In one week’s time, the fans of the Pirelli World Challenge will be privileged with a new category, TCR, which will stand alone within their Touring Car categories. The class will make its formal debut in Austin at the challenging Circuit of the Americas; one of the best venues to promote the twitchy, high-revving touring cars. Thanks to relatively relaxed rules, the new TCR class will consist of an intriguing mixture of machines.

“That specification is used worldwide and it is, in spirit, similar to the worldwide adoption of the GT3 and GT4 rules,” says Jim Jordan, Pirelli World Challenge Class Manager. “The manufacturer, or specific tuner for that manufacturer, builds a specification and they submit the car. Then the series does a ‘balance of performance’ on the car and in essence every car has a relatively equal chance to win.”

Power output is in the 350 horsepower-range, and forced induction may be allowed on cars that have forced induction systems available from the manufacturer which do not void the factory warranties. The weight of the vehicle differs depending on the power output of the individual drivetrain configurations; front-wheel, rear-wheel, and all-wheel drive configurations are permitted. Sedans, hatchbacks, and coupes are allowed—and the variety of rules have spawned vast, similarly-performing fields which, as previously seen in BTCC, have shown to make for race-long battles, last-lap lead changes, and some serious risks taken in order to gain an edge.

This format has been popular across the European landscape for the last few years, where small displacement, narrow-tired touring cars have more of a hold on the racing culture. This formula has been shown to produce some incredible dogfighting, but sadly, Americans have been deprived of this door-bashing style of motorsport that puts momentum and racecraft at a premium. Not only is it good for the fans, but since this offers a cost-effective alternative to the World Touring Car Championship, the category is designed to attract budget outfits.

“We saw the growth of TCR racing around the world,” said Jim Jordan, PWC Director of Marketing and Communications. “And many of the auto manufacturers asked us about running the cars with the Pirelli World Challenge. We included the cars in the TC class last year with some restrictions and the fans really liked them. We worked with TCR International and IMSA to have a working association for the next three years in TCR. We’re excited about the new class.”

The Contenders

A variety of cars will feature in this new class— five new models have been announced for 2018: the Alfa Romeo Guilietta TCR, the Audi Sport RS3 LMS TCR, the Honda Civic Type-R TCR, the Hyundai i30 N TCR and the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR. Different profiles should make for an interesting, non-spec appearance.

The Hyundai i30 N TCR boasts a 2.0-liter turbocharged motor with direct injection and some 350 horsepower, which is then driven through a six-speed sequential gearbox, which is paddle-shifted in modern touring car-style. The suspension is MacPherson in front and multi-link in the rear, while Brembo six-piston and two-piston brakes reside within the 10-inch-wide wheels. Weight, including the driver, just tips the scales at 2,827 pounds. The short wheelbase, considerable torque, and minimal aerodynamic grip should make for dynamic handling and wheel-to-wheel racing.

The Volkswagen Motorsport-designed Golf GTI TCR employs a 2.0-­liter turbo engine with direct fuel injection from the Golf GTI, the latest racing version of which can generate up to 350 horsepower and boasts 310 lb-ft of torque. This car has become something of a touring car mainstay in Europe and should entertain ambitious tin-toppers for a comparative bargain.

A less-familiar face is the Alfa Romeo Giuletta TCR, built under an exclusive TCR license by Romeo Ferraris based in Milan. This is based off the road-going Giulietta Veloce and uses a 1750cc, direct-injected, inline-four turbo engine which makes a respectable 350 horsepower. This force-fed power is then sent through a six-speed paddle-shift gearbox.

This format is, as mentioned earlier, intended to bring in shoestring operations; hungry drivers and mechanical parity make the racing so spectacular. The intended price point is roughly around $95,000, and that would open the gates for a slurry of interested teams from different backgrounds. With the contenders not a far cry from their road-going versions, these cars could be truly relatable to the fans. We await this hard-scrabble category with baited breath.