Have Your Say: TCR Regulations the Future or Temporary Measure?

[Paul Jeffrey]

Out goes the World Touring Car Championship and in comes WTCR for 2018, but is the adoption of TCR regulations a long term solution or simply a crutch for a dying series?

Once upon a time touring car regulations throughout the world joined together in unison allowing the best of the best to slug it out for ultimate honours. Manufacturers from the prestige to the everyday rushed to turn their latest production models into the ultimate racing machines. Professional highly paid drivers from the world of Formula One and sportscar racing converged into national series throughout the world to do battle royal out on circuit.

Sadly the global recession put paid to all of this and since then touring car racing on both the national and international scene has suffered considerably, with mass manufacturer exodus, a series of poor technical decisions and the fragmentation of regulation sets across then national and various European and International series.

With something of a negative future ahead for the once great World Touring Car Championship it was perhaps inevitable that the well backed and renowned series would migrate to the wildly popular TCR regulation set, but with the move come compromises that go against the very DNA of the World Championship. Thanks to the cost effective nature of the regulations gone for 2018 will be true manufacturer teams, and along with them the highly paid professional drivers of recent seasons. Will a move to customer teams and lower costs promote greater diversity or dilute the prestige of the series? Is a move to customer led TCR regulation cars a long term solution for the championship or merely a last ditch ploy to prop up a series on the downswing in recent years? Can the championship regain the heights of popularity last seen in the mid 2000's, or is this a sad attempt to prolong the final signs of life?

So after a short break the topic of our 'Have your Say' feature that we want your opinion on is -

TCR regulations without full works entries in the World Touring Car series, the future of the sport or just a short term fix to a long term problem?

We love motorsport, we love discussion. Combine the two and leave a comment below!

 

[RufGTI]

As far as I know the FIA plans to run the former WTCC series with TCR cars for only two seasons after which they hope to form a new championship that uses Class One regulations. But I don't think that that might happen.

 

[Paul Jeffrey]

I'd be surprised to see Class One used widely in WTCC tbh, neat as they are I just can't see that formula being attractive to WTCC and mainly international teams as it's too far removed from the traditional "heart" of what touring car racing is / was.

For manufacturers attached to traditional touring car series the attraction is the proximity between road and race car, think back to the ST or S2000 regs, where although no one was fooled into thinking they were road cars stripped down with a roll cage, they still shared many similarities with the car you might have at home. Class One are basically prototype tin tops, which for the likes of DTM are perfect as that's always been their USP, but for me at least that would be very much the wrong direction for WTCC.

 

[Sky]

Wtcc has been irrelevent for so long that it doesn't matter what they do.

 

[RufGTI]

I'd be surprised to see Class One used widely in WTCC tbh, neat as they are I just can't see that formula being attractive to WTCC and mainly international teams as it's too far removed from the traditional "heart" of what touring car racing is / was.

Some magazines told so, as I said it's very unlikely to happen imho. But otherwise you have to admit that classic touring cars have become too irrelevant for car manufacturers to invest in classic works engagements.

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

in rallying, we have the wrc using the prototypes, the wrc2 using the works prepared customer cars and the junior wrc, all using one brand close to production car.
wouldn't that be cool for wtcc:
dtm style cars at the top
tcr cars in second tier
and a brand cup third, all on the same weekend, all on the same track. would be awesome.

 

[James Cook]

I would hope the switch to TCR regulations becomes a long-term solution. Look at it this way: in only three years nearly 500 TCR cars have been built. It's a hugely successful concept that took no time to garner manufacturer and team interest. When the WTCC moved to prohibitively expensive TC1 cars (that cost more than a GT3), TCR went down a simpler, more cost-effective path that is more faithful to the ethos of touring car racing.

If the WTCC is to survive they need to adopt TCR regulations long-term. Most national series have adopted or are adopting TCR regs, so the WTCR can act as the big stage that brings the best teams and drivers together from all these feeder series across the world.

 

[Robertinotje]

Give it some time to adapt.

 

[Friedrichpc]

I don`t understand why they did so complicated rules. 3 Races 3 different point systems and 2 different Qualifying systems.

 

[Paul Jeffrey]

Wow this has been a popular Have Your Say topic

Coming next Saturday..

Project CARS 2 sucks donkey balls - Discuss




EDIT: The above is just a commentary on the often side tracked PC2 threads and is not representative of my own or RaceDepartment's opinion. It is merely written in jest. Merry Christmas!

 

[Queequeg]

I would hope the switch to TCR regulations becomes a long-term solution. Look at it this way: in only three years nearly 500 TCR cars have been built. It's a hugely successful concept that took no time to garner manufacturer and team interest.

I agree with you 100%. Add to that the circumstance that the TCR cars are much closer to actual road going models than any of the more high tech formulas. To me this is is a core element of what touring car racing fundamentally is about and makes it much more attractive to watch.

 

[Knoxstar]

I think it is a good move and one that had to be made. Works teams drive up the cost no matter how you try to regulate. I've been quite entertained by TCR but BTCC still kicks butt and I put it down in part to the tracks not just the drivers or cars.

 

[Gavin Durward]

When the WTCC had funny car rules ie to weird looking Citroens etc it went on a downward spiral. TCR back to a more basic type of vehicle that actually looks like the car on the street. Works cars exemption tends to keep series relatively open as any manufacturer that gets involved opens the treasure chest develops a vehicle wins the title and leaves the series in a mess trying to keep up. Some thing similar to GT 3 I hope is what I hope happens.

 

[James Cook]

When the WTCC had funny car rules ie to weird looking Citroens etc it went on a downward spiral. TCR back to a more basic type of vehicle that actually looks like the car on the street. Works cars exemption tends to keep series relatively open as any manufacturer that gets involved opens the treasure chest develops a vehicle wins the title and leaves the series in a mess trying to keep up. Some thing similar to GT 3 I hope is what I hope happens.

Yep, TCR is emulating the successful GT3 customer car concept. Works team involvement always skews the field.

 

[Yetch]

Become far more popular if S3 get the gig and it comes to Raceroom, decent selection of cars/tracks and makes for great racing in the Virtual world. The latest rendition in RR are a handful to drive, yet oh so rewarding if got right but is this TC racing, personally I think not, would much prefer TC1 spec, more bumper to bumper racing and more reliant on the driver rather than the car/team. Who's not going to enjoy a 40+ grid, barrelling around a track like a murmuration of Starlings!

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

this is just sooooo good:

 

[James Cook]

Become far more popular if S3 get the gig and it comes to Raceroom, decent selection of cars/tracks and makes for great racing in the Virtual world. The latest rendition in RR are a handful to drive, yet oh so rewarding if got right but is this TC racing, personally I think not, would much prefer TC1 spec, more bumper to bumper racing and more reliant on the driver rather than the car/team. Who's not going to enjoy a 40+ grid, barrelling around a track like a murmuration of Starlings!

I think there's a very good chance Sector3 will pick up the WTCR licence. Their parent company has close links with the WTCC so they should be in pole position to do a deal.

 

[apex11]

Wow this has been a popular Have Your Say topic

Coming next Saturday..

Project CARS 2 sucks donkey balls - Discuss




EDIT: The above is just a commentary on the often side tracked PC2 threads and is not representative of my own or RaceDepartment's opinion. It is merely written in jest. Merry Christmas!

If you want it to make 100 pages are arguing I can make it happen....

WTCR will look to go Electric in the not to distant future.....then it might be relevant again....to the road cars being sold ..