General Manager Marcello Lotti outlined the outcome of the season: “This was clearly the best year so far for ETCC. With an average of nearly thirty drivers per event and titles awarded to drivers representing four different brands of car manufacturers: BMW, Ford, SEAT and Honda. The ETCC remains the perfect antechamber to the WTCC. In previous years the likes of Ryan Sharp, Michel Nykjær and Fernando Monje successfully moved up to WTCC, and some of the drivers who competed this year are also ready for the move: Petr Fulín, Dušan Borković, Nikolay Karamishev just to name a few of them. At the same time we are forming a new generation of young racers like the 19-year old Mat’o Homola and the 17-year old Jordi Oriola.”

 

What is the near future for the ETCC? “We have proved that the current format, based on five events, three of them as WTCC support series, works very well. The plan is to continue on this way. At the same time we are considering to introduce a class reserved for the 2013 WTCC 1.6-litre turbo cars as a consequence of the evolution of the World Championship’s technical regulations. A decision will be taken soon, but the general feeling is that this may further consolidate the ETCC’s role as the launching pad to WTCC.”