2024 TCR World Tour (former WTCR)

[Petoli]

I though that maybe the GT3 model work better

In GT3 Mercedes, BMW, Aston etc they have a roster of works drivers who they then send to various GT championships round the world. The teams themselves are not works teams

You end up with a factory Mercedes drivers partnered with a bronze driver in Italian GT championship

Would that not work better

Lynk and Co send Bjork to South America to race for a team there. Qing Hua goes to the UK.

Hyundai send Azcona to the US etc

The TCR world tour has just turned itself into it own thing rather then being part of the local series

How like GT3 has its blue ribon events SPA, Nurburgring 24 hours

TCR could nomiate one round on each continent that is part of the world tour and for that the works teams jsut send an vouple of extra drivers over

But the cars are run by the local team ok Lynk and Co might need to provide some support or an extra car
But that kind of thing happens in GT3

Lets say that Lynk and Cos 4 biggest markets are China, Australia, Brazil and Denmark they would provide some support for a team running in that series and send one of there 4 works driver to race in that country

[Rubio]

2024 calendar will be shortened to 7 rounds:
https://twitter.com/TCR_Series/statu...66304661278734

Good news - Interlagos will host the Brazilian round, wohoo
Bad news (apart from Australian rounds being cancelled, obviously) - This means only 14 races in a season, which is even less than during Covid times. UNLESS there will be 3 races at each event / most events

[NaBUru38]

I still think that El Pinar in August is a bad idea...

[GusGasfuss]

Originally Posted by Petoli

I though that maybe the GT3 model work better

In GT3 Mercedes, BMW, Aston etc they have a roster of works drivers who they then send to various GT championships round the world. The teams themselves are not works teams

You end up with a factory Mercedes drivers partnered with a bronze driver in Italian GT championship

Would that not work better

Lynk and Co send Bjork to South America to race for a team there. Qing Hua goes to the UK.

Hyundai send Azcona to the US etc

The TCR world tour has just turned itself into it own thing rather then being part of the local series

How like GT3 has its blue ribon events SPA, Nurburgring 24 hours

TCR could nomiate one round on each continent that is part of the world tour and for that the works teams jsut send an vouple of extra drivers over

But the cars are run by the local team ok Lynk and Co might need to provide some support or an extra car
But that kind of thing happens in GT3

Lets say that Lynk and Cos 4 biggest markets are China, Australia, Brazil and Denmark they would provide some support for a team running in that series and send one of there 4 works driver to race in that country

I think, GT3 has also ruined last interest in touring cars. Think, how many privateers we had in early years of WTCC (Stefano D'Aste, etc.). But for many of them it is much better image to race a real sportscar, maybe in company of a works driver, who can make the team look fast.


But heart of touring cars were short races, where all had to give 100%, maybe sometimes 110%. GT3 is much more long-distance, and the differences between drivers strength can be extreme (if maybe Deledda vs. Marciello).


So 2 drivers on one TCR-car might be cheaper, but no real competition (if not 6, 12 or 24 hour race.

[FIRE]

GT3 is what touring cars was in the 90s.

[NaBUru38]

Goat Racing has announced two entries with the new Honda Civic. The team is owned by Ruben Fernández Gil and managed by Pepe Oriola.

[Ant25]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Goat Racing has announced two entries with the new Honda Civic. The team is owned by Ruben Fernández Gil and managed by Pepe Oriola.

British touring car championship is better!

[Rubio]

Big moves in the 2024 line-ups.

Nestor Girolami moves to Hyundai. Surprising, given he has developed the new Honda from scratch
https://tcr-worldranking.com/news/it...rld-tour-squad

Hyundai's former Junior Marco Butti moves to Honda with GOAT Racing instead:
https://tcr-worldranking.com/news/it...tcr-world-tour

[NaBUru38]

The other Hyundai at Goat Racing will be driven by Esteban Guerrieri.

https://www.touringcartimes.com/2024...acing-line-up/

[Vassago]

Wrong thread. Please delete!

[NaBUru38]

Cyan Lynk confirmed their four drivers: Yann Ehrlacher, Thed Björk, Santiago Urrutia and Ma Qing Hua.

BRC Hyundai announced their three drivers: Norbert Michelisz, Mikel Azcona, Néstor Girolami.

[Rubio]

(very) surprisingly, TCR World Tour will run together with Coppa Italia Turismo, not TCR Europe at Vallelunga

Btw, new website for the series is online
https://www.fiatcrworldtour.com/news...ld-tour-opener

Taoufik and Filippi join the field in Volcano Audis

I'm afraid there will be two classes - 11 TCR World Tour guys and 9 Coppa Italia. The level of drivers in that championship is not that strong, unfortunately.

[Vassago]

Michelisz won the first race at Vallelunga ahead of Ehrlacher.


