TCR Europe 2023

[FIRE]

Comtoyou about 2023:

“In addition, we will also be defending our titles in TCR Europe with four cars. In other words, when TCR World Tour and TCR Europe join forces, we will be fielding eight Audi RS 3 LMS cars!”

https://www.touringcars.net/2022/11/...d-tour-in-2023

[FIRE]

Kobe Pauwels is going to make his TCR Europe series debut this year, racing an Audi RS 3 LMS II for Comtoyou Racing.

The Belgian driver comes from a background of rallycross, having claimed the Euro RX3 title last year after making his car racing debut just two years prior.

...

Source: https://www.touringcartimes.com/2023...mtoyou-racing/

Surprise, I assumed he would go for a career in rallycross.

[Rubio]

Rather unexpectedly, Pau joins 2023 TCR Europe calendar, replacing Red Bull Ring Spielberg:
https://www.grandprixdepau.fr/en/pau-to-replace-red-bull-ring-on-the-2023-tcr-europe-calendar/

This won't have any influence on TCR World Tour calendar

[Evantra]

Only 3 drivers confirmed so far according to TCT? Hopefully not going the way of WTCR…

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Only 3 drivers confirmed so far according to TCT? Hopefully not going the way of WTCR…

Last season drivers started being confirmed from beginning April (one month before first race).
Full entrylist one week before first race.

First race of this season is on April 30th.

[GusGasfuss]

20 years ago, you knowed who will join, at the first race :-)


Nowadays we all expect press messages with a lot of "original words" like "I am glad to join Team X and this will be my best season" etc.


I think, most TCR Europe drivers/teams are not that good in press articles, and so only the organisator/promoter might already knew, who will join really (and already has paid everything).

[TuteZaek]

As far as i understand, reigning champion Franco Girolami will not take part of TCR Europe, and will be racing on TCR Italy on the Aikoa Racing team, driving an Audi RS 3 LMS.

(Also hopes for a few select races on the TCR World Tour)

https://www.touringcartimes.com/2023...ing-programme/

[FIRE]

No Janik Motorsport in TCR Europe:

Janik Motorsport has confirmed its plans for the 2023 season, which will see the Czech team leave the TCR Europe series and instead focus on a three-car campaign in TCR Eastern Europe.

Last year the team ran a pair of Hyundai Elantra N TCR cars for Mat’o Homola and Jáchym Galáš. Homola missed the final two events due to a wrist injury, leaving Galáš to end the year as the team’s best-ranked driver in the standings in ninth, after picking up one win.
...

Source: https://www.touringcars.net/2023/03/...season-in-2023

Aggressive Team Italia joins TCR Europe:

Aggressive Team Italia has confirmed that it will field two Hyundai Elantra N cars in this year’s TCR Europe season, alongside running two Hyundai’s in TCR Italy.

In TCR Europe the cars will be driven by 50-year-old Swede Mikael Karlsson and 20-year-old Hungarian Levente Losonczy.

Losonczy will also compete with the team in TCR Italy, where he will be partnered by 28-year-old Belgian Giovanni Scamardi.
...

Source: https://www.touringcars.net/2023/03/...-in-tcr-europe

[FIRE]

Comtoyou Audi:
Tom Coronel
Viktor Davidovski
Kobe Pauwels
John Filippi

[SSmith]

Lewis Brown switching from TCR UK to TCR Europe with Volcano Motorsport and Audi, joining up with Isaac Smith. Its a great opportunity for him. It takes a championship contender away from TCR UK, but the chances of bigger and better things career-wise are probably greater competing in TCR Europe than TCR UK.

https://www.touringcartimes.com/2023...europe-switch/

[FIRE]

New colors for Tom Coronel.

[Evantra]

Entry list: https://twitter.com/tcr_series/statu...T11pmdgnSSDQzA

Might be getting a few confused but looks like just 12 TCR Europe runners (8 of which are Audis, no Cupras at all) plus 10 World Tour?

[Rubio]

Just 13 TCR Europe entries for the opening round (some of them are one-off entries)

Unfortunately the series seems to be in bad shape too.. Which is a huge shame

Thank god for TCR World Tour as it brings the number of entries to 22 for the opening round

[FIRE]

Disappointing grid for TCR Europe.

No Cupra on the grid...painful for the Spanish manufacturer who were part of the foundation of TCR class.
Has Zengo quit? They have not moved to TCR Eastern Europe.

Also only one Honda on the grid. All-Inkl back to rallycross or have they quit motorsport?

Still looking forward to TCR Europe and TCR World this season.

[v8supes]

Could be good.

[Alessio]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Disappointing grid for TCR Europe.

No Cupra on the grid...painful for the Spanish manufacturer who were part of the foundation of TCR class.
Has Zengo quit? They have not moved to TCR Eastern Europe.

Also only one Honda on the grid. All-Inkl back to rallycross or have they quit motorsport?

Still looking forward to TCR Europe and TCR World this season.

