The 2022 World Touring Car Cup was the fifth and final season of the World Touring Car Cup and 18th overall of the series, which dates back to the 2005 World Touring Car Championship. The season began on 7 May at the Circuit de Pau-Ville and ended on 27 November in Jeddah Corniche Circuit,[1][2][3] however multiple event cancellations due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and ongoing quarantine restrictions in Asia. On 1 September 2022, the organiser announced the final version of the calendar, adding Bahrain and Saudi Arabia as final venues for the 2022 season.[3]
The season was marred by issues with tyres as drivers suffered numerous tyre failures on several rounds. These led to the cancellation of the races at the Nürburgring and Cyan Racing withdrawing from the series midway through the year.[4] Only nine drivers completed the full season.[5]
On 14 October 2022, the organiser announced that after five seasons of running under the WTCR guise, the series would be reformatted following the conclusion of the current season, which had two rounds remaining in Bahrain (10–12 November) and Saudi Arabia (25–27 November).[6] The new format is influenced by golf's Official World Golf Ranking in that all TCR events will be grouped for official TCR World Ranking points, which will be used to qualify drivers into a playoff at the end of the season, and a new format featuring events from different TCR-featured tours where drivers can also qualify for the TCR World Ranking Final.[7]
Teams and drivers
[edit]Summary
[edit]- JAS Motorsport and Honda Racing retained their 2021 drivers – Attila Tassi, Tiago Monteiro, Néstor Girolami and Esteban Guerrieri – for the 2022 season but on 15 January it was announced that Engstler Motorsport will switch from Hyundai to Honda.[9]
- Mikel Azcona will switch from Zengő Motorsport Services KFT to BRC Hyundai N Lukoil Squadra Corse to replace Gabriele Tarquini.[8]
- 2020 TCR China Touring Car Championship winner Ma Qing Hua returned to the series after having last raced in 2019 for Team Mulsanne, driving a car for Cyan Performance Lynk & Co.[11]
- 2020 TCR Europe Touring Car Series winner Mehdi Bennani returned to the series and Comtoyou Racing after having last raced in 2019 for SLR VW Motorsport to replace last season's runner-up Frédéric Vervisch.[12]
- Dániel Nagy returned to the series and Zengő Motorsport after having last taken part in the series in 2018, to replace Bence Boldizs.[15]
Mid-season changes
[edit]- Cyan Racing withdrew from the Race of Italy, citing tire safety concerns.[20] Cyan Racing would later suspend their WTCR program with immediate effect for the same reason in August 2022 and not see out the season.[21]
Calendar
[edit]The preliminary race calendar was published by the championship management on 26 November 2021.[22] On 26 February 2022, WTCR Race of Russia was suspended due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.[23] On 19 March 2022, the calendar was updated again with the cancellation of the Czech and Russian rounds.[24][2] A further update was ratified on 14 April 2022, with the addition of two rounds at Vallelunga and Anneau du Rhin.[25] Another update was made on 29 June 2022 by cancelling Asian rounds due to the logistical challenges and quarantine restrictions in Asia:[26] An update was provided on 1 September 2022 by adding races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to host the final rounds of the championship.[3]
Round | Race | Race Name | Circuit | Date | Supporting |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | WTCR Race of France | ![]() |
7–8 May | Pau Motors Festival Euroformula Open (Pau Grand Prix) ETCR Championship French F4 Championship |
2 | |||||
2 | 3 | WTCR Goodyear Race of Germany | ![]() |
26–28 May | Nürburgring 24 Hours |
4 | |||||
3 | 5 | WTCR Goodyear Race of Hungary | ![]() |
11–12 June | ETCR Championship |
6 | |||||
4 | 7 | WTCR DHL Race of Spain | ![]() |
25–26 June | |
8 | |||||
5 | 9 | WTCR Race of Portugal | ![]() |
2–3 July | |
10 | |||||
6 | 11 | WTCR Race of Italy | ![]() |
23–24 July | ETCR Championship |
12 | |||||
7 | 13 | WTCR Race of Alsace Grand Est | ![]() |
6–7 August | |
14 | |||||
8 | 15 | WTCR Bapco Race of Bahrain | ![]() |
10–12 November | FIA World Endurance Championship |
16 | |||||
9 | 17 | WTCR Goodyear Race of Saudi Arabia | ![]() |
25–27 November | |
18 |
The following rounds were cancelled due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and logistical challenges in Asia:
Race Name | Circuit | Date |
---|---|---|
WTCR Liqui Moly Race of Czech Republic | ![]() |
9–10 April |
WTCR Race of Russia | ![]() |
6–7 August |
WTCR Race of Korea | ![]() |
8–9 October |
WTCR Race of China | ![]() |
5–6 November |
WTCR Race of Macau | ![]() |
18–20 November |
Source:[24][2][26] |
Compensation weight handicaps
