The planned Argentine round of the TCR International Series has been replaced by a round at the Austrian Red Bull Ring, with the change coming to allow teams more time to develop new TCR cars.
Argentina had originally been set to host a TCR race on the weekend of the 24th and 25th July, but the event has now been replaced by a second round in Austria.
It means there will be no round of the new championship in South America this year, as the event in Chile was earlier postponed until 2016.
Instead, TCR will partner with the European Le Mans Series and the Formula Renault 3.5 Series at the event, acting as a support race series.
Marcello Lotti, CEO of promoter WSC Ltd, explained the reasons behind the late calendar change.
“It was not an easy decision to take, but we had to be realistic and consider that the technical development of the new TCR cars is taking more time than expected and going overseas would have forced some brands to skip the event,” explained Lotti. “On the contrary, re-scheduling the event in Europe will give them the opportunity to complete the development steps without further delaying their participation in the races.
“This is one of the issues you must be prepared to face during the maiden season of a brand new category. We are especially grateful to Gérard Neveu and the whole ELMS staff for giving us the opportunity to join in their event at the Red Bull Ring.”
Lotti reiterated his support to South America, and is pushing ahead with plans to take TCR to the continent in 2016.
“South America remains one of our main areas of interest. We are planning to organise a press conference in Buenos Aires in the near future to announce our final plans of racing there next year.”
Neveu, who is CEO of the ELMS, is pleased to be able to welcome a touring car series to the bill for the weekend.
“We are pleased to welcome the TCR International Series for the Austrian round of the European Le Mans Series,” said Neveu. “The TCR Series features many brands and manufacturers and the top class organisation and promotion makes this a welcome addition to the event.
“The inclusion of this world-class touring car series, alongside the Formula Renault 3.5 series, to the schedule means we will have three leading championships from three motorsport disciplines: endurance, touring cars and single seaters. The event at the Red Bull Ring will be a great celebration of motorsport.”