BMW pull out of WTCC

[MrMetro]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88576
BMW has announced that it will not enter a factory team in the 2011 World Touring Car Championship, although it will still provide its re-engined 320 TC for customer squads.

In all honesty, I expected this to happen

[Bruce D]

That series is such a waste of time, hopefully Gow can turn it around cos it's really boring. I bought the 2006 WTCC review DVD a few years ago and find it's an excellent cure for insomnia. You'll probably find Chevrolet pulling out now too cos it's pointless them being their on their own.

[MrMetro]

That series is such a waste of time, hopefully Gow can turn it around cos it's really boring. I bought the 2006 WTCC review DVD a few years ago and find it's an excellent cure for insomnia. You'll probably find Chevrolet pulling out now too cos it's pointless them being their on their own.

Volvo have a one car team for 2011 but I think it will stop at that only. Out of the 4 FIA 'world' championships, the WTCC is easily the worst. I think Chevy will want to focus on the BTCC instead....

[Bruce D]

Well I was reading on the BTCC website about their scope of TV coverage worldwide and I was thinking what manufacturer in their right mind wouldn't want to get involved in that rather than the WTCC. The cost is only a fraction, especially with the new cars coming next year but your exposure is great and there is a big pool of talent to choose from. I wouldn't be surprised to see BMW back with a full works team there in a few years time.

[Wasted Talent]

Not a surprise to me either - WTCC has been dying for a few years now

WT

[MrMetro]

Well I was reading on the BTCC website about their scope of TV coverage worldwide and I was thinking what manufacturer in their right mind wouldn't want to get involved in that rather than the WTCC. The cost is only a fraction, especially with the new cars coming next year but your exposure is great and there is a big pool of talent to choose from. I wouldn't be surprised to see BMW back with a full works team there in a few years time.

Indeed. In the UK, the BTCC is broadcast on ITV4, a free-to-air digital channel, but the WTCC is on Eurosport, a subscription channel. As you said, the BTCC is broadcast worldwide, in fact, there was a story on how its being broadcasted on Speed TV in America right now.

MG are considering returning to the BTCC next year with a NGTC. Honda are staying for next season, and its expected Chevrolet are as well.

Good times ahead for the BTCC, but the WTCC...

[philipbain]

Its hardly a shock that BMW have pulled thier final works team out of the WTCC, they have already committed to DTM for 2012 which makes sense, its where they should have been all along, I really can't think what they were doing in WTCC to begin with, there is very little / no overlap between the products of BMW and Seat / Chevy, whereas Audi and Mercedes are their natural competitors. With a new engine formula for next season I expect that the organisers of the WTCC were hoping for more manufacturer interest, instead a manufacturer that supported the 2 litre era of Super 2000 from start to finish despite the best efforts of the rule makers to make life hell for them (such as allowing Seat a massive and frankly unfair advantage for years) finally bow out years after they ought to have done.

So for all you Priaulx maniacs out there BMW say that he and Farfus will be racing GTs next year and I would expect a return to touring cars in DTM in 2012.

[Alfa Fan]

Because when it all started the other 2 teams (ETCC 2002) were Alfa Romeo and Volvo, both much more relevant competitors.

[Allyc85]

One more nail in the coffin for the WTCC!

And people like to slag the BTCC off for not having many factory teams!

[VkmSpouge]

Not a shock really with BMW entering the DTM in 2012, it would never make sense to have them do two separate european-based, international touring car championships.