[ETC] Cup 2009 - Braga, Portugal - 24th/25th Oct

[Hazard]

Full details for the ETC Cup have been announced.

As rumoured previously, it will be again in Portugal at the Circuito Vasco Sameiro in Braga, Portugal.

Details are pretty much the same as last year's event:

1. Four different titles to be awarded:

a) FIA Drivers’ European Touring Car Cup Super 2000
b) FIA Drivers’ European Touring Car Cup Super Production
c) FIA Drivers’ European Touring Car Cup Super 1600
d) FIA Touring Car Nations Cup


2. Invited national championships: those which adopt the FIA Super 2000 and Super Production technical regulations: Baltic States, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, UK


3. Eligible cars: those complying with the FIA Super 2000, Super 2000 Diesel, Super Production and Super 1600 technical regulations


4. Eligible drivers: drivers who have competed in a minimum of 50% of their own National Championships; drivers designated by their ASN and who have not taken part in the FIA WTCC with a Manufacturer’s team; competitors belonging to a country in which there is no national Championship and who have been designated by their ASN.


5. Event format:
a) Saturday: two 30-minute practice sessions; one 30-minute qualifying session
b) Sunday: one 15-minute warm-up session; two back-to-back 50 km races
c) Grid of Race 2 determined by Race 1 results, with top-8 in reverse order
6. Point scoring system:

a) at each of the two races the following points will be awarded in the three classes: S2000, SP and S1600
b) 1st 10 points, 2nd 8 points; 3rd 6 points; 4th 5 points; 5th 4 points; 6th 3 points; 7th 2 points; 8th 1 point

The race is later than first rumoured - and for a change, quite some time after the last BTCC race, so it may get some team's interested - hopefully I'm thinking the RML Chevy's or Team RAC.

I think Thommo's ruled himself out because of his Lada drive unfortunately, we'll have to see.

[Jon411]

Whilst it doesn't mean anything until they announce it, Hartmann Honda have the ETC Cup on their schedule on their website: http://www.hartmannracing.com/?id=13920

I guess Poulsen is probably more likely than Thompson, as you say due to the WTCC and LADA

[Valker]

From TCT:

The invitation regulations are unchanged from last year, with drivers having to have competed in at least 50% of their national series, and not driven for a manufacturer in the WTCC. This rather unfortunately would seem put BTCC regular and DTC points leader James Thompson out of the running due to his limited schedule with Lada.

As I see it, there are three categories of eligible drivers:
– drivers who have competed in a minimum of 50% of their own National Championships
– drivers designated by their ASN and who have not taken part in the FIA WTCC with a Manufacturer’s team
– competitors belonging to a country in which there is no national Championship and who have been designated by their ASN.

Thompson falls into the 1st group as he's British, and has done 50% of BTCC. The first criteria is quite interestin as it says their own National Champianships. Does this mean for example that DTC wouldn't count for Thommo??

2nd group of eligible drivers are the ones who haven't done enough races in their national series but haven't done WTCC with a works team either... So this covers WTCC independets for example

The third part states that if one is from a country without S2000/SP/S1600 series, one can still compete if your ASN designates you... And in this case, WTCC works drivers seem to be ok too.

[stedevil]

Hmm, you might be correct with that interpretation Valker. And it would indeed be very nice to see Thommo in ETC, in the DTC Hondas I presume (no national homologation car allowed). Hope more top drivers & teams from B/S/D-TC(C) than usual, it's usually a bit thin talantwise at the top.

[Valker]

Originally Posted by stedevil

(no national homologation car allowed)

Why not? They have allowed non-FIA cars in previous years.

[Hazard]

Originally Posted by Valker

As I see it, there are three categories of eligible drivers:
– drivers who have competed in a minimum of 50% of their own National Championships
– drivers designated by their ASN and who have not taken part in the FIA WTCC with a Manufacturer’s team
– competitors belonging to a country in which there is no national Championship and who have been designated by their ASN.

