[WTCC] 2017 WTCC News & Rumours

[S griffin]

It should really start looking into TCR or even NGTC, it's just not sustainable. It's a shame, we had promises of more manufacturers joining and despite that the series grid isn't getting any bigger. As well as that the racing has gone downhill since they adopted TC1 rules

[BSchneiderFan]

I don't see that the WTCC and TCR are both sustainable long-term, and the momentum is clearly behind TCR. The solution seems obvious.

[Tarzaan]

Originally Posted by Fulvio

No announcements by Eurosport Events when the closing date to submit Season entries has been passed (friday the 24th), that means none new entries (otherwise they would have shouted it all around the world). So at the moment we have a sadly 11 cars only grid

Correct me if I'm wrong:
3 official Honda Civic by JAS Motorsport (Monteiro, Michelisz, Michigami)
3 official Volvo S60 by Polestar Cyan Racing (Bjork, Girolami, Catsburg)
3 private Citroen C-Elysée by Sébastien Loeb Racing (Chilton, Bennani, Filippi)
1 private Citroen C-Elysée by Munnich Motorsport (Huff)
1 private Honda Civic by Zengo Motorsport (Panis)

More than this we have a probable second Civic by Zengo (maybe Nagy or Ficza), and the poor Tom Coronel who's trying to do as usual his best to find all the money to be racing with ROAL Motorsport's really old Chevrolet Cruze. And maybe the hope of seeing the argentinian Urcera with Campos Racing's Chevrolet Cruze, at least in Termas de Rio Hondo.

If everything's perfect, maybe 14 cars. That's a real delusion!

And the organizer still not pay a lot of money for some known driver (Thompson, D'Aste, Morbidelli, Valente etc.) to race a season with a Cruze.

Originally Posted by Juntos

@Fulvio I'm afraid you are not wrong. Worse than the total agony of the championship is the quality of the field.

Imho the quality of the drivers ara very good. Except Filippi all yet known drivers have a place in the world championship level (ok, Michigami and Giorliami is a questionmark yet).

The problem is the quality of the management.

Originally Posted by Finesse

I really do hope WTCC can find 1 or 2 new manufacterers...!

Who will be the possible new commer?

I don't see anybody.

But a series could run with even 2 manufacturer, if theese to supply enoug cars.

But look at the Volvo. This is their second season, and they still run only 3 cars. No 4th car, no satelits.

The organizer should make a 5 years contract before introduce the TC1 rules with the competitors to force them to enter at least 5-6 cars/factory and not leave the series in this term.

In the MotoGP and F1 the organizer do long term contracts with the facories, and the factores can't just leave when they want, and have to supply satalit/private teams.

In the hard days the Dorna pays a huge percentage of the CRT/Open Class teams bills to have a decent size field.

[Finesse]

Originally Posted by Finesse

Witch manufacterer would you Guy's like to see comming in to WTCC if possible ???

It is a question to WTCC fans who would like to see a bit of the former glorie come back....
Not to the critics..!

[Finesse]

Originally Posted by Tarzaan

And the organizer still not pay a lot of money for some known driver (Thompson, D'Aste, Morbidelli, Valente etc.) to race a season with a Cruze.




Imho the quality of the drivers ara very good. Except Filippi all yet known drivers have a place in the world championship level (ok, Michigami and Giorliami is a questionmark yet).

The problem is the quality of the management.




Who will be the possible new commer?

I don't see anybody.

But a series could run with even 2 manufacturer, if theese to supply enoug cars.

But look at the Volvo. This is their second season, and they still run only 3 cars. No 4th car, no satelits.

The organizer should make a 5 years contract before introduce the TC1 rules with the competitors to force them to enter at least 5-6 cars/factory and not leave the series in this term.

In the MotoGP and F1 the organizer do long term contracts with the facories, and the factores can't just leave when they want, and have to supply satalit/private teams.

In the hard days the Dorna pays a huge percentage of the CRT/Open Class teams bills to have a decent size field.

I'm thinking Italian Fiat/Alfa or maybe Korean Kia/Hyundai or German (you name it)

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

I don't see that the WTCC and TCR are both sustainable long-term

TCR not? Can you explain?
I see same future for TCR as GT3 and GT4.

[Finesse]

Originally Posted by FIRE

TCR not? Can you explain?
I see same future for TCR as GT3 and GT4.

As in Wtcc/Gt3 and Tcr/Gt4 ?

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Finesse

As in Wtcc/Gt3 and Tcr/Gt4 ?

No, what I mean is TCR is the touring car version of GT3/GT4.

[Tarzaan]

Originally Posted by Finesse

I'm thinking Italian Fiat/Alfa or maybe Korean Kia/Hyundai or German (you name it)

In this moment we still don't know what kind of cars will WTCC run next season. There is a possibility that WTCC will not even exist. Without VW group cars even the TCR based WTCC will be also a joke. I doubt any manufacturer want to start any developement in this situation.

