The British Touring Car season may have been done and dusted by the end of September, but for the teams and drivers of the FIA European Touring Car Championship, the action continued well in to October. The sizeable paddock descended upon Donington Park on the weekend of 5/6 October for the second of its two UK meetings this season. The first having been at Silverstone in May.

There are numerous aspects that differentiate the European series from that which we have become accustomed to around British circuits over the past two seasons. The first striking distinction is the ‘size’ of the event, both in terms of the number of cars in the paddock and the duration of the meeting. The Donington meeting saw six different formulae competing over the course of the three days of the meeting. In this respect, the event could be likened to the ‘Super Weekend’ meetings which the BTCC headlined at Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Donington this year. (And Super Racing Weekend is in fact the name given to the ETCC meetings by title sponsor, Electronics manufacturer, LG.)

The FIA ETCC package consists of the European Touring Cars, along with the European GT championship plus a number of supporting classes: RenaultSport Clio V6 trophy & Eurocup Formula Renault plus 2 guest races (TVR Tuscans and Formula Zip filled these slots at Donington).

British drivers have featured prominently in the ETCC throughout 2003 with James Hanson and Tom Ferrier completing a full season in the series, and Rob Collard switching over after he withdrew from the BTCC. Hanson has driven a Volvo S60 for the Prodrive team, and Collard a Nissan Primera for RJN Motorsport.

Tom Ferrier has competed in the ETCC for the last two years. In 2001, he drove an Edenbridge Racing BMW, and 2002 has seen him piloting an independently entered Alfa Romeo 156, prepared by Milan-based Dart Racing. Previous to making the move up to Touring Cars, the Surrey based driver was runner-up in the Elf Clio Renaultsport UK Cup winter series in 2000 and is also a former British karting champion.

Ferrier has endured a relatively frustrating season in 2002, but his independent team have made considerable progress without many of the resources available to the Nordauto factory Alfa Romeo team. The single qualifying session and the two short back-to-back races, combined with the Formula One style points system make it difficult to make an impact on the championship standings unless a driver is consistently at the front of the grid.

Ferrier’s Alfa Romeo 156 Gta is similar to the models run in the BTCC by GA Motorsport, however the ETCC regulations are a cross between the British Touring and Production classes. Whilst the car does not feature the wide wheel arches and body kits associated with the Astras, MGs and the other Touring class cars, it gives approximately 270BHP, the same as the top class of in the British series. As with the British production class, there is no sequential gearbox, but instead an H-pattern box in the standard casing. The 17 inch wheels are another BTC-T style feature and there are a number of regulations designed to keep the car looking similar to its road-going counterpart. Of course, these are not production cars…

The recent announcement that Volvo is removing its works backing for the ETCC team with immediate effect has come as a blow to the series. Along with the news that newly crowned champion, Fabrizio Giovanardi will not defend his title with the Nordauto team, 2003 may look bleak on first reflection. However, as ever, a number of manufacturers are suggested to have an interest in the series, with Opel and Nissan amongst those rumoured to be playing close attention, on top of the Alfa Romeos, BMWs, Volvos and Hondas already in the series.

The ETCC organisers have endeavoured to adapt the regulations to ensure competitive racing, adopting BTCC style success ballast, handing a 30kg weight reduction to rear-wheel drive cars, and allowing the 6 cylinder BMWs an extra 500 RPM.

Whether you look to Britain or Europe, the key to a successful series is manufacturer participation, and to ensure this, close, competitive racing is a necessity. Comparing the two series at the end of their respective 2002 seasons, the BTCC definitely has the edge. The racing between the Vauxhall Astras, Honda Accords and MG ZS’s really hotted up over the final rounds, with late developments on the Civic giving the team a very successful end to the season. It remains to be seen just how many cars will fill the grids of the two series in 2003, but many people will be looking on with great interest to see how the respective regulations develop over the coming seasons. The nature of the two series means that they are not intended to be in direct competition with each other, but as yet, no manufacturer has developed a works entry for both series. Whether this will change…we will just have to wait and see!

Photography by Peter Still/www.stillphotography.co.uk.