LIQUI MOLY Porsche returns to the 24 hours of Daytona

MANILA, Philippines - After a long intermission, German motor oil and additive expert LIQUI MOLY, backing a race-tuned 400-hp Porsche 997 GT3, returned to the legendary Daytona race track in Florida for the 2012 edition of the prestigious annual 24-hour race.

Running in the GT class, the LIQUI MOLY Porsche racked up a stunning 416 laps in 24 hours.

“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 was 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 privateers.

For Daytona he traded the cockpit of his BMW for that of a Porsche. Engstler has raced in several long-distance races, but not in Daytona. The other drivers, David Murry, Gunter Schaldach and Joe Safina, are very familiar with the course.

A LIQUI MOLY Porsche 935 started in Daytona in 1980. The drivers surrounding team manager Reinhold Joest achieved a winning margin of 33 laps after 24 hours. What looked like an easy victory was in fact a lot of hard work. The LIQUI MOLY Porsche led over long periods, but the pursuers were always close on its heels. Only shortly before the finish line did driving errors and technical problems force the toughest competitors from the race.

“We really want to show our true colors in the USA,” says Baumann. LIQUI MOLY has specialized here 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,” he adds.