[WTCC] FIA WTCR 2018: WTCC / TCR Merger?

[FIRE]

Team WRT (Leopard) is looking forward to race in WTCR.
Source: http://www.autosportwereld.be/2017/12/14/2017-voor-wrt/

[Tarzaan]

Originally Posted by helmat

looks like Honda is in for the next year, I'd assume Jas will operate as a "non-works" team
https://twitter.com/hondaracingwtcc/...98290389372930

This suggests me M1RA will change car or cathegory. Norbi mentioned KIA or Audi and earlier the TCR Eurocup or TCR Germay or Italy (maybe that was the team leader Bari David).

Originally Posted by Sodemo

Why the big entry fee increase? Because FIA fatcat egos, and FIA likes money?

I also don't understand this but I vote to the "likes money" option.

[Tarzaan]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

How does that compare with the budget for TCR?

As I know in the WTCC this was a cost of 1 car, so it's about the half.

So a season for a private driver with a TC1 car cost something between 500 000 to 1 million euros depend of the car. Obviously the Chevy was the cheaper choice, a Citroen was the more costy choice. Honda was somwhere between them depend of the config.

The car itself a lot more cheaper in the TCR, because of the cost limit, which is as I remember 128000 euro/car.

But this is not include the spare parts, tyres, the cost of logistics and the cost of the crew and maybe the payment of the driver + the repairs after accidents or might be a new car if the old one will be unrepairable (M1RA has to throw 2 cars in this season - Tassi's car after Salzburgring and Colciago's car after Oschersleben)

But the WTCC was an FIA world championship, which provide a much greater/higher rank then the a world cup.

[Bramzel]

Originally Posted by Bramzel

26 car limit & increased entry fee explained

Regarding the price hike, see article above.

[Juntos]

Originally Posted by Bramzel

Regarding the price hike, see article above.

Still can't understand. Don't Eurosport Events charge millions to tracks and countries? Perhaps tracks and countries will bargain a better hosting fee that it is not a World Championship anymore.

A friend's frown is better than a fool's smile.

[Fechna]

What bums me out is the fact, that not only the championship lost its world championship status, but that the FIA almost aggressively points out this fact by having a big “Goodbye WTCC“ banner on their website, a video pointing it out and in consequence almost every article about the 2017 season or the new 2018 season has a “the end of the world championship“-bit in it.

This is the worst marketing ive ever whitnessed.. it is actively discouraging teams AND sponsors to invest in the higher running cost compared the TCR Int..

Could you imagine the ITR in Germany doing something similar?

In 1995 burying the DTM and sell the ITC as a inferior championship?
Or when they came back in 2000 dropping the “DTM“ brand, because

A: they are not Touringcars anymore
B: it wasnt a “deutsche Meisterschaft“ anymore

No. They knew that “DTM“ is a strong brand for marketing and even when they dropped any meaning behind the not-anymore-shortcut (not even Masters) they werent outspoken about it.

Here is what the FIA should have done:

1. Never drop the world championship status..
2. Or, if they had to, rename the series into World Touring Car Cup. What would be the new shortcut? WTCC...

[Sodemo]

Originally Posted by Juntos

Still can't understand. Don't Eurosport Events charge millions to tracks and countries? Perhaps tracks and countries will bargain a better hosting fee that it is not a World Championship anymore.

A friend's frown is better than a fool's smile.

I dont fully get it either. So it looks to me like they want to charge almost double the entry fees, for the sake of having 1 extra race during the weekend.

Fatcats.

[S griffin]

This series could be doomed already

[Fechna]

Originally Posted by S griffin

This series could be doomed already

I wouldnt go there. TCR rules are still peanut-butter jelly in cost-to-show ratio.And 3 races are good for spectators, see BTCC. There will be Hondas, there will be Bamboo, there will be Leopard and more. Probably Münnich, Tom Coronel, SLR.. so I dont worry about the grid, I worry about public exposure...

[Tarzaan]

Lukoil Racing boss Jevgenyij Malinovszkij about the WTCR:

http://autosport.com.ru/wtcc/48078-e...yu-lotti-ideyu

Not optimistic.

Use Google translate.

"I hope that this time the promoter will be able to avoid the situation when the French "friends" win everything, and the opportunity to be equal for all brands of cars."

