Gabriele Tarquini criticizes WTCC rules

Previous British Touring Car Championship champion and SEAT-man Gabriele Tarquini is fed up with the constant rule changes and dispensations of the World Touring Car Championship.
“If I was a manufacturer, I wouldn’t come to WTCC unless I knew the regulations you showed me today would be the same tomorrow,” said Tarquini to Autosport.

Since the WTCC was “restarted” in 2005 no new manufacturers have joined the series, despite talk about Brilliance, Ford, Mazda and more.

“Why would a manufacturer want to enter and spend six months making their car quick? They might as well build a bad car and wait for the waivers to come and help them be fast. It’s not a very good situation.”

The dispensations so far this year have been many. The Honda of James Thompson recently got a weight reduction, as did the petrol powered SEAT’s and BMW got minus 15 kilos.

Tarquini feels that the FIA Touring Car Bureau is only making things worse with the constant changes and that there should be more time before waivers are handed out.

“After every race there’s a new waiver that comes in and helps one type of car. I don’t think it’s necessary because we’re good at some tracks and not so good at others and so is everyone else.

“I think it’s ok to change things once in the middle of the season to get more balance, but with the waivers, I think it’s too much.”

The FIA Touring Car Bureau have recently indicated that there will be “new” rules for the WTCC in 2010 and that they could include turbo charged petrol engines for all.

But according to the president of the Touring Car Comission, Jonathan Ashman, the new S2000 cars should be able to compete along side the current S2000 cars. That could mean that the “new” S2000 rules in 2010 will not be far from the current S2000 rules, meaning that the current problems of the rules will remain?

Stay tuned for more news on the subject!