Category | Touring cars |
---|---|
Region | International |
Inaugural season | 1987 |
Drivers | 25 (2015) |
Teams | 11 (2015) |
Constructors | |
Engine suppliers | 1.6 litre Turbocharged |
Tyre suppliers | Yokohama |
Drivers' champion | José María López |
Teams' champion | ROAL Motorsport (Independent trophy) |
Makes' champion | Citroën |
Official website | fiawtcc.com |
Current season |
The FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) is an international touring car championship sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations over the years, including a single season in 1987, a World Touring Car Cup held between 1993 and 1995 and most recently a world championship that has run since 2005. Citroën Total driver José María López from Argentina is the 2016 WTCC reigning champion.
The first World Touring Car Championship, which was open to Group A Touring Cars, was held in 1987 concurrent to the long-running European Touring Car Championship (ETCC). Additional rounds were held outside Europe at Bathurst and Calder Park Raceway in Australia (Calder used a combined circuit of the road course and the then newly constructed NASCAR speedway), Wellington in New Zealand and Mount Fuji in Japan. The Championship was well-supported by the factory European teams of Ford, BMW and Alfa Romeo (until Alfa withdrew following the European races), but was embroiled in controversy. Unfortunately, the leading BMW Motorsport teams and the Ford Europe backed Eggenberger Motorsport had developed a situation of "you don't protest us, we won't protest you". While this worked well in the European races, when the championship landed in Australia the local teams took exception to the Europeans somewhat liberal interpretation of the Group A rules. Subsequently, the Eggenberger cars were protested against and eventually disqualified from the Bathurst 1000 results.