[edit]Compensation weight handicaps were given to the participating cars based on their best qualifying lap times in the previous two events, with 40 kg being the maximum penalty.[27] Hyundai customer team BRC Racing Team was in particular noted to have gamed the system by intentionally performing worse than possible in qualifying to avoid being penalised.[28][29]
Car | Pau[30] | Nürburgring[30] | Hungaroring[31] | Aragón[32] | Vila Real[33] | Vallelunga[34] | Anneau du Rhin[35] | Bahrain[36] | Jeddah[37] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Audi RS 3 LMS TCR (2021) | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | +10 kg | +40 kg | +40 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg |
Cupra León Competición TCR | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg |
Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) | 0 kg | +40 kg | +40 kg | +40 kg | +40 kg | +20 kg | +40 kg | +40 kg | +40 kg |
Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | +10 kg |
Lynk & Co 03 TCR | 0 kg | 0 kg | 0 kg | +10 kg | +20 kg | +40 kg | +40 kg | – | – |
Results
[edit]Race | Race Name | Pole Position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | WTCR Trophy winner | Report |
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1 | ![]() |
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Report |
2 | ![]() |
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3 | ![]() |
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Race Cancelled | Report | |||
4 | |||||||
5 | ![]() |
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Report |
6 | ![]() |
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7 | ![]() |
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Report |
8 | ![]() |
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9 | ![]() |
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Report |
10 | ![]() |
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11 | ![]() |
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Report |
12 | ![]() |
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13 | ![]() |
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Report |
14 | ![]() |
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15 | ![]() |
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Report |
16 | ![]() |
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17 | ![]() |
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Report |
18 | ![]() |
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Championship standings
[edit]- Scoring system
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Qualifying (Q1-Q3 Best Lap Top 5) |
10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | |||||||||
Race 1 | 30 | 23 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Race 2 | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
- Scoring system for WTCR Trophy
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | FL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Qualifying | 1 | — | ||||
Race | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Drivers' championship
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Teams' championship
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WTCR Trophy
[edit]Eligible for drivers racing without manufacturer support.[38]
Pos. | Driver | FRA![]() |
GER![]() |
HUN![]() |
ESP![]() |
PRT![]() |
ITA![]() |
AGE![]() |
BHR![]() |
SAU![]() |
Pts. | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
121 | 8 | C | C | 61 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 139 | ||
2 | ![]() |
11 | 12 | C | C | 15 | 13 | Ret | Ret | 13 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 71 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 31 | 6 | 108 |
3 | ![]() |
10 | Ret | C1 | C | 13 | Ret | 10 | 9 | 71 | 6 | 101 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 71 | 8 | 91 | ||
4 | ![]() |
13 | 11 | C | C | 17 | Ret | Ret | 4 | 12 | Ret | 8 | 12 | 11 | 10 | Ret | 7 | 51 | ||
5 | ![]() |
4 | Ret | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
6 | ![]() |
13 | 11 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
Pos. | Driver | FRA![]() |
GER![]() |
HUN![]() |
ESP![]() |
PRT![]() |
ITA![]() |
AGE![]() |
BHR![]() |
SAU![]() |
Pts. |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Bigger and Even Better: 2022 WTCR Calendar Revealed". FIA WTCR. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ a b c "Pau Gets Set To Host WTCR Season Opener". fiawtcr.com. 19 March 2022. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ a b c Rodgers, Richard (2022-09-01). "WTCR all set for a Middle Eastern adventure as 2022 calendar is completed". FIA WTCR | World Touring Car Cup. Archived from the original on 2022-09-28. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