[crossfades]

Hyundai is developing a TCR car so unlikely they will enter WTCC.

I too believe this could be the last season of WTCC as TCR is a cheaper option for privateer teams and drivers. Manufactures just build and sell cars without having to enter.

[FIRE]

Maybe Audi, Hyundai, SEAT, Honda, etc could force WTCC to switch to TCR rules.

[pimmy]

Originally Posted by FIRE

TCR not? Can you explain?
I see same future for TCR as GT3 and GT4.

I think he means that their co-existence won't be sustainable in the long-term. It will have to be one or the other, hopefully TCR.

Regarding the ups and downs of various series; yes, some championships go through low points but the WTCC's current situation has been completely self-inflicted and I have no sympathy for the organisers.

[BSchneiderFan]

Originally Posted by pimmy

I think he means that their co-existence won't be sustainable in the long-term. It will have to be one or the other...

Yes, sorry, I was unclear. That's exactly what I meant.

[steve_r]

If this season is a failure in terms of competitors (which they should know very soon), then they need to consider completely scrapping current regulations and introducing a new set of regs that make the whole thing affordable for privateers. I would rather watch a full competitive grid of TCR cars for example than 12 or so of the current cars.

[Mark0994]

Bennani confirmed at Sebastien Loeb Racing
http://www.touringcartimes.com/2017/...the-2017-wtcc/

[DS"]

I also doubt that we'll see a WTCC in 2018 - at least in its current form. But not necessarily due to lack of entries, but maybe more due to Eurosport Events losing interest in it. Technically, Formula One and WTCC have the same owner, but I doubt that Liberty Media/Eurosport will assign much more ressources to the WTCC, when they have their hand full with F1. So I can imagine that Eurosport Events will simply give up on the WTCC, forcing the FIA to look for another organizer. But who? After all, running an official FIA championship isn't cheap and Stephane Ratel's GT series show that you can run successful series without the FIA. So I doubt that Marcello Lotti will have much interest in turning his TCR International Series into an official FIA series. The only other potential organizer I could imagine might be the ITR, the people behind the DTM. But with the german manufacturers ever complaining about costs, I doubt they would morph the DTM once again into an international series.

[steve_r]

The S2000 era was a success because the cars were readily available to privateers, as well as works teams. As you say, the DTM is probably too expensive, and you would be relying on only 3 or 4 manufacturers to get behind it.

It needs to be opened up so that a moderately funded privateer without extensive manufacturer backing can compete. That surely is what the spirit of touring cars is about.

[DS"]

Originally Posted by steve_r

The S2000 era was a success because the cars were readily available to privateers, as well as works teams. As you say, the DTM is probably too expensive, and you would be relying on only 3 or 4 manufacturers to get behind it.

It needs to be opened up so that a moderately funded privateer without extensive manufacturer backing can compete. That surely is what the spirit of touring cars is about.

And with TCR, we have just that. Why should Lotti and the private teams pay more money, just to contest an official World Championship? Especially when running TCR International is just fine for everybody involved?

Okay, the FIA might make TCN-2 the sole category for the 2018 WTCC. But again, who would run the championship then? Does the FIA directly run series themselves nowadays? Because it seems to me that they've outsourced most series to external promoters.

[Juntos]

Hi Tom, How many RML Cruze out there?

[Dudley]

Originally Posted by Finesse

I'm thinking Italian Fiat/Alfa or maybe Korean Kia/Hyundai or German (you name it)

Kia? Am I in the BTCC thread?

[Mark0994]

Great to see that Coronel back
http://www.touringcartimes.com/2017/...son-with-roal/

[Mark0994]

WTCC-2 scrapped, plus calendar changes confirmed by WMSC
http://www.touringcartimes.com/2017/...irmed-by-wmsc/

[Metzo]

Originally Posted by Juntos

Hi Tom, How many RML Cruze out there?

a total of 8 iirc. 6 built in 2014 and 2 in 2015.

[S griffin]

That's good Coronel is back, would have been worse off without him, but I hope the series gets better soon. It needs to

[Fulvio]

Wtcc-2 has been canceled.. and that's the reason (in FIAs announcement)

“The proposed WTCC 2 category announced at the conclusion of the World Motor Sport Council of 30 November 2016 has been deleted for the 2017 season,” said the FIA statement. “This has been done to allow the Touring Car Commission and the Promoter to focus entirely on the main category (TC1) in 2017.”

Yes, sure... to focus on TC1 Maybe the fact no one (drivers neither teams) as shown interest on the class could be another motivation

Now they said that, tuesday in Monza, FIA will publish a 16-cars entry list. At the moment only 12 cars are known. And 4 hidden cars are reaady to enter in the championship, exactly 4 to reach the 16 minimum requested by FIA to maintain the Wolrd Championship status
Will see!