Possibly, or just a break. They were struggling to find the budget for WTCR towards the end of 2022, but seemed to have resolved it by Saudi:
autosport.com/wtcr/news/huff-had-no-other-option-but-to-withdraw-from-wtcr-ahead-of-bahrain/10397088/

Rene Muennich won the Gulf Procar championship and Enduro over the winter break in his Honda. He's entered a Seat Ibiza for WRX alongside successful German RX driver, Mandie August. No idea what happened to their Honda. I might have missed a classified ad for it, but seems that their TCR cars are in storage. I don't even know if Honda are involved with a team now, possibly ALM?

Everyone else is seemingly in Italy now.

[Andrew Abbott]

To be fair, Münnich has raced ('rallycrossed'??) SEATs longer than Hondas.

From the FIA WRX website: "Münnich has simultaneously been a regular in World RX since 2014, predominantly behind the wheel of a SEAT Ibiza and contesting full seasons in 2016 and 2022."

Italy has lots of cars, but not lots of unique car models.

[Alessio]

He's been in VAG cars practically since he started in 2007. Originally Lambo in GT, Skoda in RX.

There's probably a reason why Audi have taken the mantle at VAG over Cupra. Set-up? Driveability? Spare parts? Is the Audi slightly longer and therefore less susceptible to snap oversteer? No idea, I don't drive them. I know that everyone in karting went the way of OTK/TonyKart because a quick search of Google, eBay or any kart store will lead you to 1000s of OTK parts, second hand chassis, and endless set-up notes. Plus, they work out of the box. Possibly a similar idea.

[TuteZaek]

TCR is basically a client team ruleset, if VAG promotes the Audis more, they'll end racing in more places than the Cupras.
Also, Audi, as a brand, has more reach than Cupra in a lot of places (most people dont even know Cupra as a brand) and that also helps with sponsors.

[GusGasfuss]

Originally Posted by TuteZaek

TCR is basically a client team ruleset, if VAG promotes the Audis more, they'll end racing in more places than the Cupras.
Also, Audi, as a brand, has more reach than Cupra in a lot of places (most people dont even know Cupra as a brand) and that also helps with sponsors.

An Audi creates better vision, than the not-so-well-known brand Cupra. I am not sure, if this name change really makes sales better as before.


In general it is a shame, that Seat/Cupra doesn't support the TCR anymore like they did before. In general, Seat became one of the leading touring car brands, since they were racing with the old Toledos in S2000. I believe there are more old Seat Touring cars on sale than there are touring cars from Alfa...

[Alessio]

So is it that Cupra are just not that involved anymore? Weird given they practically launched a new car a few years ago and that there’s literally hundreds of them around, including the SEAT Cup conversions. That’s what makes me think it’s harder to set-up, because privateers and independents aren’t getting paid to run a Cupra. Is it easier to pull the diff out, access suspension, blah blah on an Audi than a Cupra? Just doesn’t make much sense imo.

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by Alessio

Is it easier to pull the diff out, access suspension, blah blah on an Audi than a Cupra?

There will be no difference, they are essentially the same car in a different shape bodyshell. The Audi, SEAT/Cupra Leon and VW Golf were all built at SEAT Sport in Spain and were the same mechanically. That used to be the case for the original generation cars; I'm not aware that things have changed since then.

[Alessio]

Originally Posted by redshoes

There will be no difference, they are essentially the same car in a different shape bodyshell. The Audi, SEAT/Cupra Leon and VW Golf were all built at SEAT Sport in Spain and were the same mechanically. That used to be the case for the original generation cars; I'm not aware that things have changed since then.

Are they definitely the same platform, all the way through (and BOP'd differently too)? I know they're pretty much identical in terms of parts, but I see no reason why everyone would have swapped primarily to an Audi if they're identical in every way. Surely there are cheap Cupra's out there, perfect for an independent entry. And if all set-up access is identical, then the Cupra should be the perfect platform given that it's practically existed in a similar form for near on 10 years. Unless every frame is bent, cracked, or written off...? Probably missing something obvious here. If they truly are the same base platform with a different shell, there's only national brand marketing, brand support (Audi are massive in Italy, so that would make sense), and possibly a minor handling difference from aero or weight distribution to go off of.

[FIRE]

I think there are multiple reasons to pick a car, some practical other more for chauvinistic reasons.

- Customer support: technical, parts, public relations.
- Newer version compared to other cars.
- Brand more recognizable or premium.
- Copy what the frontrunners are driving.
- Look of the car (IMO the Audi is the best looking TCR car)

[Alessio]

Fair enough, all that does make sense. I guess I really I wasn't considering that the brand recognition does make an impact to sponsors and PR. Thank you. It still doesn't quite explain what happened to VW, but then they never really got involved to begin with.

To GasGasfuss, I think there's probably around 10 Alfa's around compared to over 200ish SEAT/Cupra's? Sad to think so many of them are coup'd away in a warehouse somewhere when they're still premium racing cars with plenty of useabiltiy.