The new TCR DSG Europe Touring Car Series kicks off in just under two months at the Misano circuit in Italy, and the new series aims to capitalise on its low-cost model and exciting race format in 2020.

The five-round series starts at Misano on August 9th, before continuing to Brno, Mugello, Monza and Barcelona.
The series is promoted by the same organisation behind the highly successful TCR Europe Touring Car Series, and caters for longer distance races. With two drivers per car, it’s immediately one of cheapest, high-profile championships for aspiring touring car drivers looking to further their career.

“The DSG endurance series makes use of the success of the DSG-class cars, and from the success of the series they launched in Italy last year,” said Paulo Ferreira, the series’ promoter.

“If you look at the level in terms of costs compared to the TCR Europe series, with the endurance series, and with its DSG cars, you’re looking at a budget of around 50-60% of that right from the start, and then from the drivers’ perspective, with two drivers sharing, that’s immediately another 50% ‘discount’.”

The series will share its framework for four of the five rounds with the Italian DSG championship, and could look to compete alongside its sprint-race focussed sibling the TCR Europe series in the following years.

“In the future, we could share the same circuits with TCR Europe, and then with the TCR DSG Europe endurance series racing together, we can start to share a lot of things,” said Ferreira.

“That would mean that one team could be involved in both series - running two, three or four cars in each. And from an organisational standpoint, we can share our structure, the staff, the race director etc. which will help us to grow the series.”

With entry restricted to the cars which were the cornerstone of the TCR concept, the Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG)-equipped Volkswagen Group cars, the Cupra TCR, the Golf GTI, and the Audi RS 3 LMS, this will allow teams to compete on equal terms with the most cost effective TCR cars in circulation.

“There are a lot of these first generation of TCR cars out there with the DSG in Europe,” he explains.

“Part of what we’re looking to do with the TCR DSG Europe series is give the teams with those cars the chance to race them in a strong, European, regional series.

“By doing this, we improve the market value for these cars, as well as enhance the opportunities for the teams and drivers.”

Picture: ACI Sport