Mazda Reveals 2020 Mazda 3 TCR Racer

This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:

This article was published by Andrew Evans (@Famine) on October 2nd, 2019 in the Motorsports category.

 

Looks real nice.

Wish we could get some current TCR cars.

 

These shots look straight from GT Sport, with its driver poses hahah

 

PD? Please? I'm a die-hard Zoom-Zoom guy, and this thing would be perfect in Gr.4! I'd also love to see a hotter 3 hatch for sale- I know I would be a customer.

 

TCR needs it's its own category. FWD cars don't belong in Gr4.

 

No argument, but not holding my breath.

 

I'm surprised a bit that they choose this chassis and not the 4door, however I'm sure they know what and why. Looks nice (and that's the main question, as it will be BoP-ped to match the others ).

 

It is about time! I have been wanting to see the Mazda 3 back in racing trim for a while now. Looks like the TCR category might actually bring some manufactures back to touring car racing in the states.

Now, if only GTSport would get this car in game somehow. Hmmmmmmmm

 

The majority of TCR cars are hatches plus they need all the help they can get selling the 3 hatchback in North America where this thing seems like it’ll mostly race.

At least when it’s a race car horrible rear visibility isn’t a concern

 

Even tho GR.4 has FWD cars and the megane was one of the best cars for a quite long time?

 

Yes

It was inevitable.

 

Audi and Subaru are sedans as well...although I don’t think the Subaru is being used anymore. The longer wheel base and better aerodynamics of the sedan cars give them an advantage on fast, high speed circuits, but they tend to struggle on tighter, more technical tracks.

 

Lynk & Co as well, which seems to struggle in a straight line while also being big and heavy, yet still manages to win a lot of races

 

Just because something is somewhere doesn't mean it's supposed to be.

 

Just to be clear i agree with but you know GR.4 is a mess.

Correct

 

*cough*BOP*cough*

A lot of people have a lot of money riding on Lynk & Co doing well

 

It's a 5 door hatch, not 3. And as TCR goes quite worldwide, nothing will stop it to run in Europe, Asia, etc. also.

That's obviously not, but better and easier (cheaper) achievable aero and balance surely is.

 

What do you mean by “better and easier achievable (cheaper) aero?”


Edit: unrelated...I’m locked out of work (oh noes!!), so just spending more time staring at the photos....that’s one fine looking racecar. I think this new Mazda might be the best looking TCR car of all of them. I like the Renaults as well, and the Alfa is cute, but this 3 has clean lines, and is aggressive looking.

I hope these cars eventually end up in TCR Australia as well.

 

I figure Mazda will offer something a little hotter. The Mazdaspeed 3 was around for more years than the Mazdaspeed 6. More sales equals more chance that a new model will arrive.

I would at least like to see a reputable company reproduce the front fenders of the TCR car for the production car. The rear fenders would be more difficult, but if you have enough money, you can get it done.

Agreed. The BOP in GT Sport is skewed towards the FF style cars.

Considering that it's a Mazda, I won't be too surprised if it comes to the game. But, considering that GRID will have dedicated TCR classes, I would like to see it show up there as well.

 

But I do like how Gr.4 has a variety of drivetrains while Gr.3 just has FR/MR. It does seem to me that TCR cars would best-fit in Gr.4, alongside other potential additions like the X-Bow, GR Supra, Abarth 124, and A110. I'm thinking that if the BoP is ostensibly "biased" towards FF cars, I'd like to know specifically how. For example, the way races are designed could have an influence, especially in regards to fuel/tire consumption. In that regard, it could be better to not have races with accelerated rates, but instead, keep the rates almost always at 1x. In return, there could be limitations on how much fuel could be on-board, (I think in lobbies, you can pick how much fuel people start with, and how much of their fuel tank they can fill while pitting), mandating the use of multiple tire compounds, and/or having mandatory pitstops in general.

Not to mention that I think a large part of GT's appeal to both players and spectators is its unusual fields of cars during races, as well as having unusual courses host those grids. I think it's why I think GT in general has more potential as a racing game eSport versus the F1 or WRC games; for game like those latter two, I think most people would ask why they wouldn't prefer to watch the real thing. I'd say GT has more potential spectator appeal than even iRacing, even if the latter has its own strengths.

 

Now Mazda just needs a GT3/GT4 car and they can have a (mostly) complete Road to Daytona ladder!

 

Of course; my mistake. I associated the "3" as 3 door initially, not as the model.

I heard a lot in TCR Europe and WTCR that a 4 door saloon is more optimal to start with than a hatchback. Easier to make the aero work, and have a better balance from scratch. However, it is obviously not impossible to achieve the goals with a hatchback, as we can see on several models, but as I treated those arguments as facts, I supposed to pick the 4door version - if it is available. The marketing factor is also in play though, for sure.

Edit: as I can recall, the models devastated WTCC, later WTCR for long time: Chevy Cruze, Citroen C-Elysée, now Link&Co; 4 door saloons.

 

Ok, I get what you mean. It’s true that the saloon cars have better aero dynamics because of the air flow off the rear of the car, there’s less turbulence which results in higher top speeds. Not sure about it being easier to achieve handling balance with one body type or the other though.

The Citroen dominated WTCC for reasons other than its body shape...mostly that Citroen designed the rule set, and had their car built well ahead of the others. That’s a very ugly time in WTCC history, had very little to do with actual racing.

 

Got to say I'm disappointed, it reminds me of the Top Run Subaru as in the aero and details don't look on the same level as the competition. I wonder if this is a show car and a more detailed finalised design will show up on track.

Also just an FYI, TCR's aren't all 2.0 litre, the Peugeots are 1.6, the first gen of the Alfa was 1.7 (uses the Giulia engine now) and possibly the Renault isn't 2.0.

 

Kelly Racing, that run their Subarus, had to park them due to lack of parts from Top Run. Andre Heimgartner got that Subaru hooked up. Was pretty quick at fast & twisty tracks, until it broke.

 

...and I'm afraid this was not the only one, and was not the last one. But it's a long story and not just sad, but slightly offtopic.

 

Pictures where you can actually see the car.

 

Any word on which US series this is likely to end up at? Michelin Challenge or the ex-World Challenge series (isn't it an SRO thing now?)