European Touring Car Championship

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European Touring Car Championship
Category Touring cars
Country Europe
Inaugural season 1963
Folded 2004
Drivers 41 (2004)
Teams 13 (2004)
Constructors 6 (2004)
Last Drivers' champion United Kingdom Andy Priaulx
Last Teams' champion Italy Autodelta
Last Makes' champion BMW
Official website fiatouringcars.com

The European Touring Car Championship was an international touring car racing series organised by the FIA. It had two incarnations, the first one between 1963 and 1988, and the second between 2000 and 2004. In 2005 it was superseded by the World Touring Car Championship, and a single-race European Touring Car Cup has been held since then.

ETCC (1963–88)

The European Touring Car Challenge, as it was originally known,[1] was started in 1963 by Willy Stenger, who created the series at the behest of the FIA. Cars competed under FIA Group 2[1] Improved Touring Car regulations[2] which allowed a variety of touring cars of different sizes and engine displacements to race together, from the small Fiat 600 and Mini to the large Jaguar Mark 2 and Mercedes-Benz 300SE In 1963 races and hillclimbing events at Nürburgring, Mont Ventoux, Brands Hatch, Mallory Park, Zolder, Zandvoort, Timmelsjoch and even in the Népliget (People's Park) in Budapest counted towards the ETCC, which was won by German Peter Nöcker and his Jaguar. In 1968, the regulations were changed to allow Group 5 cars to participate,[3] however these highly modified Special Touring Cars[4] would only be eligible for two years. In 1970 the series name was changed from European Touring Car Challenge to European Touring Car Championship.[5][6][7] Group 2 again became the principle category [8] although Group 2 regulations were now much more liberal in nature than the old Group 2.[9]

Following the 1973 oil crisis the next two seasons had few entrants. It was only in 1977 that the situation was normalised with the return of factory teams. Rules allowed Group 2 and Group 1B "National" cars to compete together, with BMW 3.0 Coupé CSL and Capri RS remaining the most competitive entries.

In 1982, the FIA replaced Groups 1 and 2 with Group N and Group A. The first one was mainly ignored by the ETCC entrants, all cars going the Group A route. BMW and Alfa Romeo prepared regular touring cars for the championship, but it was the big-engined Tom Walkinshaw Racing prepared Jaguar XJS and Rover 3500 Vitesse that would be more competitive in the years to come, fighting against the turbocharged Volvo 240 and Ford Sierra Cosworth.

The championship was cancelled after the end of the 1988 season, due to escalating costs (a one-off World Touring Car Championship in 1987 also exarcebated the problem). By then, the FIA had allowed "Evolution" models to be homologated, and it was special cars such as the BMW M3 Evo and Ford Sierra RS500 that dominated the grids.

The Macau Grand Prix's Guia Race, the Spa 24 Hours and the 24 Hours Nürburgring were the only international touring car races during those years. With the success and popularity of Supertouring in many national championships, the FIA organised the one-round Super Touring World Cup for these cars, between 1993 and 1995. In 1996, the FIA promoted the DTM, which already had races outside Germany in its calendar, to International Touringcar Championship (ITC), but once more escalating costs ended the series after two seasons.

ETCC (2000–04)

In 2000, the Italian Superturismo Championship was promoted to the European Super Touring Cup. In 2001, this series became the FIA European Super Touring Championship, with an extra class for Super Production cars alongside the main Super Touring class. In 2002, this evolved into the brand new FIA European Touring Car Championship, using Super 2000 rules, dominated by Alfa Romeo and BMW, but popular with the public due to the intense competition and Eurosport live broadcasts. In 2005, the ETCC was promoted to World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).

ETCC (2005 onwards)

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The European Touring Car title was given from 2005 until 2009 to a once a year European Touring Car Cup, with the best representatives from national championships running to Super 2000, Super Production and Super 1600 regulations in the Baltic States, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Starting in 2010 the ETCC will once again become a multi event racing series. Four events of two races each are set to be held in Portugal, Italy, Austria and Germany at respectively the Circuito Vasco Sameiro in Braga, the Autodromo Bonara in Franciacorta, the Salzburgring in Salzburg and the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben in Oschersleben. However, on 25 Mar 2010, fiawtcc.com reported that the event in Germany was cancelled to avoid clashes with the German touring car series.[10]

Champions

ETCC (1963–88)

