Tom Coronel “100 % sure” about full 2020 WTCR grid
Tom Coronel is confident the World Touring Car Cup is facing a bright future, saying he has never seen the series in better shape throughout any of its previous incarnations.
Recent drop-out announcements from both Audi and Volkswagen have fuelled speculation about the future direction of WTCR, but Coronel has moved to the unambiguous support of the platform and reiterated his intention to remain on the grid in 2020.
The Comtoyou Cupra driver lent an optimistic outlook to the current state of affairs when talking to TouringCarTimes at the Sepang season-finale, confirming he had already reserved his start number (#30) for next year.
“I should be on the grid next season,” Coronel said. “I still need to talk to some sponsors but all the signs are positive and supposedly I’m here once again, as always.
“I am 100 % sure there will be 26 cars on the grid again next year, because I can see the things that are happening. We knew TCR was the future and now, in the second year of this championship, we are here with 26 cars within one second.”
Speaking about his own situation for 2020, Coronel said he had “three possibilities” but that “it’s still a little bit too hot” to confirm which those are.
TouringCarTimes understands, however, that remaining with Cupra is one of the leading options, as is a move to Honda – who are using the Dutchman for their promotional activities in the Benelux region.
Touring car racing’s longest-serving driver also offered his stance on the recent manufacturer pull-outs in WTCR, playing down their significance.
“There are some political reasons that manufacturers come and go, but that has always been the case,” Coronel continued. “I have been in this championship longer than any [other] driver, since 2001. Rob Huff tries to take that title all the time, but he is here since 2006 – I am here since 2001. Through ETCC, WTCC, WTCR, I have been here and seen the changes in teams, drivers, and I think at the moment it’s the most people involved and the best balance I’ve ever seen.
“You saw it when Citroën came in, you saw it when BMW came in, you saw it when SEAT came in. To be honest, I have never [seen] so many manufacturers involved as this year. I say ‘involved’, because is it not customer racing you may ask? It’s a bit weird that I see manufacturers saying ‘we don’t want to stay’, for political or whatever reason, when to be honest, isn’t this supposed to be customer racing?
“I think the future is only getting stronger in this championship. I see more and more cars involved, more and more brands involved, more and more drivers involved. I think it has never been stronger.”
Coronel has had an incident-filled weekend so far at the Sepang finale, clashing with Gabriele Tarquini in opening free practice and then suffering a broken driveshaft in FP2. With limited track time, he went on to qualify 20th, 17th and 17th respectively for the weekend’s three races.
