Did anybody watch the original WTCC?

[ryan92]

Running for a single year in 1987 and as I wasn't even born then, I'm curious to see if anybody on this forum watched the original WTCC before it was stopped by the FIA.

According to the page on Wikipedia, it was a victim of its own success, so it must of been pretty good then?

[Rollo]

The 1987 WTCC was spun out of the then ETCC; I think that the reason it imploded was due to massive expenses involved.
Group A generally was an attempt to bring together a whole slew of touring car series; ultimately came down to which manufacturers could build the most powerful machines according to the regs.

The 1987 WTCC season basically only saw the Eggenberger Sierras face off against the Schnitzer M3s. Roberto Ravaglia won the '87 WTCC title like he had the '86 ETCC title by a single point; and the subsequent '88 ETCC.

Those black Texaco Sierras I think are some of the coolest looking touring cars ever to thump around a race track - Link:
http://forix.autosport.com/8w/6thgear/ge-sierra-cosworth-rs500.jpg

[racer69]

I was young, but remember it. Channel 7 in Australia in got behind it (not least because Australia was the only country to get two rounds) and we got highlights of all the Euro rounds, and full coverage of the local races.

The downfall of the '87 WTCC had nothing to do with rules and regulations, it had 100% to do with Bernie Ecclestone.

A NZ-based group, called Strathmore Ltd, had been involved right from the start of planning for the series in 1985, and by early 1987 they, as the promoter, had a series sponsor in place, a travel fund and everyone was generally quite enthusiastic about the series.

Then during a FISA meeting in February, it was decreed that Bernie Ecclestone would be given the promotional rights to all FIA World Championships (WTCC, World Sportscars, WRC inclusive). Bernie of course was not known for giving anything other than F1 his full support...

In a heartbeat Strathmore were booted, along with the series sponsor and travel fund. Bernie announced that the entry would be $US60,000 per car for a 2-car team($30,000 for 3rd cars onwards etc.. in teams) to register for the championship, there would be no travel fund, and the be eligible to score points you had to register, pay the fee's, and attend every round. Basically that left just the manufacturers to play and the privateers were left as grid fillers with no championship to shoot for....

A number of Australian teams (HDT, Roadways etc..) had been planning WTCC attacks, but gave up in the end to concentrate on the local races (but would compete in the Bathurst, Calder and Wellington rounds)

The 1987 WTCC did attract full grids at all rounds, and big crowds, especially in the southern hemisphere rounds, and many factories cars took part at some point in the series (Ford, BMW, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Holden, Nissan, Toyota)

Had the original promoters stayed in charge, the series would surely have lasted longer than 1 year

Here is a short recap of the first round at Monza (and some of the nonsense that led up to it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZl155k3iaM

[F1boat]

It is bad that many cool car racing series were ruined... :(

[AndyRAC]

It is bad that many cool car racing series were ruined... :(

Yeah, and what is the common theme in most of them...????

[ryan92]

I was young, but remember it. Channel 7 in Australia in got behind it (not least because Australia was the only country to get two rounds) and we got highlights of all the Euro rounds, and full coverage of the local races.

The downfall of the '87 WTCC had nothing to do with rules and regulations, it had 100% to do with Bernie Ecclestone.

A NZ-based group, called Strathmore Ltd, had been involved right from the start of planning for the series in 1985, and by early 1987 they, as the promoter, had a series sponsor in place, a travel fund and everyone was generally quite enthusiastic about the series.

Then during a FISA meeting in February, it was decreed that Bernie Ecclestone would be given the promotional rights to all FIA World Championships (WTCC, World Sportscars, WRC inclusive). Bernie of course was not known for giving anything other than F1 his full support...

In a heartbeat Strathmore were booted, along with the series sponsor and travel fund. Bernie announced that the entry would be $US60,000 per car for a 2-car team($30,000 for 3rd cars onwards etc.. in teams) to register for the championship, there would be no travel fund, and the be eligible to score points you had to register, pay the fee's, and attend every round. Basically that left just the manufacturers to play and the privateers were left as grid fillers with no championship to shoot for....

