No joker laps for the WTCC in Morocco – delayed to Vila Real

The introduction of a joker lap for next weekend’s first race of the season at the Circuit Moulay El Hassan has been postponed until the Portuguese round of the championship in June, with the FIA unable to agree a safe location for it at the Moroccan circuit.

The WTCC had announced plans to introduce Rallycross-style joker laps at two of its three street race events this year in order to spice up the action, with the tight and twisty circuits often proving unforgiving in terms of passing.

The new part-permanent Marrakech circuit last year saw drivers struggle to pass, with perhaps the only memorable moment being a failed pass by Lada’s Hugo Valente on Münnich Motorsport driver James Thompson for the lead in the opening race, which handed the victory to the ROAL Chevrolet of Tom Coronel.

In Portugal, although Tiago Monteiro romped to a well-received victory in front of his home crowd, the races were almost completely pass free. This was in contrast to the inaugural event of 2015, where there were a number of incidents, particularly in the then-reversed grid second race.

“We proposed to the FIA two or three different options for the joker lap,” said championship promoter Francois Ribeiro. “We know Marrakech is quite a narrow circuit, and in the end, we took the decision (along) with the FIA and the circuit commission not to do it in Marrakech, as for the first time we use the joker lap, we did not want to have the risk of crashes.”

The WTCC will therefore introduce the joker lap only once this year, at the Circuito Internacional de Vila Real, with the WTCC’s third street circuit, the iconic Circuito da Guia in Macau, not able to be modified.

TouringCarTimes understands the chicane which veers to the right of the start-finish straight, which is used during the race except on the first lap, is set to be where the joker lap takes place, with drivers able to cut down the main straight.

Although the joker lap will be a relatively new concept for circuit racing, although it has been used in the Argentinian Super TC 2000 Championship before, Ribeiro is adamant it’ll only ever be used for street events, leaving permanent events as they are.

“(What I want to do is give the drivers) that chance; that option that a driver can set up his own strategy, and if he is a bit faster he gets a reward,” explained Ribeiro. “If we did this on permanent circuits, I just get the feeling drivers will take less risks to overtake and just wait for the joker lap to do it – and then you kill your show, you kill the essence of touring cars and what you want to be…the FIA asked if I wanted to do it on permanent circuits because they gave the OK for it in the regulations, but I said no – only street circuits.”