Photo: Jacques Letihon Photographe

Kronos pulls out as promoter of the TCR Benelux series

By

Kronos Events has confirmed it will no longer continue as the promoter of the TCR Benelux series from 2018, putting the future of the Belgium-based championship in question.

The TCR Benelux Touring Car Championship was one of the first national TCR championships launched in 2016, and though it delivered competitive racing with drivers and teams which have also shone on an international level, such as Team WRT and Boutsen Ginion Racing, the grid sizes have dwindled over the last two years, with just seven cars entered for the season finale at TT Circuit Assen last week.

TCR Benelux features a novel five-race format, with two drivers per car in order to reduce costs, with a one-hour endurance race which includes a driver change, much akin to GT racing.

This year, the series added the Renault Clio Cup Benelux to the field in order to enhance grid sizes, after an earlier plan to add the BMW 235i Cup fell through with BMW not content for their 235is to be running behind the TCR field.

A further announcement about the series is expected in just over a week, with one of the options being for the Belgian ASN, the RACB, to take over the running of the championship in-house, or for another promoter to pick up the series.

The 2017 title was won by 18-year-old Benjamin Lessennes, who also made his International Series debut earlier in the year at Spa-Francorchamps.

The championship has also attracted a number of star names, including Norbert Michelisz, Tiago Monteiro, Rob Huff, Jean-Karl Vernay, Stefano Comini and Tom Coronel.