After a successful first full season supplying cars to customers competing in various TCR categories across the globe, Volkswagen Motorsport have already started delivering the 2017 variant of the Golf GTi TCR.
With new aerodynamics, based around the road-going Golf GTi Mark 7.5, the new vehicle has a heavily-revised profile, including new front wings and front venting, enabling the car to have a better chance at higher acceleration and top speeds this season.
However, according to TCR project leader Eduard Weidl, there has been little possibility of making a major set of changes for the forthcoming year, due to costs and sporting competition.
“We have also worked on many detailed solutions based on the experience gained from the car’s debut year,” explained Weidl, who went on to mention about the technical changes under the skin of the Golf.
“For example, we have optimised the power development of the two-litre turbo engine, improved the control of the sequential gearbox, and integrated a powerful electric power steering.”
As with the amount of races that take place in the TCR International Series, the team at Hannover have also worked hard to maximise the durability of all components, which should assist in budgets for teams and drivers.
“The first full season of the Golf GTI TCR was a great success from a sporting point of view: our customers Leopard Racing and Liqui Moly Team Engstler won the international and Asian TCR championships at the first attempt,” said Motorsport Director Sven Smeets.
Along with two titles in its début season, the car took 17 wins in the process, along with Stefano Comini successfully defending his title against stern competition in the 2016 TCR International Series with the VW.
“You cannot afford to rest on your laurels in motorsport, and we want to continue to offer our customers a competitive car for their commitments around the world,” stated Smeets, who is hopefully of further success with the Golf across the globe. “For this reason, we have systematically further developed the Golf GTI TCR for the 2017 season.”
Some of the 30 cars that are being supplied have already been delivered, with Team Engstler being the first to receive theirs. The new Golf GTi TCR will also be competing in ADAC TCR Germany, TCR Asia, TCR Middle East, TCR Italia and TCR Scandinavia, amongst other TCR series set to take place in 2017.