2012 World Touring Car Championship season

The World Touring Car Championship 2012 was the ninth season of the World Touring Car Championship ( WTCC) and the eighth since the re- start of the series in 2005. It began on March 11 in Monza and ended on November 18 in Macau. There were 24 races held over 12 race weekends.

2.1 Changes to the drivers
2.2 Change in manufacturers
2.3 Changes the teams

4.1 Drivers' Championship
4.2 Manufacturers' Championship
4.3 Yokohama Drivers' Championship

Rule Changes

Sporting changes

The qualifying was modified. There were still held two qualifying segments. In the first section, the twelve fastest drivers qualified for the second part of qualifying. The five fastest drivers in this segment were awarded points according to the scheme 5-4-3-2-1. The starting grid of the first race was due to the result of the session. The second race started the first ten pilots from the second qualifying session in reverse order.

Technical changes

In the 2012 season only allowed 1.6 -liter turbo engines are used. An engine change during the season was prohibited. In case of accidents exceptions could be made. In an engine change, the vehicle was moved to the end of the field. During the season, six turbo units were allowed to be used. Again, the non-observance of the rule was sanctioned with a disciplinary transfer to the back of the grid.

Each pilot received 16 new Yokohama tires in his first season participation. From the second event, he was allowed to use 20 tires, of which more than 12 were new. In addition, each driver per race weekend were 16 rain tires.

Teams and Drivers

Changes in drivers

The following list contains all the drivers who took part in the World Touring Car Championship in 2011 and did not start in the 2012 season for the same team as in 2011.

Drivers who have changed their team:

Alexei Dudukalo: Sunred → Lukoil Racing Team
Michel Nykjær: Sunred → bamboo -engineering
Darryl O'Young: bamboo -engineering → Special Tuning Racing
Filipe de Souza: Corsa Motorsport → China Dragon Racing
Gabriele Tarquini: Sunred → Lukoil Racing Team
Colin Turkington: Wiechers - Sport team → Aviva Cofco

Driver who went and returned to the World Touring Car Championship:

Célio Alves Dias: ? → China Dragon Racing
Andrea Barlesi: Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (OAK Racing) → SUNRED Engineering
Tom Boardman: British Touring Car Championship ( Special Tuning Racing) → Special Tuning Racing
Alberto Cerqui: Superstars Series ( Team BMW Italia ) → ROAL Motorsport
Tom Chilton: British Touring Car Championship (Team Aon ) → Arena Motorsport
Henry Ho:? → Five Auto Racing Team
Robb Holland: SCCA World Challenge → bamboo -engineering
Eurico de Jesus? → Five Auto Racing Team
Eric Kwong: Hong Kong Touring Car Championship → Look Fong Racing Team
Kelvin Leong: Macau Touring Car Championship → Song Veng Racing Team
Alex Liu: Macau Touring Car Championship → Liqui Moly Team Engstler
Alex MacDowall: British Touring Car Championship ( Silverline Chevrolet ) → bamboo -engineering
Rene Munnich: break → Special Tuning Racing
Fernando Monje: European F3 Open ( DRIVEX ) → SUNRED Engineering
James Nash: British Touring Car Championship (888 Racing with Collins Contractors) → Arena Motorsport
Kin Veng Ng: Macau Touring Car Championship → China Dragon Racing
Rickard Rydell: Scandinavian Touring Car Championship ( Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden) → Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden
Pasquale di Sabatino: Auto GP ( TP Formula ) → bamboo -engineering
Felice Tedeschi: Superstars Series (Roma Racing Team) → Proteam Racing
James Thompson: Scandinavian Touring Car Championship ( Polestar Racing) → TMS Sports
Isaac Tutumlu: Superstars Series ( Campos Racing) → Proteam Racing
Hugo Valente: Karting → SUNRED Engineering
Gábor Wéber: German SEAT Leon Supercopa (TAC Race Solutions) → Zengo Motorsport

Drivers who do not have a contract for a race seat in 2012:

Toshihiro Arai
Cacá Bueno
Robert Dahlgren
Fabio Fabiani
Io Keong Kuok

Kristian Poulsen
David Sigacev
Urs Sonderegger
Yukinori Taniguchi
Javier Villa

Changes in the manufacturer

Ford, Honda and Lada went into the WTCC.
Volvo withdrew after one season in the WTCC.

Changes the teams

Arena Motorsport took 2012 with the Ford Focus 1.6T part in the WTCC.
Special Tuning Racing rose for the 2012 season with two SEAT Leon 1.6T in the WTCC one.
TMS Sport occurred in two races with a Lada Granta.
Honda rose during the season with JAS Motorsport as the race team in the WTCC one.
NIKA Racing went as Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden with two Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T in some WTCC race of the season at the start.
Volvo and Polestar Racing race team withdrew after one season in the WTCC.

Race Calendar

The race calendar of the FIA World Touring Car Championship 2012 was released on December 7, 2011. The races in Belgium, Germany, Great Britain and the Czech Republic found in 2012 no longer takes place. Instead, took place for the first time WTCC races in Austria, Slovakia and the United States. In Austria, was driven on the Salzburg ring. Scene of the American race was the Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on the 2012 events also took place the IndyCar Series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup. In addition, the Moroccan race returned to Marrakech back in the racing calendar. In addition, initially a race in Argentina was planned. However, this was canceled in January. For the Argentine racing was chosen as the replacement venue for the Slovakiaring in Slovakia.

There were also changes the racetracks. The Portuguese race no longer found on the temporary street circuits Circuito da Boavista in Porto instead. As new circuit, first the Estoril Circuit was announced. Shortly before the start of the season, however, the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve was announced as the venue for the Portuguese. The Chinese race moved from Shanghai Tianma Circuit Shanghai in the Shanghai International Circuit.

The order of the race was unchanged compared to the previous year. First of all the races in Europe and the Moroccan races took place in North Africa. Then there was ever a race in South and North America. The end of the season formed, as in the previous season, three races in Asia. With this division of the series wanted to avoid scheduling conflicts with the European Football Championship 2012 ( June 8-July 1 ) and with the 2012 Olympic Games ( July 27-August 12 ).

World Cup Scores

Drivers' championship

World Champion was one driver who has accumulated up to the end of the season the most points in the drivers' standings. The distribution of points for the drivers' championship, the placements were included in the overall results of each race. The ten top-ranked riders in each race were awarded points according to the following scheme:

In addition, points are awarded to the first five pilots according to the scheme 5-4-3-2-1 for qualifying.

Manufacturers' Championship

Manufacturer World Champion was one manufacturer that has accumulated up to the end of the season the most points in the Manufacturers' Championship. The distribution of points for the Manufacturers' Championship, only the top two vehicles of the manufacturer were included in the overall results of each race. Your points were added up and were included in the manufacturers' standings. All worse -placed vehicles of the manufacturer were to read "invisible". In awarding points placed behind the vehicles of other manufacturers moved on. The recognized by this regulation vehicles were awarded points according to the following scheme:

In addition, points are awarded to the first five pilots according to the scheme 5-4-3-2-1 for qualifying.

Yokohama Drivers' Championship

In the Yokohama Trophy only drivers were conducted, which were classified as " privateers ". The distribution of points for the Yokohama Trophy, the rankings have been considered among the participants of the Yokohama Trophy of the respective race. As a special feature in each case there was a bonus point for pole position ( only first races per race weekend ) and the fastest lap among the participants of the Yokohama Trophy. It was also awarded double points at the Guia Race in Macau as the season finale for the rankings among the participants of the Yokohama Trophy. The eight placed first in the ranking of the Yokohama Trophy driver each race were awarded points according to the following scheme:

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