Motorsport | FIA Reveal New Touring Car Lite (TCL) Category

[Paul Jeffrey]

A new touring car series will debut next season - the FIA sanctioned Touring Car Lite (TCL) set of regulations.

Designed as a low powered entry level rule set that can be adopted across the touring car landscape, the new TCL regs are set to be introduced from the 2020 season.

"Entry-level national touring car competitions will be unified under this set of technical regulations approved by the FIA.” said Touring Car Commission President, Alan Gow.​

“The TCL – Touring Car Lite – category is designed to allow clubs to introduce entry-level touring car racing for both national and regional use, using a common ruleset which will help draw new drivers to touring car racing,” added the Australian BTCC Series Director.​

According to Touringcartimes, the new regulations are set to focus on 1333cc turbocharged cars that fall into the B-segment category (equivalent to the subcompact category in the United States and the supermini category in Great Britain) - to a maximum of 200bhp. The FIA have already confirmed the new specification Renault Clio Cup car will be eligible, with modifications, to race in the new category.

As of 2019, the five highest selling B-segment cars in Europe are the Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa

The new regulations open up what the FIA hope becomes a starting point of a future 'touring car pyramid' of driver progression within the sport, creating a foundation upon which aspiring touring car drivers can gain experience before moving up into higher category machinery.

Looking to further encourage take up of the new rules, the FIA have confirmed TCL cars will retain some crossover with FIA R1/R2 rally machinery, allowing prospective teams to participate in both circuit and rally events with minor modifications.

"The TC Lite concept will be based on the R1/R2 rally regulations, creating a synergy between circuit racing and rallying – thus also allowing manufacturers to use one base to build both rally cars and touring cars,” added Gow.​

“This is a clear positive for all parties involved – drivers, teams and manufacturers – with one specification car able to compete in a number of championships.​

Further details regarding any new championship(s) for the TCL category have yet to be announced, with more news anticipated early in the new year.


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[turbo86]

Great news! I hope Touring Car Racing becomes popular again.

 

[Nevini]

No good Wo men will not get to F1 with this.

 

[Nevini]

On a lighter note, looks bloody good ;-)

 

[AlexBfromG]

i assume FIA is trying to broaden the landscape for more privateers cause of all the big manufacturers leaving who got bullied by an autistic girl from Sweden.

 

[Emery]

As of 2019, the five highest selling B-segment cars in Europe are the Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa

Great, love the idea, but NONE of those cars are in the USA, darn it. I'm not sure we have any 1300cc cars with turbos except maybe a FIAT... and can only hope FIAT-Peugeot fixes that. While we had the Fiesta ST, it is waaaay too tippy... shades of the Renault Le Car Cup, where inverted flight was considered normal.

"Waaaah!"

 

[Filip Carlén]

Nice. I miss the Clio Cup days here in Sweden. They stopped a few years back, and now only has a youth class in TCR, making it less fun. Clio Cup was great due to everyone being quite young and that always generate lots of action. Hopefully Sweden picks this series up, would love to see some youths only touring car racing agiain

 

[KittX]

i assume FIA is trying to broaden the landscape for more privateers cause of all the big manufacturers leaving who got bullied by an autistic girl from Sweden.

 

[Günthar Rowe]

Nice. I miss the Clio Cup days here in Sweden. They stopped a few years back, and now only has a youth class in TCR, making it less fun. Clio Cup was great due to everyone being quite young and that always generate lots of action. Hopefully Sweden picks this series up, would love to see some youths only touring car racing agiain

It's why I built the Clio Cup for Race07, great fun class

 

[aka2k]

That's a cute toy car. They make fun races.

 

[Deleted member 205301]

If I understand well, the brand new ClioCup (a simpler version of what cliocup was, with a common car with rally-clio-r5) is eligible ONLY with modifications... that's strange, looks like FIA always try to kill Renault sport'series (as they did with formula 3.5, and then, with Formula Renault when they refused the F3R licence to the car...)
@++

 

[Atom1kk]

The fia did not kill the renault sport series. Since renault decided to join F1, they had to stop the series because of budget planning

 

[leclettico]

The next DLC for rF2.

 

[Deleted member 526227]

The next DLC for rF2.

Would ne nice. FWD cars with little power are srill missing.

 

[Deleted member 205301]

The fia did not kill the renault sport series. Since renault decided to join F1, they had to stop the series because of budget planning

I understand what you means, but don't forget that FIA suddenly decided to give half-point for the F3.5, and that's why "good drivers" decided to ignore this serie (RedBull, for exemple, who were always here, decided to go in F2 and SF)...and then (but only after this) the serie stopped for budget reasons
@++

 

[RufGTI]

I wonder whether the existing R2 rally cars will be transformable into these TCL touring cars because it is basically the same car class.

I understand what you means, but don't forget that FIA suddenly decided to give half-point for the F3.5, and that's why "good drivers" decided to ignore this serie (RedBull, for exemple, who were always here, decided to go in F2 and SF)...and then (but only after this) the serie stopped for budget reasons
@++

Don't forget that at that point the quantity and quality of drivers had already significantly decreased. The last time Red Bull entered drivers in the series was in 2014, when the series still had Renault in its name. The withdrawal of Renault and the devaluation of the series occurred later.

 

[KittX]

Wondering will Toyota be interested in participating. Seems like the new Yaris is hooot.

 

[Brownninja97]

Oh this is perfect I loved driving my mates polo gti around brands hatch, if this means more nice 200ish bhp hot hatchs then im all for it.

 

[SVP Skins]

No good Wo men will not get to F1 with this.

It's not designed to get you to F1. as it's Touring cars, not single seaters

 

[Deleted member 205301]

The withdrawal of Renault and the devaluation of the series occurred later.

I should be mistaken, didn't check the dates, but if 2 guys says me it is, so it probably is...it was different in my memories....alzheimer ?
..oh! and right ! R2 (I said R5 in previous post^^)
@++