Touring Car Endurance races?

[Speed-King]

Inspired by the "WTCC on the Nordschleife"-Thread, I'd like to know your opinion on longer touring car races like 500k or 1000k events.

I have always been jealous on the Aussies for them having the Bathurst and Sanddown endurance races, so I'd really like to see such events.
Also, touring car races have not necessarily been sprint races until the 1990s, so why not revive the tradition of touring car endurance racing?

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Endurance racing is fantastic! There should be one big endurance race at a special circuit (Nordschliefe is an excellent choice) at the end of the season.

[duke_toaster]

A separate two or three round endurance series at the end of the year is fine, but not as part of the main championship - most privateer would have issues with it.

[Stefvh]

There were great years with the SuperTouring cars at the Spa 24h.

I miss that period

[nickyf1]

yes, nordshleife could do a one off non-championship round, it could mabey even be part of the European Touring Car Cup with all the best teams from each series? a 500km or 1000km race would be cool.

[Bramzel]

I couldn't care less about an endurance event with touringcars. Would be fun for 10 laps and then the field spreads. And when these cars are driving alone they are quite boring...

Endurance should be done with Prototypes and GT's, not with touringcars.

[werner]

I agree with the last post, but I'd like to make 2 exeptions. That is for the nuernburgring, witch is awesome in almost any car, and It would be really cool for the WTCC to join the Bathurst 1000. Although you could also run the WTCC with normal lengths early in the morning in the pre-1000km-raceprogram, so the WTCC gets live coverage in Europe Saturday-evening.

[Alex K]

You've got 24 hours of Nuerburgring as part of VLN for everything what's got 4 wheels, maybe even three, but never witnessed those 'cars'. Anyway, you can drive something as little as Metro up to prototypes there, so there is also a class for touring cars.

[Hazard]

Originally Posted by werner

I agree with the last post, but I'd like to make 2 exeptions. That is for the nuernburgring, witch is awesome in almost any car, and It would be really cool for the WTCC to join the Bathurst 1000. Although you could also run the WTCC with normal lengths early in the morning in the pre-1000km-raceprogram, so the WTCC gets live coverage in Europe Saturday-evening.

To join? That'd be like LMP1 vs GT2, those V8's would cane the S2000's.

Certainly miss the 'old' Bathurst format though, with the Supertourers competing until the Holden/Ford V8 championship basically killed the event and manufactured their identical replacement.

One event would be nice - it'd be ideal if it replaced the ETC Cup event (since the two race format for that doesn't work too well as a cup race) and grabbed a hold of the random mix of drivers & teams from the national championships.

[Wilbo]

Bathurst with the STW cars was cool

[SALEEN S7R]

Personally id like to see a mini endurance series for touring cars, no reason not to in my opinion. And endurance racing isnt just for Sportscars, its for GT cars too which after all arent that different from touring cars. GT = Grand touring remember. Okay theres a big differnce between a GT1 car and a Super 2000 regulation car I admit, but there isnt much of a differnce between a Super 2000 car and a GT3 or GT4 class car, Super 2000 cars are actually faster than most GT4 cars at the moment.

[Hazard]

A GT car is a sportscar - it may literally stand for Grand Touring, but you'd be hard pushed finding anyone calling them anything else.

[Dani Filth]

Originally Posted by Wilbo

Bathurst with the STW cars was cool

yep .. Volvo vs Nissan was great .. was it 97 or 98 ?

[racer69]

It was 1998.

Touring Car racing only really became a '30min sprint only' with the advent of Super Touring.

Prior to that endurance racing was very much a part of touring car racing the world over, and has continued to be in Australia at least.

One mustn't forget that the 1987 WTCC was an endurance Championship (min. 500km), as were the ETCC's that preceeded it.

A different formula would have to be produced though, i don't think Super2000 cars would be all that suited to these very long races.

[Valker]

Endurance Touring Cars Serie

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Bramzel

I couldn't care less about an endurance event with touringcars. Would be fun for 10 laps and then the field spreads. And when these cars are driving alone they are quite boring...

Endurance should be done with Prototypes and GT's, not with touringcars.

To counter this, it would be good if run on a relatively short track. That way, lapping back-markers would come into play plus the addition of pit-breaks would mix up the field at times.

[roachy101]

a 10 lap dash roud the nurburgring would suit the cars........ if not theres always somewehere like suzuka 8 hours or bathurst

[Speed-King]

S2000 cars have already been entered in several VLN rounds or 24hr races in the middle East. With the appropriate tires, endurance races should be no problem for these cars. IIRC Yokohama is already providing tires for some teams in the VLN...

[btcckid]

i don't think it would be good for touring cars-they are for quick races which are entertaining in few laps(like btcc)-all the le mans cars are meant for endurence and it should stay like that

[valhalla]

Originally Posted by Bramzel

Would be fun for 10 laps and then the field spreads. And when these cars are driving alone they are quite boring...

After 10 laps you are almost half way through a 500km race on the Nordschleife. I like the idea of a 500km race there.

[jab]

I don't know about the S2000 cars not being suited to endurance racing. I like the sound of the ETC Cup being run as an endurance event somewhere and organised at the right time so all the decent drivers and teams can compete from all the series. It would be interesting to see some of the driver combos

Taking the multi-level idea like V8s vs S2000s, how about Super Tourers vs S2000s?

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by Bramzel

I couldn't care less about an endurance event with touringcars. Would be fun for 10 laps and then the field spreads. And when these cars are driving alone they are quite boring...

While fields certainly spread in Endurance races a bit, there will still often be small groups of battling cars and other elements like (necessary!) pitstops and the greater possibility of driver errors or mechanical failures will as well add to the excitement.

[Koulle]

I wouldn't mind an annual one-off event or a short separate series for edurance racing but no more.

I like the current sprint race format.

[Valenok]

I would like to see mid-long distance race. Not as Sandown500, but as Clipsal500(half). One car, one pilot, many pits ande the longest dictance one pilot can drive - 300 or 400k. Something like Spa400 with 3hour 57laps race. And no more than once a year. It's not so difficult for private teams and TV.

[FIRE]

I voted for 1 special event per year but only if it's been held at a special track like Nordschleife or Bathurst and if there's a +30 (even bigger at Nordschleife, +50) car grid.