European Touring Car Championship
The European Touring Car Championship ( FIA European Touring Car Championship ETCC short ) was held from 2001 to 2004 by the FIA . Since 2005, running under the acronym of the ETCC European Touring Car Cup.
- 2.1 1963-1988
- 2.2 2001-2004
History
1963-1988
She had a name same precursor, a championship, which took place from 1963 to 1988 and in the 1970s had its peak. She was discharged in the early days even with large sedans like the Mercedes- Benz 300SE, later with eg BMW coupe. In Germany, the German Racing Championship was a pendant.
2001
In 2001, the FIA wrote back from a European championship for touring cars. The year before there was the Euro -STC Cup, which was organized by Italy and emerged from the Italian Superturismo Championship. 2001 then became an official FIA championship of the Cup status. The first year of the new EM should act as a transition year. They drove as part of the Super Racing Weekend separated races in two distinguished classes. For the first year known regulations were applied. For one thing, in continuing from the Italian Championship Class 2 Regulations of the Super Touring Car (STC ), which was in most national racing series now expired. Secondly, we used the very near-series Super Production Regulations (SPC ), which was very similar to the German DTC rules. The STC pilot drove two races over 50 km, in which the starting grid for the second race each in reverse order of the result of race one. In contrast, the SPC pilots drove a race over 70 km.
Development of the Super 2000 regulations
During the 2001 season, they worked with the participating manufacturers at a uniform regulations for the following year. The result was the new Super 2000 regulations. These regulations were first BMW was a rejection, because in contrast to the SPC Regulations, which for the most part the use of standard parts dictates the Super 2000 regulations allow more design freedom. The development and vehicle costs were too high BMW. We only planned therefore the field of Super 2000 cars with Superproduction replenish cars (SPC). But then made the FIA BMW a few concessions: These include a conventional H- gear was prescribed as opposed to sequential gearbox. However, these transmissions were allowed again in 2003. For Volvo and Prodrive, who were at that time very far with the development of the new Volvo S60, was partly to start all over again. They had, for example, extra- develop an H - gear for the 2002 season.
The sporty sequence at the European Championships was the STC aligned. They drove two runs over 50 km, but now were on the grid for race 2, only the first eight points of the first run entitled vice versa.
2002
The first season with the new regulations were dominated at the beginning of Alfa Romeo. Therefore, we modified the middle of the season, the rules slightly to provide more balance. Thus, the 30 - pound weight advantage of the front-wheel drive was ( inter alia Alfa Romeo and Volvo) abolished over the rear-wheel drive BMW. The new base weight for all was 1155 kg. It was of the opinion that with modern front-wheel drive differentials are actually not bad on the race track as rear-wheel drive. While the speed limit on four-cylinder cars like Alfa remained persist at 8,500 rpm, were allowed to rotate significantly higher from then on five- and six-cylinder BMW with 8,750 or 9000/min. In addition, the new regulations provided for additional weights for the three top point of a race weekend that had to be " dragged " in the next two races then. On Title of Alfa Romeo Fabrizio Giovanardi this pilot was able to change anything, but Jörg Müller was able to secure the runner-up in the BMW.
2003
After just one season, which is carried out jointly with the British racing forged Prodrive EM project of Volvo History: The continuation remembered how to participate in the STCC, for financial reasons, although you certainly could keep up with Alfa and BMW on the track in 2002. However, with the Italian ART team, the inserts of the Volvo S60 were continued private. With Rickard Rydell and the driver from the previous year remained.
For the 2003 season, but announced a new factory team, so still 3 working teams were represented in the EM. The Spanish VW subsidiary Seat returned in 2003 with two Toledo in the international sports back. They were piloted by the German Frank Diefenbacher and the Spanish Jordi Gené, who moved from BMW to Seat Sport.
Another spectacular change occurred between the 2002 champion Fabrizio Giovanardi, who moved from Alfa Romeo to BMW, and thus also of a front-wheel drive to a rear-wheel drive. However, he experienced there in the team of Roberto Ravaglia a very difficult year in 2003 with little success, especially in comparison to his fellow. In the footsteps of Fabrizio Giovanardi Gabriele Tarquini rose, again took the 2003 Championship in an Alfa Romeo. Seat was in his first season and a highlight translated. Frank Diefenbacher took the German race in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben for the first podium for the Spanish.
Another season highlight was the guest start by Alessandro Zanardi to the final in Monza. It was the return to the active motor sports for the two-time Champ Car champion, who had lost both legs in a horrific crash in September 2001 at the Euro Speedway Lausitz! In a specially Ravaglia Motorsport 320i converted for him, he tested earlier in the course of the season.
During the 2003 season met an FIA Working Group on diesel vehicles in the European Touring Car Championship to the with Alfa Romeo, BMW, Ford, Honda, Opel, Seat, Volkswagen and Volvo were among eight manufacturers. Until the first diesel-powered touring car recorded a race, but it was not until 2007.
2004
After a disappointing year at BMW Fabrizio Giovanardi returned to Alfa Romeo. His place in the BMW team of Roberto Ravaglia took a Alessandro Zanardi, who now played the entire season in touring car. After the withdrawal of Volvo from the EM, and the modest 2003 in ART, Rickard Rydell changed after ten years at Volvo Seat Sport, there to be driven by another Toledo.
Several partly private house developments could be seen in this season: Since one this year on the Super Ground surrounded Regulations 2000 in the German DPM, there is the Ford Focus ST has been adapted to the new regulations. The Team RS- Line put such a focus in the EM. Since it is not a pure Super 2000 touring car acted, and it therefore launched only with a special permit, they found Sebastian Grunert, Roland Asch and Thomas Klenke usually only in the back of the field again. For the set of the Danish Peugeot Sport team Peugeot 307 it ran much better, while Alessandro Balzan could ride in the JAS Honda Accord in the Independent Trophy front.
The championship went into this season for the first time at BMW. At the finals in Dubai Andy Priaulx, Dirk Müller to equalize the residue. Since there was a tie, the title went to Andy Priaulx, because he had more with five wins than Dirk Muller who won only three times. This should also be the last time being European Touring Car Championship.
On 30 June 2004 decided in Paris in the automotive world governing body (FIA ) World Touring Car Championship ( ETCC ) from 2005 in a World Championship (WTCC ) to convert. Thus, for the FIA World Touring Car and events in Asia and America in 2005 took place.
The following car brands were represented in 2004: Alfa Romeo, BMW, Ford, Honda, Peugeot, Seat
Timeline and transition to the WTCC
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