Touring car racing

Characteristics

Touring car racing began in the mid twentieth century as a long-format competition on public roads between towns, with cars crewed by a driver and a mechanic carrying tools and spares. This legacy is seen in modern touring and GT cars, where the driver sits offset from the centreline and space for a second seat remains, though rarely fitted. Rules vary by country and series, but most require a standard car body while allowing heavy modification of components such as engines, suspension, brakes, wheels, and tires.

Aerodynamic aids may be added to the front and rear. Regulations aim to limit costs by banning exotic technologies, for example through control tires, and to keep racing close, sometimes by adding ballast weight to winning cars. Touring cars share similarity with American stock car racing, as both are notionally derived from production cars, though NASCAR has moved to a custom platform. Touring car racing is also called saloon car racing.

Series of competition

The modern World Touring Car Championship started in 2005, evolving from the reborn European Touring Car Championship. It merged with the TCR International Series to become the World Touring Car Cup from 2018, and was replaced by the TCR World Tour in 2023. The series runs at major international facilities and is supported by BMW, SEAT, and Chevrolet, with Chevrolet fielding a works team while the others sell racing kits. Volvo entered in 2011 with a one-car team.

The championship features 1.6-litre cars built to Super 2000 regulations based on FIA Group N, with cost control a major theme. In 2011 engine capacity switched from 2000 cc to 1600 cc turbo engines, though cars with old 2000 cc engines remain eligible. Technologies such as variable valve timing, variable intake geometry, ABS braking, and traction control are not allowed. The British Touring Car Championship competes at nine UK circuits with Next Generation Touring Car specification cars, using ballast to equalise performance.

Cars are 2.0-litre saloons, station wagons, and hatchbacks with over 350 bhp, and can be front or rear-wheel drive. Manufacturer entries in 2016 came from BMW, Subaru, MG, and Honda, with a strong independent and privateer presence.

Other series

Numerous touring car series exist worldwide. The TC 2000 Championship has run since 1979. The TC America Series, during the SpeedVision/Speed Channel era, featured lower-performance vehicles modified to a degree similar to grand touring cars; after becoming a BMW–Mazda–Acura affair, it was reformatted to include a new touring car class and later a B-Spec group, and after acquisition by SRO it was separated from World Challenge. Other series include the Canadian Touring Car Championship (2007–present), Costa Rica Touring Car Championship, CDCC Dominican National Championship, U.S. Touring Car Championship, Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (1997–present), Stock Car Brasil (1979–present), TCR Brazil Touring Car Championship, American Touring Car Championship (2009–present), Copa Petrobras de Marcas, ADAC Procar Series (Germany, 1995–2017), Renault Eurocup Mégane Trophy, European Touring Car Cup (2005–present), Baltic Touring Car Championship, Finnish Touring Car Championship (1987–present), Irish Touring Car Championship, Portuguese Touring Car Championship, Russian Touring Car Championship, Cruze Cup, Super GT (1993–present), Hong Kong Touring Car Championship (2002–present), Philippine Touring Car Championship, China Touring Car Championship, Macau Touring Car Championship, Malaysia Championship Series (2014–present), Thailand Super Series (2013–present), NZ Touring Cars, Super2 Series (2000–present), Super3 Series (2008–2025), Touring Car Masters (2007–present), Saturday Night Fever Challenge Series (Malaysia), Volkswagen Vento Cup India (2011–present), and South African Touring Cars (2016–present).

Historical series include the old World Touring Car Championship (Group A, 1987), Germany's former DTC (adopted ETCC rules in 2004), Asian Touring Car Championship (2000–2002, 2005–2011), Benelux Racing League (2004–2009), Belgian Touring Car Series (last season 2011), Australian Super Touring Championship (1993–2001), Japanese Touring Car Championship (1994–1998), and Super Tourenwagen Cup (1994–1999).