Victory for the Golf GTI TCR at 24-hour race in Dubai

Drivers Luca Engstler, Florian Thoma, Benjamin Leuchter and Jean-Karl Vernay of the Liqui Moly Team Engstler claimed a TCR class victory in the 24-hour race in Dubai, which was also the victory in the TCE touring cars category.

As at the Nurburgring 24 Hours 2017, the 345bhp-strong Golf GTI finished ahead of all the GT4 cars in Dubai, underlining its reputation as something of a surprise package on the sports car scene.

The Golf GTI TCR, which was prepared perfectly on site and entered by Liqui Moly Team Engstler, overcame the extreme demands of a 24-hour race and ran like clockwork.

Starting from third place in the TCR class, the team produced a consistently strong performance and refused to be put off by the large field, with a total of 89 cars.

The number 130 Golf GTI TCR had moved up to second place in its class by the halfway point of the race. Franz Engstler's team had the ideal strategy for the closing stages of the race, pulling clear of the chasing pack and refusing to relinquish the lead.

Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets said, "Congratulations to Liqui Moly Team Engstler. Perfect preparation, a great team, a clever strategy and a strong driver lineup have made this fantastic result possible. At the same time, the Golf GTI TCR has shown its strengths once again and what it is capable of in a 24-hour race."