Photo: Mediaempire.se

STCC ends talks with TTA – re-confirms NGTC

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The Scandinavian Touring Car Championship organizers today announced that they have ended the negotiations with TTA, Touring Car Team Association, and that they are not going to sell the championship.
“There is only one STCC and we are going to continue pushing hard for the future, with or without the TTA teams. I am going to financially guarantee a continuation of STCC for at least five years,” said Rickard Pålsson, owner of STCC AB.

STCC and TTA negotiated during the past months and most recently surrounding TTA buying STCC AB.

“In the end I felt that the best for the future of STCC was for me to remain as owner and continue working on the goals that I set up five years ago when I bought STCC,” said Pålsson.

The STCC organisation has also re-confirmed the NGTC regulations for the future. NGTC cars are going to be allowed from 2012, combined with S2000 cars until 2014, an extension of one year compared to the previous plans.

Another new point is that S2000 cars with NGTC engines will be allowed from next year, a similar setup that the British Touring Car Championship runs this year.

“We are going to introduce the rules gradually in order to keep the costs down for the teams. The current cars are going to be allowed for two more season, with the possibility to use the new, cheaper, engines that is part of the new regulations,” said Pålsson.

The TTA teams, WestCoast Racing, Polestar Racing, Flash Engineering and Brovallen Design, wanted STCC to introduce silhouette based regulations from Solution-F, a concept Pålsson dismisses.

“With the TTA concept, a one type class from Solution-F, we would not have the same possibilities to build a strong platform for the future,” said Pålsson.

The TTA teams have stated that they are not going to take part in the STCC if the NGTC regulations are introduced and that a new series might be formed. This is however not something Pålsson is worried about.

“We have competition of other sports already today. The risk for competing series is always there but we have the strength and durability to take the fight. But the TTA teams are welcome to take part in STCC under the same conditions as anyone else, under the regulations we have set. There are good forces within TTA and we are open with a dialogue with all competitors in STCC when it comes to developing the championship,” said Pålsson.