René Münnich has secured the 2019 TCR Middle East Series Drivers’ Championship with victory in the season finale at the Dubai Autodrome.
The ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport team owner positioned himself for title glory with a win in the opening race earlier this afternoon, his fifth of an impressive season. The victory aboard the #77 Honda Civic FK7 TCR, from the back of the reverse grid, also nets the 2012 FIA GT1 World Champions the Teams’ title.
In winning the TCR Middle East Series, Münnich emulates former champions Josh Files and fellow German, Luca Engstler. He is also the first series titleholder to win races at every round during the course of the season.
René Münnich, the new champion said: “It’s a wonderful feeling. It’s great to win the title, we’ve had a lot of fun, and I’m a little disappointed it’s all over. But I really enjoyed this season, and hopefully we’ll be back next time. We’ve also found out a lot about the Honda during the races, and worked a lot on setup. That’s going to be very helpful for this year’s WTCR (World Touring Car Cup). I’m very happy with our progress.”
Red Camel-Jordans.nl’s Luc Breukers completed a successful maiden campaign at the wheel of the #101 Cupra TCR with his sixth successive podium finish, securing the young Dutchman the runners-up spot in the 2019 TCR Middle East Series.
Despite holding off eventual race victor René Münnich during the opening stages, an engine issue meant Breukers would be forced to drop back as the race progressed.
Breukers said: “The start was probably the best of my life, and I flew past the two Zengő cars. Unfortunately the engine held back so I had to turn off the traction control. The problem was solved, but that did cost me a few seconds per lap.”
Breukers will be back in action for the final round of the 24H Middle East Championship around the 5.39km Dubai Autodrome, an event the Red Camel-Jordans.nl driver feels will aid his development more than conventional testing in Europe.
Breukers continued: “I would say this is better than testing. The temperature is great, it’s not so busy, and is a good way to stay in form over the winter. Plus, you can learn a lot on-track from someone like René who has so much experience. You can’t really get that in testing.”
The final podium spot eventually went to Zoltán Zengő in the #8 Zengő Motorsport’s Cupra TCR, a result that secured the Hungarian driver 3 rd in the Drivers’ Championship.
The team principal finished just ahead of teammate Tamás Tenke in the sister #10 entry, and while both cars eventually pulled into the pits shortly before the end of the race,
Zengő said the decision was made with the bigger picture in-mind: “We were very comfortable in terms of pace, but this was the final race of the sprint category. We didn’t want to push the car too much ahead of this afternoon’s endurance race. The championship is very close, and we want to win.” By Melissa Warren
