ETCR Targeting North American, Euro Series in 2022

ETCR LAUNCH EVENT

WSC Group is planning to debut additional regional ETCR championships alongside Pure ETCR in 2022 but won’t rush the process, according to its president Marcello Lotti.

The company has already made public its plans to grow the ETCR platform in a similar manner to TCR, using Pure ETCR as a top-tier series similar to FIA WTCR, with regional and national championships operating below it.

Eurosports Events is the promoter of both Pure ETCR and FIA WTCR, while WSC Group owns the technical concept and is in charge for the ETCR platform itself.

Lotti says expansion down the ‘pyramid’ is still very much planned, but the Italian has cautioned that this won’t be rushed into while Pure ETCR is still getting established.

“Now we have Pure ETCR, that is the icing on the cake, but we are already working on building the rest of the pyramid,” he said.

“We are currently receiving requests from several promoters, most of them already involved in TCR activities, who want to organise ETCR events in their own countries.

“In the beginning we will give priority to those regions that are of special interest for the manufacturers; in this respect, considering the promoters that have already signed a commitment, our ideal timeline includes launching ETCR series in North America, Asia and Northern Europe from 2022.

“We will announce the first deals from September this year.

“As we wanted to follow the same path and establish a world series to launch ETCR on a global scale, it was the logical choice to license the rights to Eurosport Events, a strong media partner that has the potential to promote it the way we wish, placing Pure ETCR on the top of the ETCR pyramid we are building.”

The development of Pure ETCR, which was announced last month and is scheduled to get underway this summer for the first of six events in a 2020 demo season, remains the top priority, according to Lotti.

He also says that the unique characteristics of racing electric cars make it important to proceed steadily to ensure regional promoters are well-equipped to host ETCR series.

“We are all well aware that compared to a normal race meeting for thermal-engined cars, ETCR – like all the events for electric vehicles – requires a different approach in a lot of aspects, such as safety regulations, preparation of the track, staff formation and so on,” Lotti explained.

“Which is the reason why we don’t want to rush; on the contrary, we adopt a scrupulous approach in the diffusion of the regional and nationals series.”

The FIA currently has no involvement in the ETCR platform, although the global WTCR series is certified by the international body.

Lotti and senior figures at Eurosport Events have both confirmed interest to work with the FIA on ETCR.

“We are pleased with our current cooperation with the FIA for the TCR platform and we are in negotiations to extend it to the TCR regional series,” Lotti said.

“There is therefore the intention to enter into discussion for a possible cooperation on ETCR.”

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.