Salzburgring to host ‘German’ round

The Salzburgring in Austria is set to host the fourth round of the 2012 FIA World Touring Car Championship, which means the championship will not visit Germany for the first time in its history.

A meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council released the 2012 WTCC calendar today, which included a date where a round is scheduled to take place in Germany on 29th April 2012.

The German news site Motorsport-Total reports that the Salzburgring will however be hosting that round, taking over from Oschersleben.

The Salzburgring hosted the FIA European Touring Car Cup this year as well as one of the three rounds of that Cup when held as a series in 2010.

Oschersleben has been a permanent fixture of the championship since it was formed in 2005, and was a key round for the manufacturer teams of BMW at its home market, but BMW’s only representation from this season is with independent teams, of which two are German (Wiechers-Sport and Engstler Motorsport).

Prior to the WTCC, in 2004 the European Touring Car Championship actually featured two rounds in Germany, with one of the rounds also taking place at the Hockenheimring.

Oschersleben meanwhile held a round in all three seasons of the ETCC, so 2012 will be the first time in ten years the WTCC or ETCC before it has not been there.