Next year is a significant one for touring cars in the UK. Not only is the British Touring Car Championship running its first hybrid season, but the TCR UK series is to be established as a standalone championship. Motorsport UK has awarded the status, and the UK promoter has been given a six-year licence agreement to run TCR over here. So there ought to be plenty of opportunities to see the cars in action.
The move to its own championship follows four season from 2018-2021 with TCR operating as part of the Goodyear Touring Car Trophy and Volkswagen Racing Cup. Its provisional 2022 calendar - taking in tracks such as Oulton Park, Brands Hatch, Donington and Castle Combe - will see support from British GT or run as part of wider motorsport festivals. In all, 15 rounds are scheduled.
The move follows a rapid increase in popularity for TCR cars in the UK, with the number having trebled in the past 12 months alone. The obvious appeal is in being more affordable touring cars to buy and run than BTCC racers, but there's plenty of choice as well: SEAT, Peugeot, VW, Subaru, Kia, Lada, Hyundai, Honda, Fiat, Audi, Alfa Romeo and more have made TCR-spec cars, which are then of course eligible for the various championships across the globe running to this spec.
For maximum racing return on investment, TCR appears to have plenty going for it. Take it from a ham-fisted chump, too - they're relatively easy to drive as racing cars go.
President of WSC (the global TCR promoters) Marcello Lotti: "We have been watching what's happening in the UK very closely and we were extremely pleased to see the series take a big step forward in 2021. TCR UK is now the fastest growing of the regional championships and if it continues on the same trajectory in 2022, it will become one of the biggest too." We Brits do love a touring car!
With championships enquiries "running at an all-time high", any racers wishing to be involved with the 2022 TCR UK season are being encouraged to register their interest ASAP. Need a car? The classifieds has just the thing in the form of this Audi RS3 TCR; who wouldn't fancy banging doorhandles in a saloon that looks this good? See you at Oulton Park in April...
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