ETCC vs. STCC

[JMeissner]

The only (?) two Super Touring championships left today. Which do you think can provide best action, or which do you think is the best if you can ask sutch a question.

ETCC - They have three official teams there (doing the whole season). Honda (2 cars), Alfa (3) and Audi (1). And if you look back at the last race you could notice a significant time difference between the official cars and the privateers. Look at this:

4 Fabrice Walfisch Honda Accord 1:56.752
5 Roberto Colciago Audi A4 Quattro 1:57.101
6 Jan Nilsson Volvo S40 1:57.350
<
Almost one second between them...
>
7 Enrico Toccacelo Alfa Romeo 156 1:58.323
8 Sandro Sardelli Nissan Primera Mark 3 1:58.448

And, eventhough they used reversed grids Larini was in the lead at the second lap after starting last. Not mutch of an opposition. On the other hand: Alfa and Honda is really putting in loads of money to their team and at least at Monza quite a large crowd showed up.


STCC - They have got official manufacturers. Audi (2 cars), Nissan (2), Volvo (3), Opel (1), Alfa (2) plus some sort of semiworks Vauxhalls (2). Looking at the testtimes it loos as if it is going to be real close:

1 Rickard Rydell Volvo S40 40.439
2 Carl Rosenblad Nissan Primera 40.467
3 Jan Nilsson Volvo S40 40.494
>
Three drivers within the same tenths of a second
<
4 Jens Edman Volvo S40 40.572
5 Mattias Andersson Vauxhall Vectra 41.210
6 Thomas Nyström Nissan Primera 41.265
7 Pontus Mörth Opel Vectra 41.290
8 Magnus Wallinder Audi A4 41.317
9 Tommy Kristoffersson Audi A4 41.346
>
First privateer
<
10 Jan Lindblom* Volvo S40 41.714
11 Niklas Karlsson Alfa Romeo 156 41.775
12 Fredrik Sundberg* Volvo S40 42.019
13 Tobias Johansson* Audi A4 42.033
14 Niklas Lovén Vauxhall Vectra 42.251
15 Thomas Engström* Chrysler Stratus 42.342
>
etc...

So, if you look at this it sure seems as if the Swedish Touring Car Championship will be the best of the two. Do you think so?

How about the future then? Well, at least I think the ETCC will take over in big style. This is only the first season for the FIA ETCC and the manufacturers has yet to make decisions. And there is a bounch of manufacturers that most certainly will enter for next year with the currently unknown rules.

The future for the STCC? Well, just as for the BTCC I think it will be more difficult as the manufacturers will put more of their focus on the ETCC. Why? Well, the ETCC has the whole of Europe while STCC and BTCC only exist in their countries (though STCC in Norway and Denmark). That is a striking fact for the manufacturers and their sponsors...

Though, the BTCC I think will not have it as difficult as the STCC will have. The BTCC has a large ammount of supporters and viewers around the world and the series has been the no 1 TouringCar Championship in the world for some years.

Uhm, well, alot of words, hope you can make any sense of it...

[thompson_fan]

I must correct u here JMeissner because we have Super Touring cars here in Australia called the ASTC that where most of the old BTCC spec cars end up, cause there so a driver racing in Thompson's 99 Accord.

[JMeissner]

Ah, yes, I suspected that "The only -->(?) two Super..-" Im sorry.

[pink69]

The STCC may have more car manufactures but the ETCC has the better and well known drivers. eg] Walfisch , Tarquini , Givonardi , Larini. Thess are ex F1 drivers [Gio and Larini] an ex BTCC champ and an ex F3000 driver.

[thompson_fan]

Tarquini is also an ex-F1 driver. don't forget

[JMeissner]

But does those ex F1 guys make the racing so mutch better? For sure, those guys are really good. But, Tarquini, Larini, Giovanardi, Walfish and Colciago are in a class of their own. After them there is a big gap down to the other privateers.

You wont get that gap in the STCC. There is a larger numbers of drivers with potential of winning a race. Now that ensures more action right through the field. For sure, we haven't got that mutch famous ex F1 drivers etc. But the action isn't worse because of that.

[thompson_fan]

True.

Same here in the V8's quality racing through out the field