TCR Asia Series officials have confirmed that the planned round in South Korea has been replaced with a third Chinese event at the Zhuhai International Circuit in 2017.
The move comes in order to appeal more to teams based in China and Hong Kong, with the original event planned at the Korea International Circuit not expected to attract a significant entry from local teams and drivers.
WSC Asia CEO David Sonenscher explained that the addition of Zhuhai is more likely to appeal to team’s with a base in China, in particular due to its proximity to the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, which has a stronger motorsport heritage.
“We had originally scheduled South Korea to host a round of the TCR Asia Series again,” said Sonenscher. “After careful consideration, taking into account the lack of teams with TCR cars from that part of Asia at this moment, we elected to support the growing Chinese market with the inclusion of Zhuhai in late April.
“Already we have received a significant amount of interest for the new season, and are doing our best to follow the foundations set by the TCR International Series, to support the national championships in the region, and provide their drivers with more opportunities to compete against the region’s leading teams.
“There is also a strong motorsport culture in Zhuhai – being effectively Hong Kong’s home circuit – so it made sense to be closer to the population base of teams and drivers who are looking to be involved in the TCR concept.”
The 2017 TCR Asia Series begins on the 12 March at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.