This weekend sees the start of the FIA TCR World Tour season with its only round in Europe, as 20 drivers taken on the Vallelunga circuit in Italy, 11 of which are TCR World Tour entries.
Granted FIA status for its second season, the new pinnacle of World Touring Car racing returns to Vallelunga, where it also raced in 2023.
Five different manufacturers (Hyundai, Honda, Lynk & Co, Audi and Opel) will be represented at the opening round, although it is notable that there is no entry from a CUPRA team, as was the case in 2023, despite the manufacturer releasing a new car evolution this year.
Reigning champion Norbert Michelisz continues with Hyundai, which has decided to increase its involvement in an effort to hold on to the title by bringing in Néstor Girolami to partner the Hungarian and Mikel Azcona in a trio of facelifted Hyundai Elantra cars.
However, the Germany-based team will again face fierce competition from the Swedes – Cyan Racing Lynk & Co continues with an unchanged driver line-up of two-time FIA WTCR champion Yann Ehrlacher, 2017 WTCC champion Thed Björk and multiple race winners Santiago Urrutia and Ma Qing Hua.
Cyan Racing has conducted extensive pre-season testing, including at the MotorLand Aragón circuit, to further develop the Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR car which was first introduced last year.
Honda is likely to represent the other main challenger, as the newly-formed, Catalunya-based GOAT Racing team owned by Rubén Fernández and managed by Pepe Oriola enters two Civic Type-R FL5 cars.
The WTCR’s most winning driver, Esteban Guerrieri, will spearhead the campaign, whilst the talented young Italian Marco Butti has been recruited as his team-mate for the 19-year-old’s fourth season of TCR.
Audi, which last year was represented by Comtoyou Racing, will this season be run by Spain-based Volcano Motorsport.
John Filippi, 29, is entering into his 11th season in touring car racing and will continue to race the second-generation Audi. Alongside him is Moroccan Sami Taoufik, 22, who returns to touring car racing after two years away.
Crucially for series promoter WSC, it can boast an increased full-season entry, as two more cars have joined. This has largely been facilitated by Hyundai running an extra car, and a Honda team with two, rather than one, full-time entry. Whilst Comtoyou has left, with the reduction in Audi Sport funding, Volcano has stepped in to ensure the number of RS3s on the grid remains stable.
There is likely to be a noticeable pace difference between the TCR World Tour entries and the cars bolstering the grid numbers this weekend, as the remaining nine grid slots are filled by entries from the Coppa Italia Turismo series.
A mixture of first and second generation TCR cars will be entered. Perhaps the oldest is Philipp Mattersdorfer’s Opel Astra TCR, whilst GRT motorsport enters a first-gen Audi for Giulio Valentini.
Dutchman Tony Verhulst is in a Honda Civic FK7 TCR, and young Italian Jacopo Cimenes is in a newer FL5 Civic.
Reigning champion Sandro Pelatti spearheads the five drivers in second-gen Audis, which includes Turks Demir Eröge and Ramazan Kaya.
Aikoa Racing has two cars for Eröge and Filippo Barberi, who won the endurance title in 2023, whilst Victor Fernández Gil, the brother of GOAT team owner Rubén, is racing in an Aikoa-entered Audi as well.
Practice takes place on Friday, with qualifying at 11:20 CEST on Saturday morning, followed by race one at 17:15 CEST. Race two is on Sunday at 14:25 CEST.
Vallelunga Entry List
* cars with numbers >100 are full-season FIA TCR World Tour entries
| Driver | No. | Team | Car |
 Sandro Pelatti |
1 | PMA Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II |
| Giulio Valentini |
4 | GRT Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR |
 Demir Eröge |
5 | Aikoa Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II |
| Filippo Barberi |
15 | Aikoa Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II |
| Ramazan Kaya |
34 | BF Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II |
 Tony Verhulst |
39 | MM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR |
 Victor Fernández Gil |
41 | Auto Club RC2 Valles | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II |
 Philipp Mattersdorfer |
77 | Duller Motorsport | Opel Astra TCR |
| Jacopo Cimenes |
82 | MM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR |
 Norbert Michelisz |
105 | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR |
 Thed Björk |
111 | Lynk & Co Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR |
 Santiago Urrutia |
112 | Lynk & Co Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR |
 John Filippi |
127 | Volcano Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II |
 Néstor Girolami |
129 | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR |
 Ma Qing Hua |
155 | Lynk & Co Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR |
| Yann Ehrlacher |
168 | Lynk & Co Cyan Racing | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR |
| Esteban Guerrieri |
186 | GOAT Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR |
| Mikel Azcona |
196 | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR |
| Marco Butti |
199 | GOAT Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR |
 Sami Taoufik |
212 | Volcano Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II |