The racing series that was too successful for its own good

Society · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1987, the World Touring Car Championship launched with factory backing from giants like BMW and Ford. It proved so popular that it sparked a fear in the motorsport elite: it might steal the spotlight—and the money—from Formula One. The result was a swift, strategic shutdown.

The inaugural 1987 season featured high-profile factory teams from BMW, Ford, Maserati, and Alfa Romeo. However, the series was quickly marred by internal friction. A "you don't protest us, we won't protest you" agreement between leading European teams like BMW Motorsport and Eggenberger Motorsport collapsed when the championship moved to Australia. Local teams took issue with the Europeans' liberal interpretation of Group A rules, leading to the disqualification of Eggenberger cars from the Bathurst 1000 results.

The fallout was significant: West German drivers Klaus Ludwig and Klaus Niedzwiedz were provisionally awarded the title until March 1988, when Roberto Ravaglia was officially declared champion. Despite its technical success, the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone halted the championship's sanctioning because they feared it would drain resources from Formula One. A proposed alternative involving specialist racing chassis with production-style bodywork failed to gain manufacturer support.

The series eventually returned to world status in 2005 as the WTCC, utilizing Super 2000 and Diesel 2000 regulations. It saw a milestone in 2008 when Yvan Muller won the first FIA-sanctioned world championship ever won by a diesel-powered car (a SEAT León TDI). By 2010, Chevrolet began a period of dominance with the Cruze model, achieving clean sweeps of both drivers and manufacturers titles in 2011 and 2012. In 2018, the series transitioned to WTCR regulations, merging with the TCR International Series but losing its official World Championship status as factory teams were no longer permitted.

Today, the technical regulations emphasize cost control by banning production technologies like variable valve timing, ABS brakes, and traction control. The remaining Super 2000 engines are 1.6L turbo-charged 4-cylinder units producing approximately 380 bhp.

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