Discover the thrills of car racing

• What is Formula 1?
• Indy Racing League
• Touring car racing
• Stock car racing

Touring car racing Touring car racing is a general term for marques.[citation needed] a number of distinct auto racing competitions in heavily-modified street Germany cars. It is notably popular in Britain, Since 1997, and nowadays still on the Germany, Scandinavia, and Australia. over 20 km long famous old Nurburgring, in average over 150 touring cars compete Characteristics of a touring car in the VLN series of ten typically 4 While rules vary from country to hour long races. Cars range from old 100 country, most series require that the hp road legal compacts to 500 hp Porsche competitors start with a standard body 996 and even modified DTM cars (1250 shell, but virtually every other kg). Most entrants of the 24 Hours component is allowed to be heavily Nurburgring collect experience here. modified for racing, including engines, suspension, brakes, wheels and tyres. Australia/New Zealand/China/Bahrain Wings are usually added to the front and Formerly the Australian Touring Car rear of the cars. Regulations are Championship. The current formula was usually designed to limit costs by devised in 1993 and branded at 'V8 banning some of the more exotic Supercars' in 1997. The series features technologies available (for instance, grids of 31 650+ hp (480 kW) Ford many series insist on a "control tyre" Falcons and Holden Commodores. The that all competitors must use) and keep weight limit for a V8 Supercar is the racing close (sometimes by a "lead 1350kg. At one time the cars were billed trophy" where winning a race requires as the "biggest, heaviest, fastest and the winner's car to be heavier for most powerful" of all touring cars. In subsequent races). In this, it shares terms of outright power, size and weight some similarity with the American NASCAR this likely still true however DTM series, but raced exclusively on road vehicles are probably faster around a courses and street circuits rather than track. However, V8 Supercars provide the the American series' primarily oval closest racing of any touring car tracks. category, with the top 20 usually Whilst not nearly as fast as Formula qualifying within 1 second of one One, the similarity of the cars both to another! each other and to fans' own vehicles The race cars themselves are derived makes for entertaining, well-supported from production bodyshells and panels, racing. The lesser impact of which are used rather than space-frame aerodynamics also means that following chassis. Both Holden and Ford have cars have a much easier time of passing factory backed teams and invest heavily than F1, and the more substantial bodies in the sport. of the cars makes the occasional nudging As the series has grown, major for overtaking much more acceptable as international motorsport groups have part of racing. involved themselves. Several teams now As well as short "sprint" races, many benefit from the involvement of Tom touring car series include one or more Walkinshaw, Triple 8 Engineering and "endurance" races, which last anything Prodrive. Also, in 2005 the Championship from 3 to 24 hours and are a test of had its first non Australian/NZ round, reliability and pit crews as much as car held at the Shanghai Grand Prix Circuit. and driver speed. This was followed in 2006 with a multi year deal to compete at the Bahrain Differences between touring cars and Grand Prix Circuit. The growth of the sports cars series has seen motorsport become equal For the casual observer, there can be a with Rugby, as Australia's 3rd most great deal of confusion when it comes to watched sport. classifying closed-wheel racing cars as Due to its close, high intensity racing, 'touring cars' or 'sports cars' (also V8 Supercars can lay claim to providing known as GT cars). In truth, there is the best Touring Car category in the often very little technical difference world. between the two classifications, and V8 Supercar Championship Series nomenclature is often a matter of incorporates the famous Bathurst 1000 in tradition. the championship. Drivers are paired up In general, however, touring cars are for the big 'enduro', and it is weighted based upon 4-door 'family' sedans or, equally to the championship points more rarely, 2-door coupe cars, while GT Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series, home of racing cars are based upon more exotic up-and-coming drivers hoping to break vehicles, such as Ferraris or into the main game as well as loyal Lamborghinis. Underneath the bodywork, a privateers. Touring Car is often more closely related to its road-going origins, using British Touring Car Championship many original components and mountings, United Kingdom/Republic of Ireland while a top-flight GT car is often a The British Touring Car Championship purpose-built tube-frame racing chassis (BTCC), currently competes at nine underneath a cosmetic bodyshell. Many circuits in the UK and Republic of Touring Car series, such as the BTCC and Ireland, with cars built either to BTCC the now-defunct JTCC distinguish or European Touring Car Championship themselves from sports-car racing by (ETCC) specification, with ballast being featuring front-wheel drive, four-wheel used to equalise the two types. Cars are drive and rear-wheel drive cars with 2.0 Litre saloons with around 270 bhp smaller engines. and can be Front wheel drive,4 wheel However, while in general Touring Cars drive or Rear wheel drive. There are have a lower technical level than sports currently only two manufacturer teams cars, there are notable exceptions to (Vauxhall, who run Astras built to BTCC the rule. The Deutsche Tourenwagen rules, and SEAT, who enter "Super Masters (DTM) is considered to be one of 2000"-spec Leons) although because BTCC the most technologically advanced racing budgets have been kept relatively low series in the world, with cars that, there is a strong independent and underneath their four-door shells, are privateer presence in the championship. more purebred racing machines than most Manufacturers represented by privateers FIA-GT vehicles. include Vauxhall, Honda, Lexus, BMW, Peugeot, Alfa Romeo and MG. DTM Prior to 2001 the BTCC was contested by Germany/Europe cars built to 2.0 litre supertouring The DTM series, the initials standing regulations and had in its heyday up to for Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft 9 different manufacturers. It was until 1996, then following a hiatus, considered to be the best touring car revived as Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters championship in the world, as stated by in 2000, features advanced purpose built Joachim Winkelhock on several occasions, V8-powered space frame machines, covered and many of champions of that era now with carbon fibre bodyshapes resemblant race in the World Touring Car of the manufacturers' road machine. In Championship (WTCC). order to lower costs, the engine power is limited to 470 hp, and transmissions, World Touring Car Championship brakes and tyres (Dunlop) are standard Worldwide parts for all. Also, dimension and Modern World Touring Car Championship aerodynamics are equalized. The approx. (WTCC) started in 2005, replacing the 1050 kg light DTM cars corner incredibly old European Touring Car Championship. quickly and wear spectacular bodykits It is generally considered to be the incorporating huge wheel arches and most prestigious touring car diffusors. championship in the world. Easily Europe's premier series, DTM Running at major international racing features many ex-F1 drivers like Jean facilities, this series is heavily Alesi, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and supported by BMW, Alfa Romeo and SEAT, especially Mika Hakkinen since the 2005. with Ford, Chevrolet and Honda also The European locale makes this series showing limited support. It features 2L appealing for aspiring drivers, who cars built to Super 2000 regulations didn't quite make F1, as they compete based of FIA Group N. alongside legends of the sport. Following the trend of recent FIA rules, More than 20 works-backed entries of cost control is a major theme in the Opel Vectra GTS, Audi A4 and technical regulation. Engines are Mercedes-Benz C-Class contested the 2005 limited to 2000 cc. Many technologies DTM series. Opel will not return in that have featured in production cars 2006, though, as GM has to cut costs. are not allowed, for example variable This puts the whole series in jeopardy valve timing, variable intake geometry, for 2007 as TV contracts ask for 3 ABS brakes and traction control. 1 A B C D 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108