The first three events of the 2023 TCR Europe series, in Portugal, Belgium and Hungary, will be part of the new TCR World Tour, it has been confirmed.
The season opener will take place at the Autódromo do Algarve in Portimão, Portugal on 28 – 30 April as the opening event of the TCR Europe season.
The second event will be at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on 26 – 28 May, followed by the third event at the Hungaroring in Hungary on 16 – 18 June.
It means that the first three events of the new global TCR category will all take place on Formula 1-standard circuits.
“We are extremely proud for this opportunity to be part of this new chapter of global Touring Car competition from its very start,” said TCR Europe promoter Paulo Ferreira.
“The TCR World Tour is going to strengthen TCR racing even more by fostering relationships between the different series around the world.
“I am sure that TCR Europe and its stakeholders will benefit greatly from this cooperation.”
Marcello Lotti, President of WSC, is expecting a significant interest in the new TCR World Tour, which was instrumental in selecting circuits of a high standard equipped to deal with large grid sizes.
“We are very pleased of this agreement with TCR Europe that rewards the long-standing cooperation between WSC and Paulo Ferreira,” said Lotti.
“The choice of including three events of TCR Europe in the 2023 TCR World Tour was advised by both the appeal of the Formula 1 racetracks and the number of TCR cars based in Europe that will encourage the participation of drivers from overseas.
“In fact, we wish the TCR World Tour to make a significant impact on touring car competition at a global level and in this respect the addition of three iconic circuits like Algarve, Spa and Hungaroring to Bathurst that has been previously announced shows that we are going the right way.
“Interest in the TCR World Tour is huge from the drivers who aim to climb in the TCR World Ranking and qualify for the TCR World Final.”