Franz Engstler

Franz Engstler, born on July 25, 1961, is a German racing driver and team owner with a long and successful career in touring car racing. Beginning his motorsport journey in European Hillclimbing and the German Long Distance Cup, which he won, Engstler transitioned to German Formula Three in 1988, securing the Class B title in 1989. In 1993, he made a significant move to touring car racing, becoming the German Touring Car Championship Class 2 champion with Alfa Romeo. Between 1994 and 1999, he competed in the German Super Touring Championship for various teams before founding his own team, Engstler Motorsport, in 1996.

Engstler's career highlights include winning the German Touring Car Challenge in 2000 and dominating the Asian Touring Car Championship with back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. He further solidified his reputation by winning the German ADAC Procar Series in 2007. From 2008 to 2014, Engstler competed in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), initially as an independent driver. He consistently finished high in the Independents Trophy, with his best WTCC result being an outright victory in the German round in 2011.

Since stepping back from full-time driving, Engstler has focused on managing Engstler Motorsport, which competes in various TCR championships globally, including the TCR International Series and ADAC TCR Germany Series. The team also has a strong history in Asia, with multiple Asian Touring Car Championship titles. Engstler's team has a long-standing partnership with Liqui Moly, a German lubricants manufacturer. More recently, Engstler has been seen competing in the Ferrari Challenge series.