New updates for the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR for 2017

A raft of updates have been introduced for the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR for the 2017 season, as the International and Asia Series winning car embarks on its second full season in competition in the TCR categories.

Volkswagen have detailed the improvements which have been made to the Golf for 2017, whose first customers are Engstler Motorsport, while WestCoast Racing and Team WRT will also race the car in the International Series this season.

“The first full season of the Golf GTI TCR was a great success from a sporting point of view,” said Volkswagen Motorsport direcot Sven Smeets. “You cannot afford to rest on your laurels in motorsport, and we want to continue to offer our customers a competitive car for their commitments around the world. For this reason, we have systematically further developed the Golf GTI TCR for the 2017 season. The focus of this further development was on the car’s aerodynamics.”

Modifications to the car include new fenders and air vents designed to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the car.

“The strict technical regulations, which aim to ensure affordable costs and close sporting competition, do not give the technicians much leeway,” explained TCR project leader Eduard Weidl. “With the new aerodynamics, we have further optimised the performance of the car on fast sections of track by reducing aerodynamic drag and increasing the overall downforce.

“Furthermore, we have also worked on many detailed solutions based on the experience gained from the car’s debut year; for example, we have optimised the power development of the two-litre turbo engine, improved the control of the sequential gearbox and integrated a powerful electric power steering.”