WTCR SCHEDULE ADDS THREE NEW VENUES
The FIA World Touring Car Cup has released a revised schedule for the rest of 2021, replacing its Asian leg with three new European venues.
Rounds at Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic, Circuit Pau-Arnos in France and Sochi Autodrom in Russia will all make their series debuts to complete the calendar.
WTCR planned to head to Asia for the final three rounds in South Korea, China and Macau, but strict quarantine requirements have quashed those events for season 2021.
In addition to the replacement rounds, the new date of the first WTCR Race of Italy at Adria International Raceway has been confirmed as November 5-7.
The Italian round was scheduled from July 31-August 1 but then postponed to complete circuit adjustment work.
The calendar changes deem WTCR an all-European championship for the second year running but have ensured that a full schedule of 16 races across eight events is maintained.
Head of Eurosport Events Francois Ribeiro was regretful about replacing the Asian events but said there was no alternative.
“Replacing the Asia events on the 2021 calendar was not an easy decision and certainly not something we wanted to do,” Ribeiro said.
“It was the only option on the table in order to protect our stakeholders and give us the best possible chance of delivering the planned 16 races and prolonging what is already proving to be another epic title fight.
“We explored every possibility to keep the Asia events but had to accept delaying our return to Asia for another season was the only course of action open to us.”
President of the FIA Touring Car Commission Alan Gow was supportive of the decisions made to preserve the calendar.
“Given the fluid nature of the pandemic, it was essential to safeguard the calendar as quickly as possible,” Gow said.
“The calendar additions are venues new to world-level touring car racing, with each having its own unique characteristics.
“This provides the drivers and their teams with a fresh challenge and gives the fans something extra to look forward to. We are set for a fascinating second part of the season.”
The first of the new events, the Race of the Czech Republic, will comprise Rounds 9 and 10 over the weekend of October 9-10.
Autodrom Most is 4.212 kilometres in length and is located 70 kilometres north of the Czech capital Prague.
While rounds 11 and 12 will be the first opportunity that French fans have had to see live WTCR action. Many fans are very familiar with the series thanks to reigning WTCR Champion Yann Ehrlacher and fellow French race winners Nathanael Berthon, Yvan Muller and Jean-Karl Vernay.
The French event is confirmed for October 16-17.
Russia’s Sochi Olympic Park will host the season finale from November 27-28, the same track that made history in 2014 as the first Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix venue.
Vernay currently sits atop the season standings on 82 points, ahead of Ehrlacher and Muller.
Before the newly announced rounds, WTCR returns for the Race of Hungary from August 21-22.
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