The inaugural racing plans for the ETCR platform have been confirmed through the launch of the Pure ETCR series with a radical format set to get underway with a number of initial events this year.

Details of Pure ETCR were revealed during an event organized by series promoter Eurosport Events in Paris on Wednesday.

The series will act as the top tier of ETCR racing, morphing into a global championship in 2021 after several standalone events this year.

Crucially, Pure ETCR won’t run to a traditional circuit racing format, instead employing a rallycross-style event setup with a series of short four-car races, named ‘battles’, to determine event winners.

Cars will start behind ‘gates’ set up in parallel on the starting line, kicking off fast-paced battles divided into four rounds.

The first two rounds will last 8-10 km (5-6 miles), with round three being a one-lap time trial and the finals running to 12-15 km (7.5-9 miles).

The ETCR platform was initially revealed during the Geneva International Motor Show in March 2018, with its first car, the Cupra e-Racer, unveiled alongside it.

Hyundai became the second manufacturer to formally commit in September 2019, almost a year after e-racing365 first reported that the Korean manufacturer had plans to build a car to the unique regs.

Alfa Romeo is the third brand to be confirmed for the platform, but its car, based on the Giulia sedan, will be built independently by Romeo Ferraris with no official involvement from the manufacturer.

Chinese company Lisheng Shanghai Racing announced its intention to build a car on Monday, but is yet to reveal what brand it will work with.

After the initial launch two years ago, WSC Group hosted a second launch event during the TCR Europe finale at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in October 2018, where Jordi Gene took the Cupra e-Racer out for its first public demonstration laps.

Cars produce 300 kW of continuous power and up to 500 kW of peak power through a four-motor, rear-wheel-drive setup.

Tire manufacturer Goodyear will work as the series’ founding partner for its inaugural year.

The ETCR concept is owned by TCR creator WSC, while Eurosport Events serves as Pure ETCR’s promoter, just as it does for FIA WTCR.

Francois Ribeiro (above, left) is the head of Eurosport Events, while Xavier Gavory (above, right) will serve as Pure ETCR’s series director. They are pictured with WSC president Marcello Lotti.

Standalone Events Confirmed for 2020

Pure ETCR will kick off with six standalone events beginning in the summer, all acting as demos ahead of a full championship debuting in 2021.

It will begin with a round at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 9-12, running with a time trial format and just one car per manufacturer.

Four full demo events will then follow, with two cars per brand competing in Austria, Denmark, South Korea and China, two of which will be in support of FIA WTCR events.

The 2020 season will conclude with another time trial event on the support bill to the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 30-31, 2021.

No championships will be awarded in 2020, but the full series beginning in 2021 will award drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles, rather than teams’ titles as in FIA WTCR.

Eight events are targeted for 2021, increasing to ten in 2022, with three cars per manufacturer expected to compete.

2020 Pure ETCR Schedule

July 9-12 – Goodwood Festival of Speed (time trial)

July 25-26 – Salzburgring (FIA WTCR support, full event)

Aug. 1-2 – Copenhagen (Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix, full event)

Oct. 17-18 – Inje Speedium (FIA WTCR support, full event)

TBA – Guangdong (TBA, full event)

Jan. 30-31 – Daytona (Rolex 24, time trial)