[STCC] STCC 2016 news & rumours

[Racing Harz]

10 cars in Skövde...
Robert Dahlgren – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60
Richard Göransson – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60
Scott McLaughlin – Polestar Cyan Racing – Volvo S60
Johan Kristoffersson – PWR Racing – SEAT León
Emma Kimiläinen – PWR Racing – SEAT León
Daniel Haglöf – PWR Racing – SEAT León
Reuben Kressner – Flash Engineering – Saab 9-3
Linus Ohlsson – Flash Engineering – Saab 9-3
Mattias Andersson – Dacia Dealer Team – Dacia SE
Rasmus Mårthen – Brovallen Design – Ford Mondeo
http://www.touringcartimes.com/2016/...end-in-skovde/

[PorscheFanNo1]

When we finally again get an international driver like Scott we only have 10 cars to show, thats a real bummer. And at an shitty airfeild track like Skövde to add to that.

Anyway, sounds like the feild will potetially grow during the season, sounds like Brovallen will get one more Ford out later (probably Kevin Aabol?), and also atleast one BMW, either independently run or run by WCR.

I dont think the return of "drop score" is a coincident, its either to allow for Björn Wirdheim to run a partial season but still have something to show for it, or cause they expect more late entries (late as in missing the first one or two races).

[GHOGH]

What configuration are the STCs - rear wheel drive etc?

[Mark0994]

Originally Posted by GHOGH

What configuration are the STCs - rear wheel drive etc?

http://www.webcarstory.com/voiture.php?id=19170
RWD 3.5 V6 with 420hp

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Obizzz

Say what you will about silhouette racers but this thing looks really awesome and they're fast too.

SEAT looks like a stockcar.

[AoB Special Stage]

http://www.touringcartimes.com/2016/...ion-in-skovde/

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Obizzz

Say what you will about silhouette racers but this thing looks really awesome and they're fast too.

This looks fantastic...SEAT needs their own version of the A5, stat.

[GHOGH]

Dahlgren, 1st, (1.572 seconds) McLaughlin 2nd. gap to third
http://www.motorsport-events.se/racemonstcc1/#

[rich07]

Shame about what happened to McLaughlin in the second race, he was on pace and heading after Goranssen. That was my first ever taste of STCC and I thought it was ok. Small grid, looks like a diverse spread of quality in regards to drivers and teams though. That airfield track wasn't without its charms, reminds me of a mini Sebring.

[Matt]

Yeah, this series with like 20 cars would be immense.

IMO, the cars look, and sound fantastic, and they put on some pretty great racing. Just need more of them.

Unfortunately they've never really been able to draw a count,so we'll be going to the slow, and unspectacular TCR cars next year. :\

[Obizzz]

Originally Posted by Matt

Yeah, this series with like 20 cars would be immense.

IMO, the cars look, and sound fantastic, and they put on some pretty great racing. Just need more of them.

Unfortunately they've never really been able to draw a count,so we'll be going to the slow, and unspectacular TCR cars next year. :\

20 TTA cars would be awesome and I really like these fast cars but a lot of people seem to have a lot of hate for them.

The switch to TCR is more or less confirmed now but a bit undecided on when.

http://www.touringcartimes.com/2016/...-2018-in-june/

[Matt]

Volvo has no plans to develop a TCR-spec car in the near future...could lead to a pull out from STCC.
http://www.touringcartimes.com/2016/...hey-adopt-tcr/

[Mies7337]

Logical move for the STCC, to go switch to TCR rules.
I think Volvo should develop a TCR-spec car. I'm sure the TCR series will become a big championship all over the world, so you can sell a lot of TCR cars. And they've got a great racing infrastructure with Polestar/Cyan. Or give the job away to Brovallen, WCR or Flash Engineering. I really think the TCR is the future (at least for the next 10 years) of touring car racing.

[Matt]

Every big national series has their own bespoke rules and they seem to work out just fine for them.

BTCC, DTM, V8 Supercars, Super TC2000, Brasil Stock Car.

They all use rules tailored to their own specific automotive landscape, and are doing just fine. While the Class 2 and Super2000 stuff worked in their respective timeframe, that isn't the case any more. I honestly don't see TCR being like those were, especially if they don't manage to garner a very major national championship like the BTCC.

