A brand-new calendar for the 2024 TCR World Tour will include visits to Morocco and America, according to WSC Group boss Marcello Lotti.
Speaking to select media at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International, Lotti revealed that the 2024 TCR World Tour calendar will reduce its rounds in Europe and take on more parts of the world, including the Marrakech street circuit in Morocco, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Ohio, America, and more.
The full TCR World Tour calendar will be announced in the coming weeks, with only the two Australian dates at Sydney Motorsport and Bathurst confirmed so far.
This year’s World Tour started with four European circuits, including the world-famous Spa Francorchamps, but the new calendar will see as little as one visit to Europe, creating a truely worldwide schedule.
The Marrakech street circuit is no stranger to touring car racing, having hosted World Touring Car and World TCR rounds from 2009 to 2019.
The track has also hosted Formula E events in recent years.
Other countries set to host TCR World Tour events include two races in Central America, Uruguay, China and Australia.
For the twin Australian races, nine cars from Europe have ventured down under, but Lotti is confident that this number will increase to 12, and possibly a maximum of 16 in the long-term.
“The calendar, I have to tell you, we didn’t publish yet because we await one answer from the our shipping company to understand if it’s possible to change one date,” he told assembled media.
“But we will visit Europe with one event only instead of four like this season, because for this year we were running around to create just calendar in time.
“We want to give a more intercontinental aspect of the calendars.
“We go Europe with one event and after that, we will race in Africa (Morocco).
“There is one TBA at the moment. There are two countries in Central America that are our candidate, we take a decision in seven days on Uruguay, China, Australia.”
Lotti also confirmed a strong chance that the amount of regular TCR World Tour entrants increase in 2024.
“So we are having clearly more serious discussion and at the moment, we believe that we can, we can increase (the amount of cars), two more international brand of cars and there is a limit of 16 cars.
“I have to say today, we believe it will be very easy to reach 12 and probably we go to 16 with the maximum number that we have to plan.”
The penultimate round of the 2023 TCR World Tour will conclude at Mount Panorama today ahead of the final round at the Macau street circuit next week.
Today also marks the final round of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series, with HMO Customer Racing Hyundai duo Bailey Sweeny and Josh Buchan separated by just 15 points with two races remaining.
Source: Speedcafe