[smithhehehaha]

FIA should be in a laissez-faire mode by just making the rules, not intervene the cost issue

[BobJones]

Originally Posted by Tarzaan

Lukoil Racing boss Jevgenyij Malinovszkij about the WTCR:

http://autosport.com.ru/wtcc/48078-e...yu-lotti-ideyu

Not optimistic.

Use Google translate.

"I hope that this time the promoter will be able to avoid the situation when the French "friends" win everything, and the opportunity to be equal for all brands of cars."

Sour grapes. Although, I do agree the Seat was borked in 2017.

[Racing Harz]

April 8 – Marrakech, Morocco
April 29 – Hungaroring, Hungary
May 13 – Nürburgring, Germany
May 21 – Zandvoort, The Netherlands
June 24 – Vila Real, Portugal
July 22 – TBC (Option 1)
August 5 – Termas de RÃ*o Hondo, Argentina
September 30 – Ningbo, China
October 7 – TBC (Option 2)
October 21 – Suzuka, Japan
November 18 – Macau, China

[smithhehehaha]

Originally Posted by Racing Harz

April 8 – Marrakech, Morocco
April 29 – Hungaroring, Hungary
May 13 – Nürburgring, Germany
May 21 – Zandvoort, The Netherlands
June 24 – Vila Real, Portugal
July 22 – TBC (Option 1)
August 5 – Termas de RÃ*o Hondo, Argentina
September 30 – Ningbo, China
October 7 – TBC (Option 2)
October 21 – Suzuka, Japan
November 18 – Macau, China

Personally I would like to see COTA or Laguna Seca can join WTCR

[iceman-1987]

Unbelievable ribeiro keeps doing his best to ruin everything!!! Out monza but for f**k sake Marrakech and vila real must be absolutely in the calendar!!! Simply Ridiculous!!!!

[Matt K]

I don't see a reason in putting such rounds as Marrakech or Ningbo to WTCR as there are no manufacturers involved so there is nothing to promote in such countries. And racing with empty grandstands is not something that WTCR needs I guess...

[Div]

Suspect it's more to do with the contracts Eurosport will have with these venues already in existence. I'd put good money on these being phased out over the next couple of years

[Mark0994]

Originally Posted by smithhehehaha

Personally I would like to see COTA or Laguna Seca can join WTCR

+1 for Laguna Seca

[Fechna]

Wow, with Marrakech, Nordschleife, Vila Real and possibly Short-Suzuka 4 overrated venues in, while Spa, Imola/Monza, Salzburgring are out... and even Oschersleben produced entertaining races.

Man, I HATE street circuits.

Well, this mess of a calendar was to be expected. I hope TCR Europe gets a cool grid, then there is enough Quality-TCR to watch next year on worthy tracks.

[Bramzel]

Not a bad calendar at all. I'd love to see a US round for TBC 1, perhaps they can join the IMSA Lime Rock event? I also wonder where they'll go for TBC 2, I guess it has to be somewhere in the Asian region as shipping the cars to another continent would be very expensive.

[Racing Harz]

Originally Posted by Bramzel

Not a bad calendar at all. I'd love to see a US round for TBC 1, perhaps they can join the IMSA Lime Rock event? I also wonder where they'll go for TBC 2, I guess it has to be somewhere in the Asian region as shipping the cars to another continent would be very expensive.

They will only race one of the Tbc Dates.

[Div]

Unless they change the dates further down the line, TBC1 will be in South America. Sea freight times from Portugal and then a short turn around to the Argentina round means if can't be far from there and know both WTCC & TCR has tried to get rounds organised in Chile before.
Suspect TBC2 to be a potential Asian slot too, as it's a week after Ningbo i'd be prepared for another Chinese event.

[GM10]

Originally Posted by Fechna

possibly Short-Suzuka

The round in Suzuka will be alongside Super Formula, so full-track.

I hope they will add a round in July, Monza precisely

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by Div

Suspect TBC2 to be a potential Asian slot too, as it's a week after Ningbo i'd be prepared for another Chinese event.

Thailand?
Korea?

[Bramzel]

Originally Posted by redshoes

Thailand?
Korea?

They'll want to combine it with TCR Asia I suppose, I guess it'll become more clear when they release their calendar?