[thlbtcc]

If you look at the TCR national series so far this year, and it is very early days, something seems to be missing. I don't know what. A lack of professionalism maybe? Maybe not. There's just something about teams building and developing cars themselves instead of purchasing that elevates a series.

In that TCT article, the Volvo/Polestar/Cyan boss reckons running the TTA car is cheaper than TCR, which is an interesting point of view. I think I'd like the existing rules for extra season.

Having said all of that, the STCC was founded by buying ex-works super touring cars and there was plenty of that in the early 00s too. So maybe they won't lose anything by going to TCR. I see lots of comments on the internet like "wow, Kia are joining TCR" when really it's a customer programme. Maybe people don't know/care if the cars are built by the teams? Either way, there are only 3 competitive CR cars right now (VW, Seat & Honda) so IMHO, the other cars need to catch up before it feels like a fully-fledged effort.

(Sorry, went on a bit, the STCC people have a lot to discuss!)

[PorscheFanNo1]

Personally I would prefer a 20 car grid with existing Solution F cars over 20 TCR cars. The Solution F cars where built to be cheap to buy, cheap to run, and easy to change into whatever make you'd wish. The reality is though, we dont have 20 Solution F cars running, and we never have. At most we have had 16 cars on the track at the same time, going steadily downwards to the 10 cars we have now. Thats a problem, as we saw in race 2 this past weekend, when 4 cars crashed out, we had 6 cars left running... its hard to draw a crowd with only 6 cars on the track.

If they go TCR, we know all teams would have to buy new cars, they are still quite cheap to buy and run, but they are still a little more expensive then the Solution F cars (new TCR cars around 100k€ to buy new, existing used Solution F car around 50k€ to buy).
So TCR cars are cheap, but Solution F cars are even cheaper, so why arent more people racing them? What makes anyone think more people will buy and race the TCR cars? If the only answer is "TCR are proper cars, not one-make silhouettes" then I dont think TCR will become any bigger of a hit then what Solution F is right now. There is a lot more to it then that.

[Speed-King]

There is a lot more to it then that.

In the end it's all about trust - if team owners and pay drivers believe in the product, it's going to be a success. If they don't, it tanks.

[Matt]

Things I find great.

Just how far the TTA/STCC/SolF cars have come in terms of body styling from the first test until today. Both of these cars are representing the Volvo S60.

[Speed-King]

Not really. The silver car above was a Solution-F-Volvo, but the one they built for the now-defunct Belgian touring car series (BTCS). TTA used that car as a demonstrator, but always stated that they wanted their cars to look closer to the road going counterpart. They did just that for the first year of TTA and cars have had the same bodykit ever since. So there really has been no evolution.

[Matt]

Which is why I specified SolF in my descriptor.

That said, they did facelift the S60 in 2014, so they aren't identical to the previous one.

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by Matt

Which is why I specified SolF in my descriptor.

Still doesn't mean they've "come a long way".... they've simply built two different bodykits for two different rule sets since BTCS actually rewarded effective bodywork while TTA-cars were wind tunnel equalized.

[Matt]

I'll take the aero-matched, and attractive cars, over the "effective" and terrible looking ones anyday.

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by thlbtcc

There's just something about teams building and developing cars themselves instead of purchasing that elevates a series

Does it? If each team must build the car, there's danger of cost escalates or inequality.

It's worse when manufacturers don't want to sell cars to customers (GTLM, DPi). But TCR doesn't have that problem. It's a great business model.

[rich07]

The current Volvos look utterly gorgeous, as far as touring cars go I think they're the best looking in the world.

[thlbtcc]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Does it? If each team must build the car, there's danger of cost escalates or inequality.

It's worse when manufacturers don't want to sell cars to customers (GTLM, DPi). But TCR doesn't have that problem. It's a great business model.

Yes, I think so.

I wasn't referring to costs, I understand that it's dangerous.

But generally, pie in the sky, teams being able to afford the development and the series being popular enough to attract the sponsorship required, that all adds up to make a series feel like, IMHO, a standard above. That's all