The proliferation of TCR regional and national series continues with the launch of TCR Middle East.
During the TCR International Series race meeting at the Bahrain International Circuit earlier in the season, promoter Marcello Lotti had the opportunity to meet with local promoters and lay the foundations for the new regional series.
“We found a lot of enthusiasm from the promoters, the circuits and the National Sporting Authorities. It is clear that motorsport is gaining popularity in the Middle East, as has been proved by the building of several top-level racetracks and the success of international races such as the 24 Hours of Dubai. This is also helping local drivers to become more experienced and competitive, as we saw with the performance of Salman Al Khalifa and Hussain Karimi when they joined the TCR International Series during the F1 Grand Prix,” Lotti said.
Following further meetings, details have now been finalized and the TCR Middle East series is now being announced as an international series for the MENA (Middle East & North Africa) zone organized by WSC Middle East.
The TCR Middle East series will be run between January and March 2017 and will consist of three events: on 12/14 January at the Dubai Autodrome, 10/11 February at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit and 10/11 March at the Bahrain International Circuit.
The series will be officially launched in a media and test day at the Bahrain International Circuit on 2 December 2016, when local drivers will be given the opportunity to drive the TCR cars.
Lotti added: “The idea was to establish a series that may be also interesting for Europe-based teams and drivers, offering them the opportunity to race on modern and demanding circuits with affordable budgets during what is considered the off-season in Europe. Which is why the series will finish in March, giving the teams enough times to ship the cars back for the beginning of the national championships.”
