[WTCC] 2015 WTCC news & rumours

[Rubio]

Originally Posted by kurski

Facu Regalia will meet next week to Citroen Racing the people, he will probably try to get there a driver next year.

That would be very surprising, unless they negotiate for a drive in the customer team

[touring fan01]

Originally Posted by Metzo

i read about it in the german magazin "pitwalk" at the end of 2013, they where also the first ones who reported ROAL buying the RML Cruze. no info since then.

carlin is owned by capsicum which is owned by tom chiltons dad.
so capsicum are already in the series. they are on chiltons car.

[hcch]

WTCC 2015 season news from Yves Matton?

1) Sébastien Loeb Racing will arrive in 2015 as Citroen private team
2) Loeb and Yuller almost confirmed as 2015 driver, but not Lopez
3) Some current WTCC driver are consided by Sébastien Loeb Racing?
4) Volvo (join some 2015 event as honda & Lada do in 2012) and Alfa (red color)

http://www.lepoint.fr/auto-addict/sp...876307_658.php

http://www.lepoint.fr/auto-addict/sp...876003_658.php

[Mies7337]

Volvo and Alfa back in WTCC would be absolutely amazing. I would love to see that happen!!! Citroen will probably go with the same drivers as this year, although they might wanna see a french driver to be the champion for next year. That would mean the end of Lopez, which would be a shame.
Who will be the drivers at Sebastien Loeb Racing?

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Just because Lopez has beaten the French superstars in a French team doesn't mean he should get the axe. Sometimes I just wish politics was absent in motorsports...

[Rubio]

No reason for Citroen to drop Lopez. They've got big market in Argentina, plus he's a big star there - hey, I don't remember that a WTCC champion ever got bigger exposure (Britain wasn't so fond of Priaulx's and Huff's titles, so were France about Muller and Italy about Tarquini).

I hope there will be only 3 full season Citroen works cars, more works cars won't help the competition. And I don't see any sence to put Ma for the full season (Asian rounds would do perfectly)

Volvo and Alfa?!!! Now that is going to be a huge surprise. Especially Alfa

[pimmy]

Originally Posted by Rubio

Britain wasn't so fond of Priaulx's and Huff's titles

Because motorsport gets barely any mainstream attention in the UK. If it's not F1 or MotoGP, you won't hear about it.

[Juntos]

Is Honda Europe trying to grab López from Citroen? War at the roses!

[hondafan37]

Lopez was interviewed by a Argentinean radio station this afternoon, and he said that he will continue in Citroen the next year.
This is a summary of the report:
http://www.largaron.com/noticias.php?articulo_id=17567

[Go_For_Pole]

Loeb Racing has a pool of drivers that could pay for a WTCC program, I just hope the ones that will get it are talented enough. Volvo and Alfa joining will be mega news, of course I doubt that Honda will stay around until then.

[Rubio]

http://formula.hu/wtcc/2014/10/29/ma...a-michelisznek

It seems that Honda has made an offer to Michelisz. I hope it's true

[iceman-1987]

Originally Posted by Rubio

http://formula.hu/wtcc/2014/10/29/ma...a-michelisznek

It seems that Honda has made an offer to Michelisz. I hope it's true

who would replace?

[Adamcas87]

Think Tiago Monteiros time is up?? Not done a lot this year or Maybe the touring car legend Gabriele tarquini is calling it a day????

[iceman-1987]

Originally Posted by Adamcas87

Think Tiago Monteiros time is up?? Not done a lot this year or Maybe the touring car legend Gabriele tarquini is calling it a day????

monteiro is making his best touring car championship ever and Tarquini is always green. When he has a good car he always get great results

[Rubio]

Originally Posted by iceman-1987

who would replace?

I believe they offer him to drive their 3rd car (fingers crossed)

[Down F0rce]

Am I right in thinking various FIA calendars are set to be announced on the 30th?

[NaBUru38]

Ford and Peugeot are in rallying, the Fiat Bravo has terrible sales, Alfa Romeo is struggling.