Year Drivers Manufacturers
1963 Germany Peter Nöcker (Jaguar Mk II) -
1964 United Kingdom Warwick Banks (BMC Mini Cooper S) -
1965 Div.3 Belgium Jacky Ickx (Ford Mustang)
Div.2 United Kingdom John Whitmore (Ford Lotus Cortina)
Div.1 Netherlands Ed Swart (Abarth 1000 TC)
Div.3 Ford
Div.2 Ford
Div.1 Abarth
1966 Div.3 Germany Hubert Hahne (BMW 2000TI)
Div.2 Italy Andrea de Adamich (Alfa Romeo 1600 GTA)
Div.1 Italy Giancarlo Baghetti (Abarth 1000 TC)
Div.3 BMW
Div.2 Alfa Romeo
Div.1 Abarth
1967 Div.3 Germany Karl von Wendt (Porsche 911)
Div.2 Italy Andrea de Adamich (Alfa Romeo 1600 GTA)
Div.1 Germany Willi Kauhsen (Abarth 1000 TC)
Div.3 Porsche
Div.2 Alfa Romeo
Div.1 Abarth
1968 Div.3 Austria Dieter Quester (BMW 2002)
Div.2 United Kingdom John Rhodes (Morris Mini Cooper S)
Div.1 United Kingdom John Handley (Morris Mini Cooper S)
Div.3 BMW
Div.2 BMC
Div.1 BMC
1969 Div.3 Austria Dieter Quester (BMW 2002)
Div.2 Italy Spartaco Dini (Alfa Romeo 1600 GTA)
Div.1 Italy Marsilio Pasotti (Abarth 1000 TC)
Div.3 BMW
Div.2 Alfa Romeo
Div.1 Abarth
1970 Netherlands Toine Hezemans (Alfa Romeo 2000 GTAm) BMW
1971 Germany Dieter Glemser (Ford Capri RS2600) Alfa Romeo
1972 Germany Jochen Mass (Ford Capri RS2600) Alfa Romeo
1973 Netherlands Toine Hezemans (BMW 3.0 CSL) BMW
1974 Germany Hans Heyer (Ford Escort RS1600) Ford
1975 Germany Siegfried Müller Sr. (BMW 3.0 CSL)
Belgium Alain Peltier (BMW 3.0 CSL)
Div.2: BMW
Div.1: Ford
1976 Belgium Jean Xhenceval (BMW 3.0 CSL)
Belgium Pierre Dieudonné (BMW 3.0 CSL)
Div.4: BMW
Div.3: Opel
Div.2: Alfa Romeo
Div.1: Alfa Romeo
1977 Austria Dieter Quester (BMW 3.0 CSL) Div.5: BMW
Div.4: BMW
Div.3: Alfa Romeo
Div.2: Volkswagen
Div.1: Alfa Romeo
1978 Italy Umberto Grano (BMW 3.0 CSL) BMW
1979 Italy Martino Finotto (BMW 3.0 CSL)
Italy Carlo Facetti (BMW 3.0 CSL)
BMW
1980 Germany Helmut Kelleners (BMW 320)
Germany Siegfried Müller Jr. (BMW 320)
Audi
1981 Italy Umberto Grano (BMW 635CSi)
Germany Helmut Kelleners (BMW 635CSi)
Škoda
1982 Italy Umberto Grano (BMW 528i) Alfa Romeo
1983 Austria Dieter Quester (BMW 635CSi) Alfa Romeo
1984 United Kingdom Tom Walkinshaw (Jaguar XJS) Alfa Romeo
1985 Italy Gianfranco Brancatelli (Volvo 240 Turbo)
Sweden Thomas Lindström (Volvo 240 Turbo)
Alfa Romeo
1986 Italy Roberto Ravaglia (BMW 635CSi) Toyota
1987 Germany Winfried Vogt (BMW M3) BMW
1988 Italy Roberto Ravaglia (BMW M3) Ford

ETCC (2000–04)

Year Championship Independents class (Michelin Trophy) Series name
Drivers Manufacturers Drivers Teams
2000 Italy Fabrizio Giovanardi (Alfa Romeo 156 D2) Italy Alfa Romeo N/A N/A European Super Touring Cup
2001 Italy Fabrizio Giovanardi (Supertouring)(Alfa Romeo 156 D2)
Netherlands Peter Kox (Super Production) (BMW 320i)
Italy Alfa Romeo Italy Sandro Sardelli (Nissan Primera Mk3 GT) (Supertouring Amateur)
Germany Norman Simon (BMW 320i) (Super Production Under 25)
N/A FIA European Super Touring Championship
2002 Italy Fabrizio Giovanardi (Alfa Romeo 156 GTA) Italy Alfa Romeo Italy Fabrizio Giovanardi N/A FIA European Touring Car Championship
2003 Italy Gabriele Tarquini (Alfa Romeo 156 GTA) Germany BMW Netherlands Duncan Huisman (BMW 320i) Alfa Romeo Autodelta FIA European Touring Car Championship
2004 United Kingdom Andy Priaulx (BMW 320i) Germany BMW Netherlands Tom Coronel (BMW 320i) AutoDelta Squadra Corse FIA European Touring Car Championship

Event winners

European Super Touring Cup

European Super Touring Championship

European Touring Car Championship

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Part 1: 1963-1967 The early years Retrieved from homepage.mac.com/frank_de_jong on 10 August 2009
  2. 1965 FIA Appendix J - Art. 252 - Categories & Groups of Vehicles Retrieved from www.fia.com on 10 August 2009
  3. Part 2: 1968-1969 Group 5 years Retrieved from homepage.mac.com/frank_de_jong on 10 August 2009
  4. 1969 FIA Appendix J - Art. 251 - Categories & groups Retrieved from www.fia.com on 10 August 2009
  5. ETCC race results & images – 1967 to 1988, www.racingsportscars.com Retrieved on 10 August 2009
  6. 1969 European Touring Car Challenge, touringcarracing.net Retrieved on 15 May 2014
  7. 1970 European Touring Car Championship, touringcarracing.net Retrieved on 15 May 2014
  8. Results of Round 1, 1970 ETCC - Ruleset: Group 2/70 Retrieved from homepage.mac.com/frank_de_jong on 10 August 2009
  9. Part 3: 1970-1975 The Ford and BMW years Retrieved from homepage.mac.com/frank_de_jong on 10 August 2009
  10. THE FIA ETCC STARTS IN BRAGA THIS WEEKEND Retrieved from fiawtcc.com on 27 March 2010

External links