2024 TCR World Tour (former WTCR)

[Rubio]

Very interesting news regarding the 2024 calendar:
https://wwos.nine.com.au/motorsport/...2-127c7fa5da04

Mid-Ohio would be cool, although, I'm not sure regarding the event format, how will it work. IMSA has endurance races (and on Michelin tyres if I'm not mistaken).

Marrakech is a crap addition, wonder which series will join. Will it be TCR Europe or they create some sort of a TCR Africa trophy etc.

ALso interesting regarding new manufacturers. Anyway, hopefully there will be a growth from the current 9 full-season entries

[Evantra]

Just one European round!!

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by Rubio

Mid-Ohio would be cool, although, I'm not sure regarding the event format, how will it work. IMSA has endurance races (and on Michelin tyres if I'm not mistaken).

Not just running on Michelin tyres, they are title sponsor of the Michelin Pilot Challenge. Series is endurance races for a mix of GT4 and TCR cars. Next year's Mid Ohio event is scheduled as a 4 hour race.

In theory they could run separate sprint races for World Tour with guest entries for the locals, rather than use usual local series with WT cars as guests, but I can't see many IMSA teams wanting to enter.

[pimmy]

Yeah, if they go to the US the format would probably be the same as Vallelunga this year.

[FIRE]

But how will the grid look?

No longer support from Audi Sport so will Comtoyou return? I doubt it.
Based on this season with only Lynk & Co (4 cars), Hyundai (2 cars) and Honda (1 car) the gird is very small.
Except for Toyota I don't see any new manufacturers.
Cupra has stated they will only support customer racing. Factory support only in all-electric series.

With more races outside Europe costs will rise again.

[Adamcas87]

Originally Posted by FIRE

But how will the grid look?

No longer support from Audi Sport so will Comtoyou return? I doubt it.
Based on this season with only Lynk & Co (4 cars), Hyundai (2 cars) and Honda (1 car) the gird is very small.
Except for Toyota I don't see any new manufacturers.
Cupra has stated they will only support customer racing. Factory support only in all-electric series.

With more races outside Europe costs will rise again.

This is why they race with the national Series (TCR Australia Etc)

Not sure why there going back to Marrakech

Doesn’t look likely there will be a TCR Europe next year with only one European race on the calendar

Apart from Toyota I don’t see anybody else coming in

I am big touring fan and I like the TCR series but I think the TCR world concept isn’t the right way to go about it tbh

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Adamcas87

This is why they race with the national Series (TCR Australia Etc)

Not sure why there going back to Marrakech

Doesn’t look likely there will be a TCR Europe next year with only one European race on the calendar

Apart from Toyota I don’t see anybody else coming in

I am big touring fan and I like the TCR series but I think the TCR world concept isn’t the right way to go about it tbh

I know how TCR World works but if the national or regional series has also not many entries you end up with a small grid. In my opinion TCR World needs at least 9, 10 entries.

Marrakech is also a mystery for me. I find it hard to believe TCR Spain will race there.

Earlier this year Tom Coronel said some drivers didn't race in TCR Europe this season because of TCR World, being afraid to race at the back of the grid. Don't know if there is much truth in this reason.

In my opinion the events in Uruguay, Argentina and Australia show the concept in itself is working.

[Jon411]

I'd love there to be lots of entries but I think 8/9 full season entries at best, with the grid topped up by local entries thanks to TCR Australia, South America, China etc is more likely again for next year.

Marrakech I guess was favoured over a second European date due to the publicity it will provide Lotti and no doubt it will look better in terms of the number of spectators than a race with empty grand stands at somewhere like Portimão or Barcelona will.

[Rubio]

According to TouringCarTimes, that single European round could be held in Italy:
https://www.touringcartimes.com/2023...layed-hybrids/

So strange Hungary can be missed, given the Norbi factor. And shame it's not Spa - could have been a perfect track to start the season.

Also, if this is an event in Italy, wonder which series joins the event. Lotti was not very satisfied with TCR Italian Festival last year, given his comments on Twitter.
International GT Open (TCR Europe races usually on their weekends) has Portimao, Spa, Hungaroring in the first half of 2024.

As for Marrakech, it seems Mehdi Bennani could make a return, doubt they would organize something without his presence

[FIRE]

For Hungaroring they could joing TCR Eastern Europe.

Joining a regular round of TCR Italy is impossible because of the large grid.

[Sodemo]

Maybe TCR just needs to take a few steps back and just be a national series and stop having aspirations of "world domination"?

