The third season of the TCR International Series kicks off at the rejuvenated Rustavi International Motopark in Georgia this weekend, and TouringCars.Net has all of the key information.
Sixteen cars have been entered for the season opener, with more set to follow in subsequent events. Crucially, reigning champion Stefano Comini will return to the grid to defend his titles, whilst all of his main rivals will be present to try once again to dethrone the Swiss racer.
The Main Stories:
There have been a number of driver, team and car changes heading into the new season.
- Comini was left without a drive when Leopard Racing didn’t renew their contract with the Swiss ahead of the new season, which for a time meant it looked like we wouldn’t have the champion on the grid. Thankfully Comtoyou Racing stepped up to the mark and offered a refuge, giving Comini a hugely potent car in the new Audi RS3 LMS TCR.
- WestCoast Racing, having split from partner Sportpromotion last year, have switched to Volkswagen Golf GTi machinery for the coming year, although lead driver Gianni Morbidelli remains on board. The experienced ex-BTCC star is joined by young Italian Giacomo Altoè in the team.
- New Hungarian team M1RA are now the sole full-season representatives of Honda machinery, entering a pair of Civic Type R’s for the experienced Roberto Colciago and youngster Attila Tassi. The team are headed up by WTCC star Norbert Michelisz and feature the knowledge and expertise of David Bári, who previously worked with the B3 Racing Team.
- B3 Racing are no longer present on the grid, with Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing now the main contenders with SEAT machinery.
- Dušan Borković has found a new home at GE-Force for 2017, racing an Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR alongside new team-mate Davit Kajaia, who has moved to the team after Engstler Motorsport did not enter a team in 2017.
- The shake-ups have also forced Slovakian racer Mat’o Homola to find a new driver, with the former SEAT racer ending up at DG Sport Compétition alongside Pierre-Yves Corthals in Opel Astra TCR machinery – the first time the German hatchback will contest a full season.
- Whilst Leopard Racing will return again, they will start the season with just one car for Frenchman Jean-Karl Vernay. A second Volkswagen will be entered from Belgium onwards.
- Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing continue with SEAT cars, and have arguably the strongest driver line-up on the grid, with former WTCC driver Hugo Valente joining the team alongside TCR stalwart Pepe Oriola and Brit James Nash.
- Icarus Motorsport will be the first American team to take on TCR when Duncan Ende hits the track in his SEAT León at the weekend.
- Ferenc Ficza is returning to TCR International, initially with Zele Racing for the first two meetings before the young Hungarian moves to Zengő Motorsport and KIA machinery from Spa-Francorchamps onwards.
Timetable
Whilst there is unofficial testing on Friday, the real track action takes place the following day. The TCR International Series will have two practice sessions on the Saturday followed by a two-part qualifying session, before two action-packed races on the Sunday. Times, in both local time zone and BST/CEST, are detailed below:
| Day | Time (BST / CEST) | Session |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 09:55 (06:55 / 07:55) | Free Practice 1 |
| Saturday | 12:05 (09:05 / 10:05) | Free Practice 2 |
| Saturday | 14:55 (11:55 / 12:55) | Qualifying |
| Sunday | 13:23 (10:23 / 11:23) | Round 1 |
| Sunday | 15:28 (12:28 / 13:28) | Round 2 |
Lap records
To be determined. The circuit length is 4.140 km and features a mixture of slow and medium-speed corners – expect a time around 1 minute 45 seconds.
From the paddock – Andrew Abbott
It’s all change in the TCR International Series for 2017, with key drivers moving teams and some new ones entering the mix.
However, don’t expect there to be many changes at the front of the field. Comini is at the wheel of Audi Sport’s RS3, which is unlikely to be far off the pace given the experience behind the car in Ingolstadt.
Craft-Bamboo Racing should once again be right on the money, and the Anglo-Hong Kong team have not only experience but consistency on their side. New recruit Valente is likely to push the team even closer to the front of the field on a regular basis.
In Colciago, M1RA have a proven TCR race winner at an international level, and experience to boot. The Italian is likely to be the only new contender for the overall title honours.
Of course, Morbidelli will once again be one to watch, but WestCoast Racing have a new car to get to grips with in the updated Volkswagen Motorsport Golf GTi.
None of the field know the Rustavi International Motopark, except Davit Kajaia of course, and so there could be a few surprise come race day on Sunday, with the circuit likely to be a great leveller in the field.
With a new track, a new car in the Audi, new teams and new drivers, the TCR International Series finds itself in a good position ahead of what is likely to be the best season yet in the fledgling championship.
How to watch it
Georgia’s first-ever international motorsport will be streamed live online, as usual, to viewers of all of the usual TCR streams, either at www.tcr-series.tv or at the official YouTube page.