After a long intermission, the German motor oil and additive expert Liqui Moly returns to the Daytona race track. A Liqui Moly Porsche will once again start in the legendary 24-hour races in Florida. “It’s about time”, says Peter Baumann, head of marketing at Liqui Moly. “It’s been a long time since we’ve taken part
in races here in the USA, and we want to show our stuff.”
One of the Porsche drivers is Franz Engstler. The 50-year old heads the Liqui Moly Team Engstler in the World Touring Car Championship, which had its most successful season this year and won the team category for private drivers masterfully. For Daytona he is trading the cockpit of his BMW for that of a Porsche 997 GT3. The 997 is a racing version of the famous Porsche 911, which is powered with 400 HP on the road. Engstler already has quite a few long distance races behind him, but not yet one in Daytona. The other drivers, David Murry, Gunter Schaldach and Joe Safina, are very familiar with the course. The starting signal will be given on January 28th.
A Liqui Moly Porsche already started in Daytona in 1980. Not a 997, but rather a Porsche 935. The drivers surrounding team manager Reinhold Joest achieved a lead of 33 laps after 24 hours. What in retrospect looked like a sure overall victory on the results list was in fact a lot of hard work. The Liqui Moly Porsche may have lead over longer periods, but the pursuers were close on its heels. Only shortly before the finish line did driving errors and technical problems force the toughest competitors from the race.
“It would be a wonderful thing to repeat the victory of 1980”, says Peter Baumann. “We really want to show our true colors in the USA.” Liqui Moly has specialized in the market for German import vehicles requiring high performance oils with the appropriate manufacturer clearances. The company produces exclusively in Germany in order to satisfy the high quality standards. “Regardless of the result, such extreme races are always a good test for our products”, Baumann explains. “And automobile drivers on the road profit from these experiences on the race track.”
Source: Liqui Moly