Every year these rules are subject to interpretation, and even then they seem to get broken somehow.

Your interpretation may be right, but surprising if so. If each rule stands alone surely that means any driver can compete as long as they are nominated by their ASN (and, per chance, they don't happen to have driven for a works WTCC squad) which seems a bit strange - as you could get any tom, dick & giovanni driving if that's the case.

[Hazard]

My theory goes out of the window, you are right Valker.

As long as Hartmann or Team Dynamics enter him, Thompson can run in the ETC Cup it turns out.

[helterskelter]

I guess the national ASNs would not allow Priaulx or Yvan Muller to race in the ETC Cup, or the trophy itslef would lose its nature of being an independent-entrants contest. While it'd be lovely to see Thommo in the ETC Cup, if they do let him take part in it then a huge rule breach comes in, a breach that needs to be somehow revised.
Nothing against friend James, I repeat I would love to see him, but imagine SEAT sending in a Leòn Tfsi ran by SunRed and driven by Yvan Muller... Wouldn't that be weird and against the spirit of the rules?
The ETC Cup, I find it very poorly organized. I remember the last time they came to Italy, it must have been in 2007, in Adria, a friend was allowed to compete with an Alfa 147 GTA with which he'd raced in the SP class of the ITCC and then was banned because they 'found out' that the AR 147 GTA had a sequential gearbox on and therefore couldn't race with the H pattern-equipped SP cars. I thought that was crazy!

[Hazard]

Originally Posted by helterskelter

I guess the national ASNs would not allow Priaulx or Yvan Muller to race in the ETC Cup, or the trophy itslef would lose its nature of being an independent-entrants contest. While it'd be lovely to see Thommo in the ETC Cup, if they do let him take part in it then a huge rule breach comes in, a breach that needs to be somehow revised.
Nothing against friend James, I repeat I would love to see him, but imagine SEAT sending in a Leòn Tfsi ran by SunRed and driven by Yvan Muller... Wouldn't that be weird and against the spirit of the rules?
The ETC Cup, I find it very poorly organized. I remember the last time they came to Italy, it must have been in 2007, in Adria, a friend was allowed to compete with an Alfa 147 GTA with which he'd raced in the SP class of the ITCC and then was banned because they 'found out' that the AR 147 GTA had a sequential gearbox on and therefore couldn't race with the H pattern-equipped SP cars. I thought that was crazy!

Theoretically, Giovanardi can of course compete too. That would be on a par with a Priaulx/Muller race.

Muller & Priaulx certainly can't as they haven't driven in 50% of a national championship though. Hmmm.

[Valker]

I think the rules for eligible drivers have been pretty much unchanged as long as there has been a ETCCup in its current form.

Zanardi was allowed to race in 2005-2006 even though he was a WTCC works driver, because he had done ITCC too. Thommos case is similar to this.

[helterskelter]

Originally Posted by Hazard

Theoretically, Giovanardi can of course compete too. That would be on a par with a Priaulx/Muller race.

Muller & Priaulx certainly can't as they haven't driven in 50% of a national championship though. Hmmm.

Yes, they would be on par, but I believe that the idea of the championship is having the different drivers from the national championships in, otherwise it becomes a one-off Wtcc race, doesn't it?
Muller and Priaulx could still be designated by their ASN, like Engstler last year, I suppose...

[helterskelter]

Originally Posted by Valker

Zanardi was allowed to race in 2005-2006 even though he was a WTCC works driver, because he had done ITCC too. Thommos case is similar to this.

The next year Porteiro raced, too, so I suppose it wasn't just for the ITCC thing, but they were most likely designated by CSAI, which is the Italian ASN, and the Spanish ASN

[Hazard]

Originally Posted by helterskelter

Yes, they would be on par, but I believe that the idea of the championship is having the different drivers from the national championships in, otherwise it becomes a one-off Wtcc race, doesn't it?
Muller and Priaulx could still be designated by their ASN, like Engstler last year, I suppose...