I imagine the travel costs are horrendous, so for smaller teams even that alone would be a huge budget. In the days gone by when teams were bankrolled by works cars this cost I imagine was A) Less due to the economy and B) soaked up into whatever Marketing budget a manufacturer had.

I mean a European series might work as all the freight can go by road, but any time you need to send cars around the world either by boat or plane then the costs will soar.

[samchevron]

The calendar for the 2024 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour has been announced

World Tour also gains FIA status for next year.

https://www.tcr-series.com/news/item...ition-for-2024

[samchevron]

Alan Gow, FIA Touring Car Commission President, said:

“Over the years world touring car racing has been undergoing constant evolution, with different technical regulations and formats utilised, and with FIA titles decided either through a series or at a single event. Given that TCR is a proven set of technical regulations with a strong customer racing platform, the concept behind the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour is something that made a lot of sense for the FIA to support it, and we look forward to its success.”

Marcello Lotti, WSC President, said:

“We are immensely proud that, after only one racing season, the concept of the Kumho TCR World Tour has already met with general approval from the motor sport community. 2023 has been successful thanks to the trust and support of the promoters of several national and regional TCR championships, the manufacturers, teams and drivers. To now be able to award an FIA title is the icing on the cake and provides us with powerful motivation to do our utmost to make this platform even stronger and more popular. Which is why our first efforts have been to focus on putting together an ambitious and attractive calendar for the next season. A string of nine events that makes the Kumho TCR World Tour the first ever international series for touring cars to visit six continents.”

[Rubio]

Pretty good calendar, hope the Brazilian event will be held at Interlagos.

Wonder which series will join the Marrakech event or they'll create some sort of TCR Africa Cup/Festival etc.
Same question applies to Zhuzhou, whether it will be TCR China or potentially TCR Asia.

[NaBUru38]

Just one European round? That's a pretty bold move.

The Mid-Ohio round will be shared with the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Rubio

Wonder which series will join the Marrakech event

TCR Spain?

[Andrew Abbott]

Originally Posted by Rubio

Same question applies to Zhuzhou, whether it will be TCR China or potentially TCR Asia.

As it currently stands, TCR China isn't racing at Zhouzhou that weekend - their only event at Zhouzhou next year is scheduled for 19-20 October.

[Rubio]

Originally Posted by FIRE

TCR Spain?

Would be a good choice btw, considering that Spain is the closest to Morocco from any of the European countries.
Though turns out it is not TCR Spain

Now it is really unclear who will run together with TCR World Tour at Marrakech. Maybe they'll just attract 2-3 locals and call it African Trophy etc?

[Racing Harz]

What a shame.
https://www.touringcartimes.com/2024...tour-calendar/

[Rubio]

Indeed

With no positive (or any at all) news on the 2024 season, I wonder whether there will be a World Tour this year

Considering they remove Australia, will other flyaway rounds be in danger

[Rubio]

Chinese round also in doubt
https://www.touringcars.net/2024/02/...rounds-in-2024

Lotti explains the reasoning behind the decision

[Evantra]

All looks rather concerning…

[NaBUru38]

Ouch. Shipping are seriously disrupted by the Yemen civil war.

The TCR World should consider joining the TCR South America on September 15, though probably not in Argentina (that date has a TC round).

[Evantra]

https://tcr-worldranking.com/news/it...nda-civic-cars

Two Hondas under new team GOAT Racing (with Pepe Oriola as team manager). No drivers confirmed yet. That’s quite the name but at least the series isn’t dead!

[GusGasfuss]

In my opinion, world championships for touring cars are dead forever.


They were too expensive in 80s, and also in 2000s, when interest through manufacturers was there. Now they are able to blast their marketing through internet around the world, not through real motorsport.


Round-the-globe-motorsport only works in full manufacturer-driven championships like F1, WEC or WRC (but i am also in doubt with WRC nowadays).

Even with "cheap" cars like TCR, the overhead is too much (freight, logistics, accomodation, etc.). Needs at least a full-paying manufacturer, and actually i only see Lync&Co. fully committed. Hyundai is only trying to get maximum out of minimum effort.
Honda is only helping, Audi completely out. And private entries can only compete on national level.


Maybe the new approach could be, to not send teams around the globe, but to encourage national teams to provide a car for their national rounds, for a works driver. Like Honda tried last year, sending Girolami with different teams according to the Nation the race was in.
Could be interesting for the national teams, to see, what works driver (maybe with engineering support) can do with their machinery?