10 Jun ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship: Mitchell Cheah secures inaugural podium finish

KUALA LUMPUR (10 June 2019): Fresh off winning his first ‘Honda Rookie Challenge Award last month, Mitchell Cheah clinched his first podium finish after claiming second spot in the third leg of ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship which took place at the Red Bull Ring Circuit, Austria last weekend. 

Mitchell, an up and coming racing driver showed his outstanding performance in Spielberg after finishing the Race 1 in the second position which he timed 32:55.853 on Saturday. Mitchell was only left behind by the winner of the race, Harald Procyzk who drove Hyundai of HP Racing International with 32:54.097 while Antti Buri from Audi MLS Racing who timed 32:56.175 came in third place.

Mitchell also claimed his second “Honda Rookie Challenge Award’ with the results on Saturday. However, Mitchell did not manage to repeat his excellent performance in Race 2 on Sunday after only managing to finish in 10th place with 33:16.708.

Speaking about the latest round of the tournament in Austria, Mitchell, 21, said that this will be a stepping stone for him and motivate him to do well and secure more podium finishes for the remaining  races.

The Sepang International Circuit Talent Development driver said, “I am really excited because I managed to finish in second place and of course securing the podium finish for the first time. It was an amazing feeling and a precious moment for me, and I will try to improve for the next race. Thank you to all the crew who were working really hard in order to make sure that the car is in top conditions.

“This week in Austria, after finishing in second place for Race 1, unfortunately I could not do the same for Race 2.  I had a good start in the second race. I started in P7 and managed to jump into P3 before the Safety Car came out. Then after the restart I was immediately in second and the chance to win the race was definitely there until the stewards made the decision that I had a drive-through penalty for jump start. It was very unfortunate and something that I could not do anything about. It was really tough.

“With the podium finish, I must say it will boost my confidence and I am determined to be more focused and stay consistent to try and finish on a higher note for the remaining rounds,” said Mitchell who drives for Volkswagen Team Oettinger.

Mitchell Cheah at the wheel of his Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR during the third leg of the ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship at Red Bull Ring, Austria. Round 5 saw Mitchell clinch second place and the “Honda Rookie Challenge” award before ending Round 6 in 10th place.

Alex Yoong, his coach and mentor from Axle Motorsport added. “Mitchell is really driving well; he had the pace to win Race 2 but got unlucky with the penalty. We are super proud of him as he is up against top top drivers and despite not having any experience on these tracks, he is showing he truly belongs.”

The ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship, now in its fourth season, is a touring car racing run by the German-based sanctioning body ADAC to the TCR regulations. The series will run predominately in ADAC’s home nation Germany and also in the neighbouring nations of Austria, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. The championship will resume at Circuit Park Zandvoort, the Netherlands from 10th till 11 August for rounds 7 and 8.