Mixed Results For Malaysian Mitchell Cheah In Austria

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's Touring Car driver, Mitchell Cheah secured mixed results in his return to the Germany Touring Car Championship at the Red Bull Ring circuit in Austria on Sunday. The Kuala Lumpur-born, who is the replacement driver for Austrian Nicolas Gruber of Hyundai Team Engstler, clinched the second place in Race One on Saturday, before a gearbox problem on his car forced him to retire during the lap four of the Race Two on Sunday. On Saturday's race, Mitchell crossed the finishing line in third, but he was promoted to second place after eventual winner Antti Buri of Finland who was driving a Hyundai i30 N TCR car, was handed a penalty for not slowing down during a yellow flag. Austrian Harald Proczyk of HP Racing International, who crossed the finishing line in second, was promoted to first. Gruber did not feature in the race as he was taking part in the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) at Hungaroring race track in Hungary on Sunday as a replacement driver. Nevertheless, Mitchell was delighted with his performance during the two-day races. “Definitely, I'm happy with the result I had during the weekend's races, and I wished that COVID-19 pandemic would go away, so we can start racing under a normal situation again,” Mitchell said. “Hard luck in Race Two due to a mechanical problem which is out of my control, but overall it was an enjoyable moment since I arrived in Austria a few days ago,” added Mitchell who secured the second place during last year's race at the same circuit. Mitchell was supposed to feature as a full-season driver in the TCR Asia series championship this year, but the event has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. -- BERNAMA