TCR – What We Know So Far

When Marcello Lotti took to the stage at Birmingham’s Autosport International Show in January to announce that five manufacturers – Ford, Honda, SEAT, Volkswagen and Opel – had all been confirmed for 2015, with a further three (Alfa Romeo anybody?) in the pipelines, it was the clearest sign yet that the TCR International Series is set for big things.  It’s been a long time in coming since the first announcements back in July, with only the odd press release and mocked-up graphic to keep our mouths watering, but the wait is almost over, with just two months to go before the first race in support of the Malaysian Grand Prix on March 29^th.  

Before that, group testing will commence in February to work out the Balance of Performance and equalise the machinery, where the cast-list will no doubt become clearer. German veteran Franz Engstler is the only driver to have been announced having switched from the WTCC, but the roll-call of customer teams is certainly impressive. Multiple Swedish Touring Car champions WestCoast Racing, stalwart WTCC privateers Liqui Moly Team Engstler, Mike Earle’s Onyx outfit, the reformed Paolo Coloni Racing, and Target Competition, running the SEAT León Racer – the only TCR-spec car to have previously competed in the one-make Eurocup series – are the five to have been announced so far, with Lotti confirming that 20 of the 24 available spaces have been filled.   

The first image released by JAS Motorsport of the TCR Honda Civic,
to be ran by West Coast Racing (TCR International Series) 

Lotti, the former WTCC boss no less, clearly intends for his new initiative to challenge his former employers and has set forth ambitious plans for a homogenised, cost-effective platform to run across various national championships, much the same as GT3 has done in sportscar racing. With priority given to developing touring-car racing in new markets, Lotti has no plans to go up against the behemoth that is the British Touring Car Championship, but has already announced an Italian, Portuguese and BeNeLux championship due in 2016 to join TCR USA – which will run as a sub-class in the US Touring Car Championship (USTCC) in 2015 – and TCR Asia, to be ran by experienced promoter David Sonenscher. Further announcements are expected regarding expansion into Thailand, China, Russia, Spain and the Dominican Republic, a mightily impressive achievement even before a wheel has been turned.

Personal disappointment that the TCR International Series won’t be visiting Britain aside, the calendar is mightily impressive, comprising five Grand Prix circuits, including Monza, Sochi and Singapore, with a rumoured end-of-season trip to Macau thrown in for good measure. It’s far too early to make any predictions, but if the jigsaw pieces can come together, then there’s no reason why Lotti’s vision won’t materialise. 

Lewis Hamilton: A Deserving SPOTY Winner

Was Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton a deserving winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award? Whomever you ask, a different response is proffered. Many favoured runner-up Rory McIlroy, having won both the Open and PGA titles, as well as playing a crucial role in helping Europe to victory in the Ryder Cup, while Jo Pavey’s 10,000m gold at the European Championships, aged 40, less than a year after giving birth, also attracted high praise. The debate could go on forever, but to argue that Hamilton was an unworthy choice to succeed the likes of Bradley Wiggins and Andy Murray because he drove the fastest car, or as self-styled football philosopher Joey Barton claimed, because he is a tax exile, is frankly ridiculous.

Hamilton became the first British double-champion
since Sir Jackie Stewart (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1) 

In any case, having the fastest car is no guarantee of glory; just ask Hamilton circa 2007, when he conspired to throw away a 17 point advantage with a pitlane blunder in Shanghai. He had to rely on a healthy slice of luck to deprive Felipe Massa of the title in 2008, but no such accusations could be levied at him in 2014, as Hamilton found another gear in the second half of the season to win five races on the trot. That the title would fall into his lap in Abu Dhabi when his closest rival Nico Rosberg hit problems is largely academic in the grand scheme of things; Hamilton had already won the psychological battle following their high profile clash at Spa, which saw the German openly pilloried by Mercedes bosses.  

Rosberg was a worthy adversary, becoming the first team-mate of Hamilton’s career to outqualify him over the course of the season with ten poles to Hamilton’s seven. But Sunday is where the points are decided and it was here that Hamilton’s superior racecraft shone through; he had no right to keep Rosberg at bay in Bahrain and in Hungary, but did so with aplomb both times. Hamilton was furious with Rosberg’s qualifying faux pas in Monaco which perversely prevented him from challenging for pole, but channelled his frustration in a positive direction where the temperamental Hamilton of a few seasons ago perhaps might not have. By and large, Austria and Brazil apart, the mistakes we have become accustomed to seeing from him were few and far between in 2014; instead, it was the usually unflappable Rosberg who allowed wins to slip through his fingers in Italy, Japan and the USA.  

Having finished runner-up in both 2007 and 2008 to boxer Joe Calzaghe and cycling legend Chris Hoy, this was truly the year that Hamilton transcended to greatness as he became the first British double-champion since Jackie Stewart. McIlroy’s day will surely come, but for now, let Lewis enjoy his moment.