2014 WTCC calendar officially unveiled
The calendar for the 2014 FIA World Touring Car Championship has now been officially confirmed by the World Motor Sport Council.
The 12 event calendar will begin as previously confirmed in Marrakech, Morocco on April 6th, which sees the start of the season begin later than usual to allow further time for the development of the cars built to the WTCC’s new Super 2000 ‘TC1’ regulations.
The second round of the Championship takes place at the Paul Ricard circuit near Marseille, marking the return of a French round to the WTCC calendar for the first time since 2009 when the Championship visited Pau.
The WTCC then heads to Eastern Europe, racing in Hungary, Slovakia and Austria before returning to the Moscow Raceway for the second time at the beginning of June.
The final European round of the calendar takes place at Spa-Francorchamps on June 22nd, with Belgium also back on the calendar for the first time since Zolder held a replacement round in 2011, and the first time the WTCC has been to Spa-Francorchamps since the Championship began back in 2005.
With the first seven rounds taking place within three months, the cars then begin their slower transit around the rest of the world for the flyaway portion of the season, following the pattern seen since 2012 with the final five rounds spread over five months as the cars are freighted between each event.
The WTCC will return to Termas de Río Hondo in Argentina, with the USA, Japan, China and Macau hosting the final four rounds of the Championship.
Belgium and France are therefore the new additions to the calendar for next season, which come at the expense of rounds in Portugal and Italy. The Porto street circuit’s arrangement with the WTCC is to host rounds only ever other year and so is set to return in 2015, while the absence of the Autodromo Nazionale Monza will mean an Italian circuit will not feature on the calendar for the first time in the Championship’s history.
The race in Japan will also use the Suzuka Grand Prix layout from next season, as opposed to the shorter East circuit which has been used since the Championship switched from Okayama in 2012.
2014 FIA World Touring Car Championship calendar
Apr 6th – Marrakech, Morocco*
Apr 20th – Paul Ricard, France*
May 4th – Budapest, Hungary
May 11th – Slovakiaring, Slovakia
May 25th – Salzburgring, Austria
Jun 8th – Moscow Raceway, Russia*
Jun 22nd – Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium**
Aug 3rd – Termas de Río Hondo – Argentina*
Sept 14th – Sonoma Raceway, USA*
Oct 12th – Shanghai, China*
Oct 26th – Suzuka, Japan
Nov 16th – Macau, China*
* Subject to the ASN’s (National Sporting Authority) confirmation
** Subject to signing of the agreement with the promoter
