WTCC: How to improve it....

[wedge]

Avoiding gp tracks altogether would be a good start, they are too wide and the straights are too long for 300hp tintops, they need more narrow and twisty tracks relative to the F1 style circuits. The majority of the success of the BTCC I believe is down to the quality of the tracks which are largely suited to the size and power of the cars

You could say the same for the old Hockenheim or Paul Ricard - I would even add Road America and Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport's wide runways. The straights seemed far too long for contemporary F1 cars let alone DTM or Super Tourers and not necessarily a detriment - some races you had the cars strung out or a slipstreaming dog fight.

I've never really agreed with this view, for I think it depends on the F1-style circuits in question. With a lot of them, I take the point. However, the Silverstone GP circuit was always great for BTCC cars in the Super Touring days, so there's no reason it wouldn't be for today's BTCC and WTCC machines.

You clearly haven't been to Silverstone recently. It's too awkward for the spectator.

For one thing I think the track is too long for 20min races.

BTCC likes to market itself as family friendly but you have to catch a bus to the 'fan zone' and Wing - there's no pedestrian tunnel which is urgently needed. Personally I think the 'fan zone' is a joke. Its very small and feels cramped compared to the expanse of Woodcote.

[BDunnell]

You clearly haven't been to Silverstone recently. It's too awkward for the spectator.

This is true.

[BDunnell]

Watching the WTCC on Eurosport today, one huge improvement that could be made is in the Eurosport coverage. Martin Haven's efforts as commentator are truly embarrassing, and that's not something I say lightly. Saying Max instead of Tom Chilton, forgetting in the second race that Muller had overtaken Tarquini — having himself commentated on the pass — and all sorts of other glaring confusions. Also, as a co-commentator, Matt Neal was no natural. Overall it's just not good enough for a World Championship.

[msratings]

It's a shame.. the WTCC should be the highest level of Touring Car but it seems to be run so badly and have relatively poor TV coverage.

20 minute races need to end and no need to have 2 races back to back at each meeting... 1 longer race would work better and hopefully get a lot more overtaking.... DTM has tyre stops so this should work for WTCC as well.

Eurosport's coverage is erratic at best but at least it is mostly in HD apart from the last race of last year... you know the most important one in the championship....

Any why have a standing start and a rolling start for each of the 2 races... Rolling starts are really only good in oval racing and possibly some endurance races but for a 20 minute sprint race with little overtaking as it is.... why??

[AndySpeed]

The WTCC is run so much more professionally than the BTCC though. All you have to do is take a trip to the WTCC paddock to find that it's a much more enjoyable experience than being in the BTCC paddock.

The standing / rolling start situation offers a good balance and is one that should be considered by more touring car series.

Yes the races are a little short but this is not a WTCC-exclusive problem.

Finally you complain about the TV coverage but many championships would give an arm and a leg for the sort of coverage WTCC gets. Also compared to the farce that is ITV4 it is run a lot more professionally. Don't forget that Eurosport is often free-to-air in countries like Germany - you have to see things from more than just a little British point of view.

With new manufacutrers set to join for 2014, the WTCC is looking to be in rude health.

[Iain]

I think I'm in the minority with you, Andy. I like the WTCC. It's primarily designed for television audiences, so I don't think it matters that the races are short and sharp. I know Martin Haven can get a bit confused at times, but the HD coverage is terrific quality and I really enjoy the Inside WTCC shows midweek. Also they have a good website, one that tells you everything you need to know and more. Not just the basics, incase it confuses the average fan. Plus they let the drivers carry their own cameras and make their own viral video reviews and previews with actual track action. Something for example the BTCC doesn't allow, which I think is very short-sighted.

I've only done the one round at Brands Hatch in 2007, but I found the paddock was a very professional-looking place to be. It looked like a world championship paddock. From what I'm told by friends who have been to the likes of Brno, Portimao and Macau, it's like a big welcoming family that travels across the world. You can even tell from the way the drivers talk to eachother on Twitter, that it's just a pleasant place to be. No bitching, backstabbing or the media trying to stir up arguments. They all seem to get on and genuinely seem happy for eachother when someone wins or comes back to the championship.

The main thing for me is the quality of drivers. I'd watch Muller, Tarquini and Thompson race milk floats if that was all that was on offer. Then you have the established guys like Tom Coronel, Norbert Michelisz and Stefano D'Aste, with the younger guys again such as Oriola coming through.

That wasn't a pro-WTCC and anti-BTCC post, I like both in different ways and don't think you can compare them.

[BDunnell]

Finally you complain about the TV coverage but many championships would give an arm and a leg for the sort of coverage WTCC gets. Also compared to the farce that is ITV4 it is run a lot more professionally.

I don't actually agree with that. Eurosport, with its lack of proper presentation, programmes being delayed with no explanation and so forth I have always felt comes across as an amateurish shambles, though the coverage itself can be good.

[BDunnell]

I think I'm in the minority with you, Andy. I like the WTCC. It's primarily designed for television audiences, so I don't think it matters that the races are short and sharp. I know Martin Haven can get a bit confused at times, but the HD coverage is terrific quality and I really enjoy the Inside WTCC shows midweek. Also they have a good website, one that tells you everything you need to know and more. Not just the basics, incase it confuses the average fan. Plus they let the drivers carry their own cameras and make their own viral video reviews and previews with actual track action. Something for example the BTCC doesn't allow, which I think is very short-sighted.

I've only done the one round at Brands Hatch in 2007, but I found the paddock was a very professional-looking place to be. It looked like a world championship paddock. From what I'm told by friends who have been to the likes of Brno, Portimao and Macau, it's like a big welcoming family that travels across the world. You can even tell from the way the drivers talk to eachother on Twitter, that it's just a pleasant place to be. No bitching, backstabbing or the media trying to stir up arguments. They all seem to get on and genuinely seem happy for eachother when someone wins or comes back to the championship.

The main thing for me is the quality of drivers. I'd watch Muller, Tarquini and Thompson race milk floats if that was all that was on offer. Then you have the established guys like Tom Coronel, Norbert Michelisz and Stefano D'Aste, with the younger guys again such as Oriola coming through.

That wasn't a pro-WTCC and anti-BTCC post, I like both in different ways and don't think you can compare them.

Lots of good points here, as ever. While I remain unconvinced as to the ultimate point of the WTCC, I wouldn't say I dislike it. And I much enjoyed the second Slovak race on Sunday; the first was almost completely devoid of action. As for the quality of drivers, it is hard, I think, to compare those in different championships. A driver who's good in one competitive championship may very well prove disappointing in another.

[christophulus]

The Eurosport coverage is comically bad, full of random unexpected ad breaks. The commentators do a decent job despite that though.

I just think it's a shame there aren't more manufacturer entries in the WTCC - you don't really expect them to spend big on the BTCC any more but surely a world series should have more than Honda and Lada. To have the two previous champions in privateer teams just seems off to me.

[BDunnell]

The Eurosport coverage is comically bad, full of random unexpected ad breaks. The commentators do a decent job despite that though.

Well, they just carry on through, as far as I can tell. Certainly this was the case on Sunday, though whether this was in the WTCC coverage or the preceding cycling, which over-ran, I can't recall.

I just think it's a shame there aren't more manufacturer entries in the WTCC - you don't really expect them to spend big on the BTCC any more but surely a world series should have more than Honda and Lada. To have the two previous champions in privateer teams just seems off to me.

What the point is of the Lada entry, given that it's not a global brand and presumably has no ambitions in that direction, I have no idea.