*Nineteen-car entry for season-opening races at Circuit Paul Ricard
*Exciting two-tiered class structure era begins with several new FIA TCN2 cars in action
*Both races broadcast live on FIAETCC.com with highlights on Eurosport
*Race-by-race prize fund of €25,000 split between the two classes 

The race is on for a dream drive in the FIA World Touring Car Championship in 2017 when the 2016 FIA European Touring Car Cup gets underway at Circuit Paul Ricard in France from 1-3 April. The official feeder series to the WTCC is offering the ETCC Super 2000 Cup champion a prize drive in a round of the 2017 world series under the new Road to WTCC initiative.

With considerable experience and a strong pedigree to boot in the ETCC, stalwart racers Petr Fulín and Peter Rikli will be at the sharp end of the action in their new-for-2016 FIA TCN2 machinery with Czech Fulín armed with a SEAT León Cup Racer and Swiss Rikli at the wheel of a Honda Civic.

However, they will face strong competition from a host of emerging talents including German SEAT racer Andreas Pfister (28), Zengő Motorsport SEAT driver Norbert Nagy (21) and 21-year-old Swiss Kris Richard, who makes his ETCC debut in a Rikli Motorsport Civic. Mladen Lalušić, 21 from Serbia, has signed up for a full-season with Lein Racing after making selected ETCC appearances in 2015, while Lema Racing’s FIA Hill Climb champion Igor Stefanovski, from Macedonia, is a circuit racing newcomer. Other ETCC rookies on the grid in France will include 27-year-old Swiss Christjohannes Schreiber and Portugal’s Fábio Mota (28).  Alexandr Artemyev, from Kazakhstan, and German WTCC racer René Münnich have completed guest entries for the event.

SUPER 1600 CUP FOCUS: CHAMPION MACKSCHIN RETURNS
German promise Niklas Mackschin (21) will defend his ETCC S1600 title in a Ford Fiesta, which is also the car of choice for his compatriot and ETCC rookie Daniel Niermann (24). Czech Republic’s Tomáš Korený and Germany’s Kevin Hilgenhövelwill both be 16 when the 2016 ETCC season begins. They will compete in the Super 1600 category with Korený piloting a Fiesta and Hilgenhövel a Peugeot 207. Germans Andreas Rinke (30) and Ulrike Krafft (31) will also be competing with Krafft battling Ukrainian Ksenia Niks for the ETCC Ladies’ Cup. Guest driver Andrii Ievtusheko, from Ukraine, completes the entry in his Fiesta.

WEEKEND OVERVIEW: Nineteen drivers will contest the two season-opening ETCC races at Circuit Paul Ricard, which measures 3.841 kilometres in length. Two 45-minute test sessions are scheduled on Friday 1 April, followed by a 45-minute Free Practice session on Saturday morning. Qualifying takes place from 15h45-16h15 local time. Sunday’s races both cover a distance of 14 laps with the first race beginning from a rolling start and the second from a standing start. While the results of Qualifying will determine the grid order for Race 1, the results of the first race will decide the starting grid for Race 2, albeit with the top eight finishers lining up in reverse order. A race-by-race prize fund of €25,000, jointly awarded by ETCC tyre partner Yokohama, will be split between the Super 2000 and Super 1600 competitors.

PROVISIONAL KEY TIMINGS: Friday 1 April: 10h45-11h30: Testing 1; 10h30-11h15: Testing 2; 14h15-15h00; 16h00: Official ETCC driver photograph (pit lane); 17h20-19h00: ETCC Season Launch (WTCC VIP Club). Saturday 2 April: 09h30-10h15: Free Practice; 15h45-16h15: Qualifying; 16h20 (approx.): Post-Qualifying press conference (Media Centre, top three drivers and fastest S1600 Cup driver in attendance). Sunday 3 April: 13h35-14h05: ETCC Race 1 (14 laps, rolling start); 14h50-15h10: ETCC Race 2 (14 laps, standing start); 15h20 (approx.): Podium; 15h35 (approx.): Post-Race press conference (Media Centre, S2000 Cup and S1600 Cup winners from both races in attendance).

CIRCUIT PAUL RICARD IN SHORT: Circuit Paul Ricard blends the old with the new in spectacular fashion. Built in 1969 and rebuilt 30 years later as a high-specification testing venue, the track’s motorsport heritage is well documented with Formula One visiting 14 times between 1971 and 1990. The venue remains ever-popular thanks to its location close to the French Riviera and the country’s second city, Marseille, while the ETCC visited for the first time in 2014 and returned for two sun-drenched races last year when the event moved from April to June. It’s back to April for 2016 as the opening weekend of the season.

EUROSPORT TV SCHEDULE: Highlights of FIA ETCC Race of Paul Ricard will be shown on Eurosport 2 at 18h00 on 3 April (22h45 on Eurosport 2 in Germany). Both races will be streamed live at FIAETCC.com.

ETCC POINTS ALLOCATION: For both the Super 2000 Cup and the Super 1600 Cup, the fastest three drivers in qualifying will score: 3-2-1. The top eight finishers in each class in each race will score: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. Double points will be awarded for ETCC Race of Vila Real.

RECENT ETCC CHAMPIONS:
2015: TC2T: Davit Kajaia (GEO); TC2: Michal Matĕjovský (CZE); Super 1600: Niklas Mackschin (DEU); Single Make Trophy: Dušan Borković (SRB)
2014: Super 2000 TC2T: Nikolay Karamyshev (RUS); Super 2000 TC2: Petr Fulín (CZE); Super 1600: Gilles Bruckner (LUX); Single Make Trophy: Dmitry Bragin (RUS)
2013: Super 2000: Petr Fulín (CZE); Super 1600: Kevin Krammes (DEU); Single Make Trophy: Mario Dablander (AUT)
2012: Super Production: Nikolay Karamyshev (RUS); Super 2000: Fernando Monje (ESP) Super 1600: Kevin Krammes (DEU); Single Make Trophy: Stian Paulsen (NOR)
2011: Super Production: Aleksander Tosic (SRB); Super 2000: Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA); Super 1600: Thomas Mühlenz (DEU)

ETCC CALENDAR 2016: 1-3 April 2016: Circuit Paul Ricard (France); 15-17 April 2016: Slovakia Ring (Slovakia); 26-28 May 2016: Nürburgring Nordschleife (Germany); 24-26 June 2016: Circuito Internacional de Vila Real (Portugal) S; 8-10 July 2016: Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours (France)*; 30 September-2 October 2016: Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola (Italy)** S = street race; * = GT Tour support race; ** = FIA European Formula 3, GT Tour support race