What would you do to the WTCC?

[AndyS]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Maybe a WTCC Cup with V8 Supercars, S2000, DTM, TC2000, NASCAR, BTCS?
I am sure WTCC organizers can handle the performance balancing....

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by I Rosputnik

a pan-american touring car championship with rounds in both North and South America.

Absolutely no way. We had a South American Supertouring Championship and lasted very little. Argentine and Brazilian motorsport barely cooperate each other. Even within Argentina here isn't cooperation, with circuit and rally races overlapping and series fighting to steal teams, brands, drivers and trcks to each other.

S2000 / TC2000 balancing is possible.

[chunterer]

One spec turbo engines is the wrong way to go i'm sure of it - to make regs more accessible to both makes and privateers (that is pretty guaranteed to make it of wider appeal to sponsors, tv and fans as well) we need to go back to a freer engine formula that accepts a variety of production based cars not just small/medium sized hatches and emerging market models (or run a separate series to the small engined stuff?.)

I'd be willing to bet that the big German marques would as willingly enter heavy metal big engined cars in a big class just as they would to run 3 series or A4's, and also seat running leon's in a smaller engine category.

I suspect that there is clear room for a bigger engined formula touring car series above S2000 (and replacement) and below FIA GT.....

[Speed-King]

I suspect that there is clear room for a bigger engined formula touring car series above S2000 (and replacement) and below FIA GT.....

www.superstars.it

[Mike_Wooshy]

Sorry I usually muse around the Sports car area of the forums. If I was to Run WTCC I would run 3 classes. All upon engine size/Body style, all in theory able to win.

Class A up to 1600cc petrol forced induction, Or 2000cc normal aspiration. No Diesels. 1050 kg max, hatch body style (Mini, Fiesta, Polo, Corsa. All FWD). Around 210 bhp.

Class B upto 2300cc petrol forced induction, 2500cc normal aspiration or 1950cc forced induction diesel, 1300 kg max, Saloon style ( 3 series, Mondeo, Insignia, Alfa 159) around 280 bhp/ 310 Nm torque.

Class C Upto 2750cc petrol forced induction, 4000cc normal aspiration or 2400cc forced induction diesel, 1700kg max, saloon and big coupes (Audi A5, Jaguar XF, Mercedes E-class, Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon) around 345 bhp or 380 nm's of torque.

There are few things I haven't mentioned things like tyre size's that would be determined from engine power and weight of the car. No driver aids except ABS. A mixture of distance on events. Some "endurance races" and some "sprint races". A few other things I probably haven't thought through about such as fuel tank size.

[Bonanza]

although you could never get all worldwide touring car series to run to the same rules, I'd love to see a global effort to merge major parts of the rulebooks for each series, so it could be easier for manufacturers to enter multiple series.

things like the car frames, chassis, bodyshell, all the inside things, and most of the bodywork could be the same between each series. you could then have different engine regs that could be used in multiple series (ie DTM, V8SC, Brazilian stockcars could all have the same engine regs-ie V8s, WTCC, BTCC, STCC, TC2000 all having the same engine regs aswell-ie turbos) and both types of engine could fit into the same frame of car. the other difference between series would be aero kits, ie DTM much more than WTCC/BTCC etc, but each kit could be easily fittable to the same type of car.

This theory would work very well in an example like BMW entering both DTM and WTCC (if that ever were to occur, and it could if there was a rules system like this). the theory they could run cars in both series, where they are mostly the same, except for engines and aero kits. that means a 'base' car for WTCC could be exactly the same as a 'base' car for DTM, before the engines and aero kits are fitted.

this would make it alot more cost effective for those wishing to enter multiple series, or more to the point those manufacturers who couldnt decide which series to enter.

[NaBUru38]

TC2000 and Stock Car Brasil use their own rules to make cars more handsome, reliable, faster and cheaper.

[helterskelter]

What we're missing here is that Touring Cars are nothing like sport cars. Prototypes, GTs and so on are a whole different world. A privateer who wants to drive a Porsche at Le Mans is not the same guy looking for a Wtcc seat, most of the times.
Nor can we assume that the Superstars Series has the same target as the Wtcc. The budget required is 3 times as much at least in the World Championship.
Having said that, reducing the capacity of the engines and using the turbo is not the right solution in my opinion. The best route is the Superstars Series'. Great, big cars, good for the fans and the drivers, fun to drive and with great, famous drivers in the field.
In Italy we have about 30 cars running (which hadn't even happened even in the Super Touring era) and the level of the championship is great, with Giovanardi, Morbidelli, Herbert, Biagi and so on. There's a works team, too, and most of the manufacturers have an interest. When Giovanardi took the pole position in Mugello, the Porsche Cup Italia staff was all there to celebrate with N Technology.
That's gotta mean something. Low costs, big cars, great drivers. That's the best one could do.

[Valenok]

Originally Posted by helterskelter

The best route is the Superstars Series'. Great, big cars, good for the fans and the drivers, fun to drive and with great, famous drivers in the field.

And big problems of balance system. Turboengines alongside not aspirated, AWD transmission alongside RWD. I'd like to see big bosses fight with withdrawn claims, like Theissen and Puge in WTCC.

[helterskelter]

In fact, I think the Superstars Series shows how balance the cars. Mind you, Mercedes, BMW, Chevy and Porsche are all on different engine capacities; still, a Porsche won in a fast track as Mugello (also claiming the pole position), and BMW is in the fight for the championship even with such a difference in terms of power, compensating that with a better car handling.
BMW know that, going into a Monza weekend, they need to think about damage limitation; same thing for Mercedes going into Varano, like this weekend. Nevertheless, racing is racing and anything can happen! I find that exciting.

[Speed-King]

Super 4000?

Not quite, but somehow BMW managed to convince SRO to allow some aero-mods to the M3 in the GT4 series. The wing is from the GTS road/trackday-car and the splitter a bespoke racing part.

Now imagine some similarly prepped Audi RS5s and AMG E-class coupes and you'd have... a nice feeder series for DTM

[FIRE]

We have such series already: Superstars

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by FIRE

We have such series already: Superstars

I know, I'm just pretty fascinated by how much that little aero-package has turned the GT4 into a real racecar.

[Valenok]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

Now imagine some similarly prepped Audi RS5s and AMG E-class coupes and you'd have... a nice feeder series for DTM

M3 - feeder serie racecar for dtm BMW 3-series silhouette? Nice idea

[I Rosputnik]

I have to admit, the Superstar touring cars do fanisnate me.