championship. Teammate Khalid Adam
fought throughout the race finishing 6th for a solid third in the Asian Driver Class.
Round 6 was another action filled race, especially for Malaysian Adam who held his ground
in the mid-pack battle throughout the race. Adam started the race 11th on the grid with
Hertner three rows behind. Right as the lights went out, both drivers were caught in their own
battles.
Hertner had a calmer race than most of the drivers out on track as he paced himself well and
stayed out of trouble throughout the duration of the race. “It was another good race out there
at Shanghai circuit. I am happy with the results, two podiums over the weekend was great.
Thank you to the team for a good solid car and for a good outing here”.
Meanwhile, the Sepang International Circuit Talent Development driver showed great
progress as he fought on throughout most of the race and managed to overtake a few of his
rivals early on in the race. Adam kept to his promise and made up for the penalty he
received from yesterday’s race and the 20-year old also bettered his Qualifying time during
the race, showing great pace as he followed the formidable Chinese touring car great, KK
Wong for a few laps.
“It was a really positive weekend going into Shanghai for the first time we definitely had
some pace, not as quick as the front runners but almost getting there. I think I was quicker in
my last race than I was in Qualifying.
“I just want to thank the team, thank Sepang for the support and the belief in me. I think in
Zhejiang we will do better, looking at finishing in the top 5. It was a really good race this time
around.
“We started in 11th and at the start had to avoid the car directly in front of me as he stalled on
the grid, from there we had a good fight with some of the Chinese drivers and ending up P9
overall and P6 in Asia, not the result we were hoping for but better than the previous rounds
and only upwards from now.
Kurt Treml, Team Manager of Volkswagen Team Oettinger was proud of his drivers, saying
“They have showed great improvement over this weekend. Both drivers were consistent in
pace.
“Adam once again showed a stunning drive out there, holding off the battle with some very
experienced Touring Car drivers from TCR China. He finished 6th today for a solid points
haul and yesterday’s results would have been great but a penalty is a penalty, at least we
know he has the pace to get up in the mix.
“Roland as a gentleman driver was always steady and showed he had the ability to just put
his head down and get a strong drive from him. Two strong podium finishes for him this
weekend to secure his lead in the Cup Championship and opening up an even bigger gap to
second. A great result.
“We are all looking forward to the next outing. Zhejiang is a new circuit for TCR Asia and it
will be interesting to learn the characteristics of the circuit and to have a level playing field for
all of us” ended Treml.
TCR Asia Series will head to the last of the China rounds at the Zhejiang Circuit on 5th to 7th
July before heading to the finale at Bangsaen Circuit in Thailand early September.
The team is supported by Liqui Moly, VW Motorsport, Pagid Racing, Motec rims,
Recaro and Eibach.