To me, missing cars are the Opel Astra, Renault Megane, Skoda Octavia and Seat León.

[iceman-1987]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Ford and Peugeot are in rallying, the Fiat Bravo has terrible sales, Alfa Romeo is struggling.

To me, missing cars are the Opel Astra, Renault Megane, Skoda Octavia and Seat León.

the only one model which is similar to the car u said is Honda civic.
the other 3 cars are more similar to seat exeo, Opel insigna.

[JD Media]

Originally Posted by Down F0rce

Am I right in thinking various FIA calendars are set to be announced on the 30th?

1 November if i'm right... But earlier is also good

[Metzo]

no lada granta for 2015
http://www.touringcartimes.com/2014/...ahead-of-2015/

Viktor Shapovalov also announced that Lada have no plans to run a customer programme next year, and therefore Macau will be the last appearance of the TC1 Grantas in the WTCC:”We have no intentions to supply our cars to customers at the moment. With the new Vesta it will become possible, but as for the three cars we are fielding now, they will go to the museum.”

[NaBUru38]

Or the junkyard. Or the Museum of Modern art, like the Fiat Multipla.

[jondownunder]

Of interest to Brits: it looks like there's a chance WTCC is coming to Silverstone, based on the Auto GP provisional calendar. No dates given as yet, and I suppose the Silverstone date might be a non-WTCC weekend (like the BES support slot in 2013). Autosport.com mentions the Nurburgring meeting is understood to support the Blancpain round in September. The rumoured WTCC calendar from October 9th didn't include a British round.

http://www.autogp.net/newssingola2_en.asp?c=210

AUTO GP will continue to be the Official Support Series of the FIA WTCC, in a relationship lasting from 2010, and will continue partnering worldwide TV network EUROSPORT.

The 2015 AUTO GP Calendar – Provisional
Marrakech
Budapest
Silverstone
Le Castellet
TBA
Brno
Nurburgring

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by jondownunder

No dates given as yet, and I suppose the Silverstone date might be a non-WTCC weekend (like the BES support slot in 2013)

Rumoured WTCC calendar has Budapest in early May and Le Castellet in late June, which puts the AutoGP Silverstone date as late May or early June. Blancpain Endurance Series have already announced their Silverstone date as 23/24 May.

[jondownunder]

Ah, thanks, the Silverstone Auto GP event seems very likely to be a BES supporting round then.

[DS"]

http://tentenths.com/forum/showpost....postcount=1659

This post got me thinking a little bit: If a Cup Porsche is just only a couple of tenths faster, couldn't it be BoPed into WTCC? I know that there are many disadvantages of such a move. First, why should manufacturers bother to invest plenty of money into their TC1 cars, when they're just as fast as a Porsche 991 Cup car? Or even worse, they could start building cars to similar regulations as the Porsche Carrera Cup, driving up costs and driving teams that use a Porsche to the back of the grid. Unless Porsche decides to develop their Cup car, too, that is. But someone's got to pay for the costs of development after all. Porsche in WTCC could also be a potential marketing disaster, if a Citroen or a Lada happens to outrace a Porsche[1].
But such a move could also have some advantages. First and foremost, it gives private teams access to a car that enables them to compete for the overall championship, yet only for a fraction of the cost of a TC1[2]. It could also boost the grid size considerably, given that Cup Porsches should be relatively easy to purchase[3]. Not to mention the potential for guest entries from the national Porsche Cups[4]. Porsche in touring car racing also has a sort of tradition, even though modern racing fans associate Porsche with sportscar racing. But the sight of a beefed up Citroen racing against a relatively production-based Porsche could still lure out some curious racing fans to the WTCC.

Of course it's far from being realistic. But I'd still like to add some food for thought and I'm curious about what you guys might think about it.

[1] I doubt that Porsche would allow teams to run Cup cars in a touring car series anyway.
[2] Is that so?
[3] But again, Porsche would have to allow something like that.
[4] For example, it wouldn't the worst idea, if the WTCC invites the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany teams to their race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.