NETHERLANDS (16 August 2019): Mitchell Cheah, Malaysia’s sensation and Asia’s sole representative in the ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship, had another leg to forget when he was forced to retire from both races when the championship resumed for its fourth round last weekend at the Zandvoort Circuit in the Netherlands after a two-month break.
The young driver got off to a good start but things were not meant to be for the 21-year-old as bad weather and technical problems with his car forced him out of the running for the chequered flag.
“The conditions were tricky during qualifying on Saturday morning because the weather was pretty bad. I managed to get myself into the second qualifying round which was part of the plan. Moving forward, the goal was to finish in the top 10 but it did not work out as I was unable to get the perfect lap time which landed me in 12th spot,” said a disappointed Mitchell.
“When we started the first race, I wanted to do my best and the whole team knew we had the pace because the car was in good condition,” Mitchell added. “The car was performing well at first as I managed to pass four cars at the start but then another car rammed my car from behind which ended my race prematurely in the first lap.”
“As for the the second race, I managed to climb up to eighth place but unfortunately in the last five laps smoke was seen coming from the car and I had no choice but to retire from the race,” he said.
Nonetheless, Mitchell is determined to forget a terrible weekend where bad luck ruined his races as he moves on and prepares himself for the next round of the championship.
The Sepang International Circuit Talent Development Driver said: “I only had two practises on Friday which was tough because I was lacking track time since this is my first experience racing on this track. But I will not use this as an excuse but instead use it as fuel to work harder and get better results for the upcoming rounds.”
Meanwhile, former Formula 1 driver Alex Yoong, who took Mitchell under his wings, is optimistic the youngster will bounce back from his latest setback in the Netherlands.
“Personally, Mitchell did well in the race considering this is his first time racing on that specific track. He was unlucky to be involved in a collision in the first race and experienced some technical issues in the second which forced him to retire,” said Alex. “There is still a long way to go and I am convinced he will move on and get improved results in the upcoming rounds.”
The ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship, now in its fourth season, is a touring car racing event run by the Germany-based sanctioning body ADAC to the TCR regulations. The series will run predominately in ADAC’s home country Germany and in neighbouring Austria, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. The championship will resume next at Nürburgring, Germany on August 16th till 18th for the ninth and tenth rounds of the season.
