ITCC 5 announcement: Week 2 cars + Team structure
International Touring Car Championship organizers have announced that several French auto manufacturers are interested in fielding Factory teams. Citroën, Renault, and Peugeot have all announced their ambitions, and the cars that they will be entering.
The Peugeot RCZ - which was teased with disguised photos from Nürburgring GP/D testing - will be the first of French manufacturer's cars. This rather odd car was designed in 2009, and released in 2010. Its FF layout, and low center-of-gravity make this carbon-fiber two door coupé an excellent choice for the French marque.
The next car is the Renault Clio R.S., which will also be a factory car. This peppy, small and agile two-door hatchback surprises most who first see it. Its handling is reminiscent of the hot hatches that France does best - responsive and lively. An FF platform with a turbocharged 4 cylinder engine make its platform very typical in ITCC, but not its small wheelbase, which makes it capable of carving slower corners very well.
Citroën was the final manufacturer to announce their ITCC 5 intentions - The C4 Coupé 2.0 VTS will be Citroën's entry into the ITCC's fifth season. Although the car looks rather heavy, looks are deceiving in this case. It's actually a lightweight car, very similar to the Renault - an FF, two door hatchback with a turbocharged 4 cylinder engine.
ITCC organizers also revealed the system for how its drivers will be sorted in season 5: The organizers will be privately contacting drivers who express interest in joining with the manufacturers that they can select. Drivers with previous experience in ITCC are welcome to take "first pick" at Factory cars, while those without previous ITCC experience will be given first pick at independent cars.
If there are slots which are not filled when all factory drivers have announced their choice, the factory spots will be up-for-grabs with "Manufacturer test sessions." Whoever sets the fastest time with a car will be given the empty factory seat.
Once all Factory cars are filled, then - and only then - will the Independent's slots be confirmed. The deadline will be May 17th - any driver who misses the deadline will be put into an Independent team without the chance for a factory seat.
Factory drivers will be announced on May 17th, when everything is finalized.
The pre-season will begin in May, when the announcements have been made.
ITCC 5 will use a new points scoring system, meaning that some drivers will not score points. Championships will still be given to the highest scoring Independent's and Factory drivers, Manufacturers, and teams. Championships will also be contested by "Privateers" this season, who will be scored on their own. Privateers are drivers with only one car - not on a team. Because these drivers don't have teammates to score points with, they will only be able to compete against each other, and overall for the Drivers' championships. Privateers can only be independents, because factory slots MUST be filled.
Der König ist wieder zurück gekommen! 
How ya been?
