World Touring Car Championship axed, replaced with WTCR
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The FIA has finally bowed to the inevitable and axed the World Touring Car Championship.
It was a widely expected move as the TC1 regulations introduced in 2014 haven’t attracted a great number of takers. Citroen came and went, leaving grid numbers to dwindle this year. The desperation to draw interest in the series can be gauged from the fact they resorted to introducing joker laps at this year’s races.
The championship will now run to the considerably cheaper TCR regulations and will be renamed WTCR from next year. Here’s the official announcement:
The World Council confirmed that the FIA World Touring Car Championship and its associated brand will cease on 8 December. A new FIA World Cup will be introduced for 2018/2019 called WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup, which will be promoted by Eurosport Events Limited.
The Cup will run to FIA TCR Regulations for 2018-19 which will remain frozen for this period. Only TCR cars with an FIA World Cup passport delivered by the FIA will be eligible to compete.
The Cup will replace the TCR International Series and is for private entries only, with no manufacturer title or entries permitted. A minimum of two cars per team must be entered, with a fee of €150,000 applicable for a two-car team. There will be a maximum entry of 26 cars, and FIA-validated balance of performance and success ballast systems will be implemented.
Official tyre and fuel suppliers, as well as the 2018 calendar, will be confirmed in due course.
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