2010 ETCC change format to be wider!

[mac853]

By information of the latest news, next year ETC Cup will be no more just only 1 weekend, will be 4 then totally 8 races.

The 4 countries held will be: Portugal, Germany, Austria, Italy.

And I guess the tracks selected could be possibly: Braga, Lausitzring, Salzburgring and Adria, i think!

I hope this series could be more attracted by the national championships contenders, hope to turn it like the "Champions League" of motorsport, then not like this year, just appeared so few cars in the grid.

The news can be found here

[VkmSpouge]

I don't think we need another European based touring car championship, there's the WTCC and DTM after all (though they do of course go out of Europe). I guess by picking Austria, Germany, Italy and Portugal with relatively weak S2000 fields it could help attract more cars in to those national series.

[mac853]

I don't think we need another European based touring car championship, there's the WTCC and DTM after all (though they do of course go out of Europe). I guess by picking Austria, Germany, Italy and Portugal with relatively weak S2000 fields it could help attract more cars in to those national series.

I don't think so, Portugal and Germany organization strategy never been only in S2000 cars, as we can see in their championships are included also with some cars which we can't see in WTCC, due the high budget with these cars.
I think only Italy and Austria will need more competitors!

Germany champs are more attracted for another kind of "clients", average level drivers(mainly amateurs), drivers could not find big sponsors and old model cars with low competitiveness, don't you see Engstler's nationals squad are just concentrated driver with big age but amateurs and 1 of them drives E46 then won some races already and Geipel are going in that Auris which anybody know that 1 will never have any competitiveness in WTCC.
Portugal has too another different attraction if compared with any places, instead of normal S2000 cars, but also N2000(less prepared than SP cars) and 2 special categories(Seat Leon supercopa and 4wd Gr.N cars class).
So i don't think their nationals have direct relationship with this all new ETCC.
In fact i think that WTCC is becoming more out of europe in time by time, i believe some drivers could not afford this huge budget due the economy crisis, that's why appeared this parallel champs, i guess.

[Allyc85]

BAd idea IMO. Private teams barely have the money to compete in their national championships, let alone to travel around europe.

I will probably watch it though

[UltimateDanGTR]

Cant say this is a good idea.

BTCC, DTM, STCC, DTC, Italian Superturismo and much of WTCC all in europe amongst smaller others-why do we need this?

More series = Less entrants per series. silly idea, this will probably be dead in 2-3 years i feel.

[kmchow]

Cant say this is a good idea.

BTCC, DTM, STCC, DTC, Italian Superturismo and much of WTCC all in europe amongst smaller others-why do we need this?

More series = Less entrants per series. silly idea, this will probably be dead in 2-3 years i feel.

Perhaps we can use the ST days as a guide? In Portugal's/Austria's case, I think they only averaged about 6 cars during the ST days? Combined with Germany/Italy and their under 10 true S2000 cars each, that hopefully will give them an average of about @15 cars/race perhaps? I'm totally guessing that could be a reasonable number assuming competitors will drop out/reappear/ disappear? I guess that's more attractive to teams/sponsors/fans? I would venture that the national organizers are looking at the same numbers.

[UltimateDanGTR]

Perhaps we can use the ST days as a guide? In Portugal's/Austria's case, I think they only averaged about 6 cars during the ST days? Combined with Germany/Italy and their under 10 true S2000 cars each, that hopefully will give them an average of about @15 cars/race perhaps? I'm totally guessing that could be a reasonable number assuming competitors will drop out/reappear/ disappear? I guess that's more attractive to teams/sponsors/fans? I would venture that the national organizers are looking at the same numbers.

maybe. but 15 cars just isnt that great, WTCC usually has nearly double that.

i think this idea is flawed, i cant see it being very popular or well attended either. I think if they really want to make this work, then one meeting should be as support races to BTCC, one weekend as support races to DTM, and a couple of meetings with supports to WTCC euro-rounds. This means that the races will be seen by more spectators to major TC events, and independents of BTCC and WTCC races could always have a go....

actually, that idea is fantastic-well done me. but i cant see the series being a success from stand-alone events.

[kmchow]

maybe. but 15 cars just isnt that great, WTCC usually has nearly double that.

i think this idea is flawed, i cant see it being very popular or well attended either.

I think if they really want to make this work, then one meeting should be as support races to BTCC, one weekend as support races to DTM, and a couple of meetings with supports to WTCC euro-rounds. This means that the races will be seen by more spectators to major TC events, and independents of BTCC and WTCC races could always have a go....

actually, that idea is fantastic-well done me. but i cant see the series being a success from stand-alone events.

But then, the S2000 fans in these countris can't go to see the cars personally. Part of the reason I was so into ST cars and not as into S2000, was because I actually able to get see the ST cars up close/personal when they raced in the NATCC.

And hopefully for the national/local sponsors, you wanna be able to provide a hospitality tent to bring their VIPS. It's expensive enough to sponsor/bring a hospitality tent, but imagine having to pay for VIPS to travel to another country to watch a race/deal with passports/customs. Everything is easier if you can stay within your own country. Now, at least for 1 race/yr, you can do it.

As well, you gotta give organziers a thumbs up for supporting S2000. "Another" championship just gives S2000 cars more resale value and hopefully manufacturers will continue to support S2000 knowing the cars will be around and reappear in another series giving them more exposure.

[mac853]

I think this is a good chance to bring back some SP cars from some countries which this spec of cars doesn't allow to race anymore: UK, Italy, Holland, Belgium and many others.
And S2000 cars, from countries which TCs is forgotten(Ex: Italy, Austria).
Specially for some "little old" S2000 which is still competitive: Honda Accord, Peugeot 407, Ford Focus.

[BDunnell]

What's the point of this? It will attract zero interest. There is a reason why Germany doesn't have its own S2000 touring car series — because it has the DTM and people like it. And what exactly is the future of S2000 as a touring car formula anyway? It doesn't have one in Britain, and there must be questions over the longer-term viability of the WTCC.