TCR World and life

31 European-focussed series will appeal the various teams which still maintain and compete with their DSG-equipped touring cars across the region. “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.” A connoisseur of motorsport, Ferreira reflects on touring car racing’s prestigious history, particularly the 1980s exceptional Group A period, when the top tier of touring car racing globally was the popular European Touring Car Championship, where races were often set at 500km or four hours. “In the past, if you look at the European Touring Car Championship, it used to be all about endurance racing, while sprint races were popular in the national championships,” Ferreira reminisces. “Now, all the top touring car championships are sprint series, while in the national championships we have a lot of endurance racing, so it’s gone the other way. We don’t want to change it again though. What we’d like to have is both, and I believe it’s possible. I believe that with the European market as it is, we can grow with both sprint races and endurance races, racing with the same cars, and with a different product on the same circuits.” The first round of the brand new TCR DSG Europe endurance series takes place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on August 9th.