The TCR Concept
Launched in 2014, the TCR concept was introduced by WSC (Word Sport Consulting) Ltd to level up touring car racing on a global scale, providing a platform for customer racing teams to compete at the National, Regional or World Championship Level.
TCR is the leading category for Touring Car racing. It was conceived in 2014 by Marcello Lotti and launched by WSC, which is the owner of the TCR’s name, logo, and technical regulations.
Starting in 2015 with the TCR International Series, the category quickly proliferated across Touring Car racing globally, becoming one of the most successful business cases in motorsport history.
Who are WSC (World Sporting Consulting) Ltd?
World Sport Consulting Ltd. was founded by Marcello Lotti.
Since 2014, the company has been active in car racing as a promoter and rule-maker and has built itself an international reputation by conceiving and launching the TCR category.
WSC (World Sport Consulting) Ltd was founded in 2014 by Marcello Lotti, who had previously masterminded the FIA World and European Touring Car Championships.
WSC is the sole owner and official promoter of the TCR regulations, the exclusive owner of the TCR trademarks and brand, and the only entity authorised to grant TCR homologation to cars that comply with TCR Technical Specifications.
WSC holds exclusive rights to all TCR intellectual property and is the sole authority to deploy licenses to TCR competitions and related activities around the world.
With over 40 licensed TCR championships around the world, a competitor could use their homologated TCR car in any TCR event as long as the championship promoter has been provided with a licence exclusively by WSC Ltd.
TCR – The History
The TCR International Series was the inaugural flagship series, which began as part of the Malaysian Grand Prix support package on 28th March 2015, showcasing what TCR cars could do on the International stage.
During the following seasons, National TCR series began to appear in Germany, Italy and China whilst Regional Series such as TCR Europe and TCR Asia offered a chance for others to race further afield. In the US, Endurance became the popular option for TCR with the founding of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.
In 2018, the FIA World Touring Car Cup – WTCR replaced the TCR International Series as the highest level of TCR competition, with TCR Europe becoming a fully-fledged series and the highest regional level of TCR Competition below WTCR.
With more brands joining the TCR Concept as its momentum increased, there soon became a second-hand car market for TCR cars, allowing for their participation in new countries and championships to spread. TCR UK began at Silverstone on 1st April 2018 and joined the ever-growing family of TCR Series around the world.
What is a TCR car?
A TCR car is a Production car with a 4/5-door saloon or hatchback body, using a 2-litre turbocharged engine with an output limited to 350bhp.
All TCR cars are front-wheel drive with paddle-shift sequential gearbox (or DSG – Direct Shift Gearbox)
A TCR car is a four or five-door production vehicle powered by a two-litre turbocharged engine. Based on the road-going model, the bodywork and suspension tend to remain as production spec, with modifications made to the brakes and aerodynamics to make the car compliant with TCR regulations.
Built by manufacturer-approved constructors to comply with carefully controlled technical regulations and FIA homologation, WSC employs a global balance of performance to keep a level playing field for all homologated TCR models across all TCR series.
Over 1500 TCR cars have been produced via 16 approved manufacturers, offering a wide range of models to go racing with.
List of Homologated TCR Models
Balance of Performance
In order to keep the racing close and exciting while keeping costs low, WSC uses a Balance of Performance to keep all cars as equal as possible. The “BoP” affects the TCR model globally, not in specific series.
There are three elements monitored within the Balance of Performance:
Racing Weight, Ride Height and Power.
WSC receive data from all of the different car brands involved in TCR and they use this in a detailed algorithm to determine if or when any changes are needed to the Global Balance of Performance.
The TCR World Tour – A New Era for TCR
The KUMHO TCR World Tour was launched in 2023 to become the pinnacle of the category that puts together professional drivers with international experience and the competitors of TCR regional and national series.
A selection of the more than 200 TCR-sanctioned events held during the season are chosen to form the calendar of the KUMHO TCR World Tour that awards Drivers’ and Teams’ titles.
From the 2024 season, the KUMHO TCR World Tour has been elevated to the status of an FIA competition, becoming the KUMHO FIA TCR World Tour.
KUMHO FIA TCR World Tour Website
The TCR World Ranking
Also launched in 2023, The TCR World Ranking lists all the drivers who have competed in TCR-sanctioned series/events and awards points according to their results.
The ranking of each driver is determined by their last 20 results.
When a driver fails to take part in a TCR event after 30 weeks, the driver will then drop their oldest scoring result weekly.
The new ranking is updated at midnight each Wednesday.
The 2025 TCR UK Touring Car Championship
To find out more about the TCR UK Touring Car Championship, visit https://www.tcr-uk.co.uk/ for more information on how to get involved.
To learn more about the 2025 TCR UK Touring Car Championship Calendar events, visit https://www.tcr-uk.co.uk/2025-calendar/ for more information.