AutoAction
FREE DIGITAL MAGAZINE SIGN UP

TRIPLE 8 BOSS SLAMS TCR HANDICAPS

Triple Eight boss slams TCR handicaps - Photo: Supplied

By Bruce Williams

Triple Eight boss slams TCR handicaps - Photo: Supplied

Triple Eight boss slams TCR handicaps – Photo: Supplied

TRIPLE Eight boss Roland Dane has expressed his dislike for the way performance handicapping is carried out in TCR, but has admitted his team would get involved in the new touring car category if it made business sense.

By BRUCE NEWTON

“We’re pragmatists here, I’d never rule it out,” Dane told Auto Action.

Launched in Australia this year by the Australian Racing Group, TCR is a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol front-wheel drive hot hatch formula that has been adopted globally.

TCR is managed by World Sporting Consulting Ltd, which is run by Italian Marciello Lotti, the founder of the category.

WSC devises global Balance of Performance numbers for all brands of vehicles entered in the category by applying ballast over and above the minimum weight limit, regulating turbocharger boost and adjusting ride height.

But on top of that WSC also allocates additional compensation weight up to 60kg to each brand of vehicle contesting each specific TCR series.

“TCR are all front-wheel drive, they are all four-cylinder turbocharged engines give or take a couple of hundred ccs and if they were doing their job properly in that formula they wouldn’t need Balance of Performance,” Dane said.

Dane said the BoP challenge for TCR was much simpler than GT3 sports cars, in which Triple Eight now competes in Asia in addition to its traditional Australian Supercars championship commitments.

“They are trying to encompass so many different sorts of car they need something along the lines of BoP that’s been developed by SRO (Stephane Ratel Organisation). If you look at that, it’s now been developed so much over the years it isn’t chopped and changed all the time.”

“It’s not being made up as you go along, whereas the TCR stuff is being made up as you go along. It’s clearly not very scientific, it’s reactionary.”

Dane’s primary concern is that teams and drivers in a specific TCR series are potentially being given an advantage for being uncompetitive, when other teams and drivers are doing a better job with the same car in a different series.

“It’s up and down like a yo-yo,” he said. “Maybe that driver driving that Hyundai is doing a poor job, maybe the team is doing a poor job. They shouldn’t get a leg-up for that.”

Ironically, Lotti himself told AA earlier this year (issue 1764) he was “not convinced” about compensation weight.

TCR Australia is back in action this weekend with Round 5 at Winton Raceway.

For more of the latest TCR Australia news pick up the current issue of Auto Action. Also make sure you follow us on social media FacebookTwitter, Instagram or our weekly email newsletter for all the latest updates between issues.