The first stop of the 2022 STS Super Touring Car RaceTCR race system officially integrated with the international

After waiting for several months, China finally ushered in the first stop of the 2022 Super Touring Car National Series. This competition is also the first time that the international TCR competition system has been introduced. Compared with last year, the number of participating vehicles is more lively and exciting. Through this unit, the author will let everyone quickly understand the regulations related to the first stop, and help everyone understand the content of the competition.

Four stops in 2022

Chen Junshan as the organizer

The "2022 STS Super Touring Car National Series" is known as the godfather of racing, and has been competing in international events for many years. It has won the championship of Taiwan and Asia Touring Car Tour, the Asian Liman Annual Championship, and the first Taiwanese to win the French 24 Hours. Chen Junshan, a senior driver who has the right to participate in the Liman Competition, is also the leader of the AAI team who has made outstanding achievements in domestic and foreign events at all levels - hosted by Chen Junshan, and this year is expected to hold four events, the time is: 4/29-5/1, 6/24 -6/26, 8/18-8/21, and 10/28-10/30, the venues are all at the G2 track of Lihpao International Circuit in Houli, Taichung, and the first race has been successfully held a few days ago.

As for the planning part of the competition system, it is a national event recognized by the FIA/ASN. At least six groups are planned, namely: TCR TAIWAN group, Turbo group, S2000 group, N2000 group, TTCC group and NTCC group Group. The TCR group with the highest specification must be a "regular car" that meets the TCR technical specifications after 2014, and needs to install the AIM EVO 5 Data Logger data recorder and the Variohm PRESSURE SENSOR – EPT3100 pressure sensor, so as to facilitate the inspection of the car. Read ECU data. The main racing models in this competition are Honda FK7 TCR, Audi RS3 LMS, Seat Cupra TCR and VW GOLF TCR.

Vehicles in the Turbo category are turbocharged or supercharged vehicles with a displacement of less than 3000 cc, not limited to the original turbocharged engine, or modified turbocharged system, and the transmission and drive mode are not limited. , and the price of the new car must be within NT$5 million. Cars that meet this specification include Toyota GT-86 (with turbo), Toyota GR Supra, BMW M235i, Renault Clio Cup, etc. There are quite a wide variety of vehicles, which are very suitable for heavily modified vehicles to participate, but the safety regulations of participating vehicles, such as anti- The roll cage, FIA-certified four-point safety belt, FIA-certified racing seat, 2KG fire extinguisher, power-off switch, front and rear towing rings, etc., must comply with the safety regulations of the CTMSA Chinese Racing Association, and the driver's personal equipment must also comply with the CTMSA Chinese Racing Association. safety regulations.

As for the vehicle specifications of the S2000 group, it needs to meet the naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine vehicles below 2500 cc, or the original engine displacement of 1.5L, 1.6L, 1.8L, and replace the four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine below 2500 cc The vehicle, power and vehicle modification must comply with FIA Super 2000 or Group A 2000 cc (non-Group A 1,600 cc) modification specifications. The power system to be replaced is limited to a four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine with a displacement below 2500 cc. The power can be modified, but cylinder expansion is not allowed, or a turbo, mechanical supercharging system, and four-throat direct injection can be installed. Restrictions must comply with FIA Super 2000 specifications, and the transmission system can use sequential gearboxes. Common models include Honda S2000, Civic Si/Civic FD2, Integra DC5 and BRZ MK2.

The vehicle specification of N2000 group is a stricter version of S2000, which is limited to the original 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine. The rest of the modification specifications must be in accordance with the Group N rules. If the car is not the original 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine, when the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine is replaced, it must still comply with the Group N rules and must go through a special application. Before entering the competition, the common car models are Honda FD2/DC5/S2000, Toyota GT-86(NA), Mazda MX-5 and so on.

According to the organizers: AAI Motorsports and KU Motor, the STS competition system will be governed by the FIA ​​International Motorsports General Regulations, the Republic of China Motorsports General Regulations and these competition rules. All organizations and teams participating in STS shall strictly abide by the terms of these rules. The specifications of the participating vehicles also clearly follow the requirements of international competitions in terms of inspection and safety specifications.

TCR is divided into two groups A/B

ABS cannot be used to increase difficulty

For all the above-mentioned groups, the competition time is a 60-minute endurance event, which is a test for both the vehicle and the driver. Therefore, for the groups modified from street cars, such as the Turbo, S2000 and N2000 groups In addition, the setting direction of vehicle modification will not be based on power, but with the ultimate goal of finishing the race with durability. Some vehicles even reduce the horsepower to ensure the durability of the engine. Vehicles can be strengthened through modification, but the physical strength of drivers is limited, especially in the TCR group where the lap speed is relatively fast. Therefore, the competition system also stipulates that each TCR racing car must be driven by two drivers. must change hands at least once. As for other groups, one driver can drive fixedly, or two drivers can take turns to drive, and the participating drivers in all groups can only drive one racing car at a time, and cannot open TCR all at once, and then change it later. Cars of the S2000 group come to drive, which is prohibited.

In addition, in order to make the competition fairer, safer and the competition process more exciting, the TCR group will be divided into two groups: A and B according to the qualifications of the drivers. Group A is an international competition that has participated in FIA certification, or CTMSA China. For domestic races certified by the Auto Racing Association (excluding solo races and Jinkana), the driver who has won the annual championship will be judged to be a group A driver, and the others will be a group B driver. If any one of the drivers is qualified for Group A, the car is deemed to be qualified for Group A.

One rule that is more related to TCR drivers is the use of electronic systems such as ABS and TCS. Since this year's STS competition has signed a contract with the international TCR organization WSC (World Sporting Consulting), it will be held in China for 1 hour (inclusive) The ABS and TCS systems cannot be used in the competitions within the range. If the car is already equipped with ABS or TCS system, it will not affect the vehicle inspection, but the system must be turned off during the competition (including qualifying and finals). Endurance races of more than 2 hours are allowed to be used. For drivers who are accustomed to ABS, it will increase the difficulty of driving a racing car, and it will take time to get used to it. However, for drivers who drive EG/EK Ximei racing cars, ABS does not exist in racing cars. So there is no trouble.

In this competition, the author can find several key points from the on-site observation. The number of teams and vehicles willing to participate in TCR in China is more than last year. 12 cars have signed up for the first round, and there should be nearly 20 more in the future. Although The price of each TCR racing car is about 3-4 million yuan, and the minimum entry budget for each race is more than 350,000 yuan. The entry cost is not low, but it is of great help to help Taiwanese racing cars to integrate with the international market, and also allows the strong technical team. Drivers have a stage to play. Second, the competition system of the Turbo group and the S2000 group has an opportunity for domestic shops with skilled modification techniques to play. After all, a modified car that can run for 60 minutes on the track should be the best promotion condition. Third, the first race was held at a time when the domestic epidemic was becoming more and more serious, so the number of spectators was not as good as before. I believe that as the epidemic gradually subsides, the audience will slowly return. At that time, I hope to regain the glory of domestic racing. scene.