Is TCR really a threat to the BTCC?
The TCR, or “Touring Car Racer” formula has been one of the most popular racing car classes in decades, with 22 cars currently available or in development that are eligible to compete in over 20 series across the world, ranging from the hugely popular VLN series which runs on what is commonly referred to as “The Green Hell” — Nordschleife, to the TCR Asia series which sees drivers from across China, Thailand, Malaysia among others competing at tracks such as Sepang, Zhuhai and Shanghai. There are hundreds of TCR cars already in competition and many more being built as you read this. Audi has just recently delivered it’s 100th RS3 LMS TCR to a Spanish customer, despite the model only being available this year. Such an explosion in growth is rarely seen in motorsport these days with ever growing costs being the main reason. The recent LMP2 regulation change that came into effect in 2017 saw a reduction in cars in the World Endurance Championship, with many teams opting to move to a GT program or holding off altogether on their programmes in order to wait for costs to come down.TCR UK is the latest series to have been formally set up, with its calendar, manager and series promoter having been confirmed.
Jonathan Ashman, who previously worked for the FIA as the president of Touring Cars, has been working on the project for a couple of years and was at the forefront of the introduction of the TCR category in 2014 alongside Marcello Lotti has been tasked with the job and echoes the sentiments of many motorsport enthusiasts and media outlets across the UK. “I’ve not heard a single negative from anybody. Everyone’s been very positive, there’s been none of this ‘there’s no place for this in the UK’” he said in an interview with Touring Car Times. He does however remain modest in the light of many claiming that TCR UK could eventually overtake the BTCC in commercial clout, popularity and spectator numbers, “We’re not a competitor to the BTCC, we’re a feeder. There’s no point us taking on something like the BTCC, which is incredibly successful and does a tremendous job”. This may be the case, the British Touring Car Championship has been running for over 50 years and is extremely popular — second only to F1 in viewing figures in the UK.
However, TCR has one thing going for it — cost.Currently, a full season in the BTCC can cost anywhere between £400,000 to £800,000 depending on what your targets are for the championship and what team you drive for. A full 7 round TCR UK season costs as little as £120,000 to £160,000, again depending on what team you drive for, the age of the car you buy and how many parts you get through. When you compare this to popular one-make series like the Renault Clio Cup and Ginetta GT4 Supercup which cost a similar amount for similar levels of performance and that offer only a little extra track time, it’s clear that TCR is an extremely attractive option for amateur drivers. Another huge advantage is the stability of the platform. TCR cars are eligible for over 20 national and international series. Any amateur or professional team or driver can combine programmes or take part in one-off rounds at their favourite circuits for only a few thousand pounds.
Many teams and drivers have already expressed interest in the series, current BTCC championship leader Ash Sutton has in fact stated he is looking at it as an option for his future, as have teams Motorbase and Sean Walkinshaw Racing. The sheer number of options for cars, championships, number of races and the level of competition makes the TCR formula and in particular, the TCR UK series a very good option for any competitor looking to get into racing, compete in a cheaper and more flexible series or establish themselves as a global force for a fraction of the costs required to run a winning team in the BTCC. As for whether the series will eventually take over the mammoth following the BTCC has, we will have to wait and see.
Originally published at jdaykin.me on 20.09.17