A number of Australian teams (HDT, Roadways etc..) had been planning WTCC attacks, but gave up in the end to concentrate on the local races (but would compete in the Bathurst, Calder and Wellington rounds)

The 1987 WTCC did attract full grids at all rounds, and big crowds, especially in the southern hemisphere rounds, and many factories cars took part at some point in the series (Ford, BMW, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Holden, Nissan, Toyota)

Had the original promoters stayed in charge, the series would surely have lasted longer than 1 year

Here is a short recap of the first round at Monza (and some of the nonsense that led up to it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZl155k3iaM


That is a very interesting insight to what happened to the original WTCC, shame it had to end. Thanks racer69

[dcr22B]

Let's not forget the farce that was Bathurst that year with all the controversy over the Eggenberger RS500s.

[racer69]

Let's not forget the farce that was Bathurst that year with all the controversy over the Eggenberger RS500s.

It was only a farce was because the protest of the clearly illegal Sierra's took 66 days to be heard, and the result was given on the Friday morning of the final round at Mt Fuji....

[BDunnell]

I was young, but remember it. Channel 7 in Australia in got behind it (not least because Australia was the only country to get two rounds) and we got highlights of all the Euro rounds, and full coverage of the local races.

The downfall of the '87 WTCC had nothing to do with rules and regulations, it had 100% to do with Bernie Ecclestone.

A NZ-based group, called Strathmore Ltd, had been involved right from the start of planning for the series in 1985, and by early 1987 they, as the promoter, had a series sponsor in place, a travel fund and everyone was generally quite enthusiastic about the series.

Then during a FISA meeting in February, it was decreed that Bernie Ecclestone would be given the promotional rights to all FIA World Championships (WTCC, World Sportscars, WRC inclusive). Bernie of course was not known for giving anything other than F1 his full support...

In a heartbeat Strathmore were booted, along with the series sponsor and travel fund. Bernie announced that the entry would be $US60,000 per car for a 2-car team($30,000 for 3rd cars onwards etc.. in teams) to register for the championship, there would be no travel fund, and the be eligible to score points you had to register, pay the fee's, and attend every round. Basically that left just the manufacturers to play and the privateers were left as grid fillers with no championship to shoot for....

A number of Australian teams (HDT, Roadways etc..) had been planning WTCC attacks, but gave up in the end to concentrate on the local races (but would compete in the Bathurst, Calder and Wellington rounds)

The 1987 WTCC did attract full grids at all rounds, and big crowds, especially in the southern hemisphere rounds, and many factories cars took part at some point in the series (Ford, BMW, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Holden, Nissan, Toyota)

Had the original promoters stayed in charge, the series would surely have lasted longer than 1 year

Here is a short recap of the first round at Monza (and some of the nonsense that led up to it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZl155k3iaM

That's all very well, but none of it explains why the series failed. It still attracted an excellent entry. The fact that rule-bending and cheating were endemic in touring car racing during the 1980s, leading to endless wrangles in the British, European and then the World championships, was to my mind the major factor in the first WTCC's downfall.

[racer69]

That's all very well, but none of it explains why the series failed. It still attracted an excellent entry. The fact that rule-bending and cheating were endemic in touring car racing during the 1980s, leading to endless wrangles in the British, European and then the World championships, was to my mind the major factor in the first WTCC's downfall.


In the end it was dispensed with because Bernie was pushing the new PROCAR formula (F1 engines in production bodies), which he envisaged as a replacement for Group A and the future of the world championship. And Bernie being the WTCC promoter, he had alot of clout. The reason given for the axing of the first WTCC by the FIA was exactly that, they were planning for PROCAR in 1989....

[F1boat]

Yeah, and what is the common theme in most of them...????

Bernard. He ruined them all, so now can focus on ruining F1.

[BDunnell]

In the end it was dispensed with because Bernie was pushing the new PROCAR formula (F1 engines in production bodies), which he envisaged as a replacement for Group A and the future of the world championship. And Bernie being the WTCC promoter, he had alot of clout. The reason given for the axing of the first WTCC by the FIA was exactly that, they were planning for PROCAR in 1989....

But, even so, would it still have continued into 1988? After all, leaving aside all of what you say, as factually correct as it undoubtedly is, the 1987 WTCC had been a disaster through no fault of Bernie's, surely?

[racer69]

But, even so, would it still have continued into 1988? After all, leaving aside all of what you say, as factually correct as it undoubtedly is, the 1987 WTCC had been a disaster through no fault of Bernie's, surely?

What was a disaster about it? The grids were full, and although BMW and Ford were caught cheating on seperate occasions, they got found out and punished.

Manufacturers like Nissan were ready to join in 1988 until the thing was canned.