Girolami with start-to-finish win in Race 2. Ehrlacher had to pit with a loose hood and only finished 14th.


Taoufik completed 2 laps total in both races (puncture & accident).

[NaBUru38]

I missed race 1. Race 2 was ok, especially because Urrutia scored a podium

[Rubio]

Pretty nice start to the season, 3 makes are close together which promises a very tight championship fight

Btw, both races available on TCR TV Youtube on demand in case you missed those.

[coffinpilot]

Does anybody actually know if TCR WT will have any extra cars for the North African round?
Does anybody know the format for the US round?

[Rubio]

Borkovic already confrimed:
https://www.fiatcrworldtour.com/news...r-at-marrakech

Bennani is pictured on all official posters for the event, so I guess it is a matter of time before we hear the official confirmation.

Sportmotores recently wrote that Bennani is likely to race with Comtoyou:
http://iris.cpidt.pt/publishing20/!s...20055&id=68968

2 more cars are possible for Volcano with local drivers + Monlau with Girolami and Davidovski.

If they eventually get to 15-16 cars, that would be super.

As for US round, there is speculation that there are no entries from US teams so far which puts the event in doubt. But let's wait and see

[Rubio]

Btw, I thought that it is practically impossible to make Marrakech track worse.. but turns out it is possible:
https://www.raceofmorocco.com/plan-acces.php

The World Tour will race on the short "short" circuit to the north of the pits.

This makes me miss the first ever layout with long straights (who would have thought)

[coffinpilot]

Originally Posted by Rubio

Btw, I thought that it is practically impossible to make Marrakech track worse.. but turns out it is possible:
https://www.raceofmorocco.com/plan-acces.php

The World Tour will race on the short "short" circuit to the north of the pits.

This makes me miss the first ever layout with long straights (who would have thought)

I assume that this layout will have a lower cost, which will suit the championship.

[Andrew Abbott]

Originally Posted by Rubio

Btw, I thought that it is practically impossible to make Marrakech track worse.. but turns out it is possible:
https://www.raceofmorocco.com/plan-acces.php

The World Tour will race on the short "short" circuit to the north of the pits.

This makes me miss the first ever layout with long straights (who would have thought)

Let's hope it's not that bad. DTM has raced on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit before, which was just c. 200 m longer.

(Yes, I know, it probably wasn't that exciting, and the Brands GP loop is much better etc. etc. but just pointing out a circuit length like this is not completely unprecedented).

[Petoli]

Originally Posted by Rubio

As for US round, there is speculation that there are no entries from US teams so far which puts the event in doubt. But let's wait and see

Were we expecting them too. i mean there is no traditional touring car championship in the USA so its not like there is a TCR USA


The US TCR cars run in a 2 driver endurance championship as the secondary class the world tour is not gonna join that for 2 reason they would not want to be a secondary class and they run on different tyres

The whole TCR world tour concept on paper sounds like a great idea. The best TCR drivers in the world join the local TCR drivers

But the TCR world tour then has its own tyre supplier which limits the series to racing with the series that use that tyre.
They are not going to race with series that run Hankook, Goodyear or Michelins etc

Your not going to gave Kumho shod WTCR racing with Goodyear shod TCR UK

It should be the TCR world tour join the local series and runs the brand of tyres the local series uses. im sure they could adapt to that

Then it might work

i know last year the Michelin Pilot Challenge has its own stand alone TCR race at lime rock which got dropped. If that existed and the TCR world tour joined that ot may work better

I know in that situation there could be less world tour cars as driver would have to share the 4 lynk and co driver share 2 cars

Like Hyundai have 3 cars this year so they would have to get another driver

but combine 2 driver into one car or employ a another driver for one race it doable

That would be better then how it currently is

It just its own stand alone series with some wildcards. The opening round was raced with some obscure secondary Italian TCR series and not TCR Italy


You could have a series like this

Round 1 - TCR UK Snetterton - 3 Races
Round 2 - TCR Italy Monza - 2 Races
Round 3 - TCR Europe - Spa - 2 Races
Round 4 - TCR Eastern Europe - Slovakiaring - 2 Races
Round 5 - Michelin Pilot Challenge - Mid Ohio - 2 hour Endurance race
Round 6 - TCR South America - Interlagos - 2 races
Round 7 - TCR Japan - Suzuka - 2 races
Round 8 - TCR Australia - Bathursht - 3 races
Round 9 - TCR Asia/China Macau - 2 races
Round 10 - TCR World final Portimão

They had this whole idea of having this ranking system where all drivers racing TCR cars around earn points and are then ranked and the top 60 TCR drivers from around the world would be invited to this ranking final race

never happened

You could have the final and the top 3 drivers i from every licensed TCR series that season gets invited to that final

i know not every driver would go and logistics would have to be sorted but imagine every TCR champion that year all racing in the world tour final

Its a better concept then what we currently have and its not something that is impossible