The TCR category: Customer racing with production-based touring cars

The TCR category, which Italian Marcello Lotti created and markets worldwide with his organization WSC, has been in existence since 2015. The abbreviation stands for “Touring Car Racing.” It is a cost-effective and attractive platform that appeals to many automakers with its production-based touring cars and is popular in industrialized nations as well as in emerging countries.

TCR touring cars are derived from mass-production models that must have been built in at least 5,000 units over twelve consecutive months. A minimum length of 4.20 meters, a body with four or five doors, front-wheel drive and engines between 1.75 and two liters displacement with a single turbocharger are prescribed. The model range of many manufacturers meets these requirements. Currently, 28 TCR models from 14 automotive brands have been homologated. Expensive materials such as titanium, magnesium and ceramic materials are prohibited. Homologation is frozen for three years. After that, at the earliest, the next stage of evolution can follow.

A balance of performance and the compensating weight enable those responsible to increase the equality of opportunity between the different products. Low costs of a maximum of 137,500 euros for a race-ready touring car that can handle sprints as well as long distances determine this class for diverse areas of use from amateur to top-level racing. 

In total, WSC currently has about 30 race series licensed worldwide, from the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup initiated in 2018 as the most high-profile platform, to continental series such as TCR Europe or TCR Asia, to regional series such as TCR South America and the Baltic Touring Car Championship. The vast majority of TCR racing series, however, remain the national offshoots in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Classes in mixed sports and touring car series are also licensed, for example in the 24H Series held on several continents, the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge in North America, the Super Taikyu Series in Japan or the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie in Germany. In addition, there are Audi customer teams that successfully race the RS 3 LMS in other fields. These include the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy in Germany, the Trophée Tourisme Endurance in France, the Belcar Endurance Championship in Belgium, the North and South Island Endurance Series in New Zealand, the China Endurance Championship in Asia or competitions in Brazil.