TouringCars.net understands that negotiations are ongoing between the FIA and WSC, promoters of TCR, concerning a deal that could see their regulations applied to a re-branded world series in 2018.
The negotiations include the third party of Eurosport, who promote the WTCC, and an agreement has yet to be reached between the trio.
It is rumoured the result will be a re-branded ‘WTCR’ series. The agreement to lease the regulations, which would run for two years to cover the 2018 and 2019 seasons, also restricts manufacturer involvement as is currently the case in TCR.
TCR’s regional activities, including the highly-anticipated UK series set to debut on domestic shores in 2018, remain unaffected and will progress as normal.
The deal protects the interests of both the championship’s regulations and teams, with many likely to make a direct transfer across to the new series.
WTCC promoter Eurosport has been seeking an alternative technical ruleset for the future, following the sudden withdrawal of factory teams Citroën, for whom the current TC1 rule implementation was accelerated, and LADA at the end of 2016.
Official comment from both parties is expected to follow in the coming days once agreements have been formalised and signed.
No offical comment was available at the time of writing from either WSC, the FIA or Eurosport.