Volkswagen has unveiled details of its revised Golf GTI TCR. The car is capable of producing ‘up to’ 350 hp much as before, but goes into 2017 with a new aerodynamic package.
“The first full season of the Golf GTI TCR was a great success from a sporting point of view: our customers Leopard Racing and Liqui Moly Team Engstler won the international and Asian TCR championships at the first attempt,” said Volkswagen Motorsport director Sven Smeets. “You cannot afford to rest on your laurels in motorsport, and we want to continue to offer our customers a competitive car for their commitments around the world. For this reason, we have systematically further developed the Golf GTI TCR for the 2017 season. The focus of this further development was on the car’s aerodynamics.”
The external modifications are predominately consigned to the heavily redesigned fenders; which feature a new, flatter profile and wider extraction vents aimed at improving the aerodynamic efficiency of the five-door car. These are complimented by mildly revised front and rear bumpers and side-skirts, which help incorporate the new fenders in a more fluid fashion.
“The strict technical regulations, which aim to ensure affordable costs and close sporting competition, do not give the technicians very much leeway,” explained Eduard Weidl, TCR project leader at Volkswagen Motorsport. “With the new aerodynamics, we have further optimised the performance of the car on fast sections of track by reducing aerodynamic drag and increasing the overall downforce. Furthermore, we have also worked on many detailed solutions based on the experience gained from the car’s debut year: for example, we have optimised the power development of the two-litre turbo engine, improved the control of the sequential gearbox, and integrated a powerful electric power steering.”
In its first full season of racing, the Golf GTI TCR won 17 races and two championships. Among the customers to take delivery of the new generation of Golf GTI TCR is Liqui Moly Team Engstler, which will once again field its cars in the German ADAC TCR Germany series, TCR Asia, and TCR Middle East series’ this year. Furthermore, Volkswagen customers will also compete in the international TCR series, in which Team Leopard Racing will start as the defending champion, as well as customers fighting for the top spot in the inaugural TCR Scandinavia, and new TCR Italia series.
The 2017-specification Golf GTI TCR is priced from €90,000+VAT (US$96,000) and is being aimed at professional teams in the multiple, rapidly growing TCR series around the world. In the car’s debut year, Volkswagen Motorsport delivered more than 20 Golf GTI TCRs to customers. Roughly 30 more cars are expected to be delivered in 2017.