- ^ "Lynk & Co Cyan Racing announces immediate suspension of WTCR programme". TouringCarTimes. 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
- ^ "Lotti on the health of TCR worldwide, and his new World Tour". TouringCarTimes. 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
- ^ "Discovery Sports Events developing new format and looking to the future". FIA WTCR. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ^ "WSC unveils innovative platform for Touring Car racing". TCR World Ranking. WCS Ltd. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
- ^ a b c "Mikel Azcona joins Norbert Michelisz at BRC Hyundai". TouringCarTimes. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Honda reveals unchanged driver line-up as Team Engstler makes Civic switch". TouringCarTimes. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Yann Ehrlacher, Yvan Muller complete Lynk & Co line-up". TouringCarTimes.com. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Ma Qing Hua makes WTCR return with Lynk & Co". TouringCarTimes.com. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Comtoyou Racing confirms four Audis for Bennani, Coronel, Berthon and Magnus". TouringCarTimes. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- ^ "Mikel Azcona and Bebu Girolami battle for the last-ever WTCR crown at Jeddah". TouringCarTimes. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "Rob Huff calls time on 2022 WTCR programme". TouringCarTimes. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ a b c "Zengő Motorsport confirms Rob Huff and Dániel Nagy for 2022". TouringCarTimes. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "Saudi wildcard Ahmed Bin Khanen joins Jeddah grid". TouringCarTimes. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Comtoyou Racing adds Franco Girolami and Viktor Davidovski to final rounds". TouringCarTimes. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ "Éric Cayrolle makes comeback as wild card entry for Pau-Ville". TouringCarTimes. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "Nicky Catsburg joins BRC for final two WTCR events". TouringCarTimes. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ Smith, Damien (2022-07-24). "Cyan Racing pulls entries from WTCR Vallelunga race over tyre safety fears". Autosport. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ Smith, Damien (2022-08-04). "Lynk & Co suspends WTCR programme over tyre safety fears". Autosport. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ "WTCR targets Asian return as 2022 schedule revealed". TouringCarTimes. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "Statement on WTCR Race of Russia". fiawtcr.com. 26 February 2022. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- ^ a b "FIA Announced World Motorsport Council Decisions". fia.com. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ Rodgers, Richard (2022-04-14). "WTCR races set for Italy and Alsace following calendar updates". FIA WTCR | World Touring Car Cup. Archived from the original on 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- ^ a b "WTCR Calendar Update Following FIA World Motor Sport Council Decision". FIA WTCR | World Touring Car Cup. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ "Points and compensation weight systems amended for 2022 season". TouringCarTimes. 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ^ "Néstor Girolami blasts compensation weight strategy by rival teams". TouringCarTimes. 2022-07-03. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ^ "Yvan Muller: "Hyundai are only fast when they want"". TouringCarTimes. 2022-06-26. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ^ a b "Honda alone in receiving compensation weight for the Nürburgring". TouringCarTimes. 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ^ "Honda remains on top of compensation weights for Hungaroring". TouringCarTimes. 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ^ "Honda remain heaviest as Audi and Lynk & Co gain weight". TouringCarTimes. 2022-06-22. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ^ "Audi joins Honda at maximum compensation weight for Portugal". TouringCarTimes. 2022-06-29. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ^ "Lynk & Co hits maximum compensation weight for Vallelunga". TouringCarTimes. 2022-07-20. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ^ "Honda hits maximum weight as 20kg is taken off all cars". TouringCarTimes. 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ^ "Honda remain on maximum weight for penultimate WTCR round". TouringCarTimes. 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ^ "Hyundai will gain weight for WTCR finale". TouringCarTimes. 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ^ Rodgers, Richard. "WTCR TROPHY". FIA WTCR | World Touring Car Cup. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-09-22.