Engstler hadn't driven for a manufacturer team.

I believe the rule clearly states that if you drove for a WTCC manufacturer, even your ASN nomination won't help you - which rules out Muller & Priaulx.

Like you say, Zanardi raced because he competed (and won) the ITCC.

[pinkd56]

If you have to have competed in your national championship, How did Ryan Sharp Manage to drive in it a couple of years back? I Don't Recall him being in The BTCC

[awrb]

Originally Posted by pinkd56

If you have to have competed in your national championship, How did Ryan Sharp Manage to drive in it a couple of years back? I Don't Recall him being in The BTCC

I believe you are also eligible if you've entered the WTCC as an independent.

[Hazard]

Originally Posted by pinkd56

If you have to have competed in your national championship, How did Ryan Sharp Manage to drive in it a couple of years back? I Don't Recall him being in The BTCC

Ryan (and likewise GR Asia team mate for a weekend, Emmet O'Brien) would have been eligible under this clause:

2. Drivers designated by their ASN and who have not taken part in the FIA WTCC with a Manufacturer’s team

[pinkd56]

Okay, thank you for clearing that up

[FIRE]

Any news about entries?

[Jon411]

Found this on the ETCC website - our first confirmed entry it seems:


MICHELISZ WINS PARTICIPATION IN BRAGA Last weekend at Imola Norbert Michelisz clinched the 2009 SEAT León Eurocup title and won participation in the FIA European Touring Car Cup at Braga. The 24-years old from Hungary emerged as the series’ winner by scoring five victories – at Valencia, Porto, Brands Hatch, Oschersleben and Imola – and collecting 68 points, 13 more than runner up Massimiliano PedalÃ*. Michelisz will race at Braga in a SEAT León car entered by SUNRED Engineering. They have already joined once during the current season, when the young Hungarian won participation in the WTCC meeting at Brands Hatch. This is the second year that the winner of the SEAT Eurocup is awarded with participation in the FIA ETCC. In 2008 Oscar Nogués won the second race and claimed a brilliant second position in the Super 2000 Cup at the Austrian Salzburgring,

[Hazard]

Originally Posted by Jon411

Found this on the ETCC website - our first confirmed entry it seems:


MICHELISZ WINS PARTICIPATION IN BRAGA Last weekend at Imola Norbert Michelisz clinched the 2009 SEAT León Eurocup title and won participation in the FIA European Touring Car Cup at Braga. The 24-years old from Hungary emerged as the series’ winner by scoring five victories – at Valencia, Porto, Brands Hatch, Oschersleben and Imola – and collecting 68 points, 13 more than runner up Massimiliano PedalÃ*. Michelisz will race at Braga in a SEAT León car entered by SUNRED Engineering. They have already joined once during the current season, when the young Hungarian won participation in the WTCC meeting at Brands Hatch. This is the second year that the winner of the SEAT Eurocup is awarded with participation in the FIA ETCC. In 2008 Oscar Nogués won the second race and claimed a brilliant second position in the Super 2000 Cup at the Austrian Salzburgring,

In which case there's probably a second SEAT to be run. Maybe Boardman can cough up for the event as well to stay in the black SEAT.

[werner]

His car is on a boat to Japan, so I would not count on him.

[Jon411]

Touring Car Times are saying from what they have heard - no Polestar Volvos, Michel Nykjær is planning on racing:

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=4081

[Jon411]

Second confirmed entry from Touring Car Times:

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=4104

Francisco Carvalho in a SEAT Leon

[Robbe]

Third entry confirmed:

http://www.touringcartimes.com/news.php?id=4109

Reigning champion Nykjaer!

----

And number four and five, huge surprises:

http://fiaetcc.com/2k9/default.asp?c...ews.asp&id=128

Bamboo with Vaulkhard and Da Costa!

[FIRE]

The Bamboo cars are a nice surprise.