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WORLD AND LIFE
TCR 2018
NEWS
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DRIVERS TEAM
Proczyk keeps his cool
and takes the title
ENGSTLER’S SPECTACULAR RECOVERY ENDS IN FRUSTRATION
Experience prevailed over teenage
impetuousness in the battle for the TCR
Germany title.
At Hockenheim, Harald Proczyk
concluded a superb season with a
flawless weekend that crowned him as
the series champion. At the wheel of
his HP Racing International Opel Astra,
the Austrian set pole position and won
the first race, retaking the lead in the
standings by four points over Luca
Engstler. With the latter dropped from
9th to 19th on the grid for Race 2 by a
penalty resulting from three warnings
for unfair driving, all Proczyk needed
was to keep cool and stay ahead of his
rival.
Engstler gave it all and more, driving a
frantic race; he hit and was hit, but
progressed relentlessly and finally
overtook Luke Wankmüller for fourth
on the penultimate lap only to finish in
frustration behind Proczyk.
The season finale offered two
breathtaking races, with the four title
contenders heading the rest of the field
and delivering fierce competition.
At the start of Race 1, Engstler was
faster than pole sitter Proczyk and took
the lead; the first three laps provided a
thrilling fight: Proczyk and Mike Halder
overtook Engstler on lap 2, while Niels
Langeveld moved up from seventh on
the grid to fourth behind Engstler. As
the race went on, Proczyk built a small
margin clear of Halder who did the
same with Engstler. The latter was
committed to defending third position
from Langeveld’s assaults; he dropped
behind the Dutchman on the
penultimate lap, but managed to strike
back. The fourth position helped
Langeveld to stay in contention for the
title, 22 points behind but with the
advantage of a better position on the