Luca Engstler believes he ‘deservedly won’ the ADAC TCR Germany title for the first time at the Hockenheimring last weekend, with the Hyundai Team Engstler driver wrapping up the crown one round early.
Engstler, 21, claimed his sixth win of the season in race one on Saturday, following it up with fourth in race two on Sunday to secure the drivers’ title with two races to spare.
The German has been one of the form drivers of 2021, and until last weekend he had only been off the podium on one occasion.
Engstler ideally had to wrap up the title early – after the Nürburgring round was postponed in August, it was rescheduled to the 6-7 November, clashing with Engstler’s commitments in the FIA World Touring Car Cup, also a rescheduled event, at Adria.
As it stands Engstler now has an unassailable 83-point lead over second-placed Dominik Fugel, who in turns is seven points ahead of Eric Scalvini.
Engstler had come close to the TCR Germany title in 2018, just his second season in touring cars, when he finished second overall, seven points behind eventual champion Harald Proczyk.
Finally clinching the title has resulted in a great deal of relief for early-season favourite Engstler.
“I am super happy that I won the title,” said Engstler. “I can’t really realise it yet; it will probably come during the day and evening.
“My big thanks go to the team that did an outstanding job and always gave me a perfect car.
“I’m just super happy and proud that it worked out now and that we have reached our goal so early.
“The title is very, very important to me. But for me it is the be all and end all that we have now made it.”
Engstler admitted that despite having been the favourite to win the title, it had not lessened the pressure he felt during the year.
“Many have said that I definitely have to win and that everything is easy and not a problem at all. But it wasn’t exactly like that.
“We always worked hard, kept going. And at the end of the day, we deservedly won the championship, I would say.”