!NEW! Pre-Season Testing: Countless Kilometers for Opel Astra TCR

• Development of Opel’s new customer racing touring car right on schedule
• Positive findings after five-day test drives in Estoril, Portugal
• Delivery of first cars to customer teams at end of February 

For customer racing: Opel Astra TCR is built in accordance with the regulations of the Touring Car Racing Series.

The Opel Astra TCR development program is going at full speed. Last week, the new customer racing touring car built in accordance with the TCR (Touring Car Racing Series) regulations covered countless kilometers over five test days on the Circuito do Estoril in Portugal. “It was a very good test,” says Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott. “The timeline is still very tight, but we are on schedule. Opel Astra TCR ran reliably at the last test drives in Zandvoort and Estoril, it’s performing well. Now we’re working on fine-tuning details before the first vehicles are delivered to our customer teams at the end of February.” The Opel Astra TCR makes it public premiere at the Geneva Motor Show (March 3 – 13, 2016).

Pre-season testing: Countless kilometers for the Opel Astra TCR on the race circuits in Zandvoort and Estoril.

Opel Motorsport Technical Director Dietmar Metrich and the team at Opel development partner Kissling Motorsport paid special attention to the front axle’s sophisticated concept. “On a racing car with around 330 hp and front-wheel drive, this is a key component. All the longitudinal and lateral forces of a TCR car, so in addition to braking and steering this also means acceleration, affect the front wheels,” explains Dietmar Metrich. “And this is not only about the lap times, it is also about tire wear. So whoever has a car with a well-performing front axle has a clear advantage in tough competition. And because the front-wheel suspension pivot point is not specified in the TCR guidelines, we have some leeway in the design of the front axle.”

During the last test drives, the technicians concentrated on the basic setup to draw out the Opel Astra TCR’s maximum performance. This is in line with Dietmar Metrich’s credo: “It’s always easier to make a fast racing car solid than to make a solid one fast. But ultimately the best of both has to be at hand.” What is extremely important in the process is the meticulous balancing of the mechanical grip of the chassis and wheels as well as the aerodynamic grip, which is mainly created by the rear wing and front splitter. Both give the racing car fast and easy-to-drive handling. The racing car driver’s information on the car’s driving behavior is as significant as the lap times. Finely tuned vehicle balance is also especially important for brake performance. Opel Astra TCR’s brake system from the renowned manufacturer AP enables extremely late braking points. This is ensured by 378 mm brake discs and six-piston brake calipers at the front along with 265 mm brake discs and two-piston brake calipers at the back. The driver can modulate the braking balance from the cockpit.

Opel Astra TCR is also top in terms of dynamic strength. The sequential, six-speed racing transmission operated by a paddle shift located on the steering wheel from the French specialists Sadev works without difficulty. And the four-cylinder, two-liter turbocharged engine with two overhead camshafts and multi-point injection has already proved its strength and endurance in long-distance events. The 16 valve 330 hp unit with maximum torque of around 420 Nm also delivers impressive figures in its TCR trim. In this case it is boundaries set by the guidelines that limit the engine’s potential performance.

The key concept here is “Balance of Performance”. To ensure that every automaker – regardless of the technical basis of their production series platform – can bring a competitive racing car to the racetrack while also putting an end to cost-intensive technical spin-off pursuits, the regulation guardians balance the racing cars using a tried and tested system. The two “Balance of Performance” adjustment points in the TCR are engine performance and weight, whereby the engine performance is controlled via electronics or so-called mapping. The TCR guidelines thus enable exciting customer racing with maximum cost control.

“We still have lots of work ahead of us before our TCR debut,” says Jörg Schrott. “But I’m already looking forward to the coming season. The TCR is exactly what the teams and fans want. Thrilling, breathtakingly close motorsport featuring cars the spectators can identify with – this approach is a surefire success.” 

!NEW! Opel Astra TCR: New Touring Car for Customer Racing Presented

• Sneak preview of the 330 hp touring car for the TCR Series
• Use in short and long distance races possible
• First cars to be delivered to selected customer teams at the end of February 2016 

New Opel Astra TCR will presented for the first time in the Belgian town of Mettet.

Opel took full advantage of the international TCR (Touring Car Racing) presentation at the circuit Jules Tacheny in Mettet, Belgium, showing their new customer racing touring car for the first time. The Opel Astra TCR combines ultra-modern racing technology with an effective safety concept while simultaneously remaining close to production. It enables the Opel teams to compete in short and long distance races – such as the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring – with a technically unchanged vehicle.

New Opel Astra TCR is powered by a highly efficient 2.0 Turbo with 330 hp

The 5-door Astra is powered by a highly efficient two-liter turbocharged engine that will deliver 330 hp and maximum torque of 420 Nm (both determined by the “Balance of Performance” concept), thus ensuring that vehicle with a curb weight of 1,200 kilograms has enough propulsion. This power is transferred to the front wheels via a sequential, six-speed racing transmission with the paddle shift located on the steering wheel. Adhesion is established via a twin-disc sinter metal clutch. An automated double declutching system creates stability when shifting down. The racing car is decelerated by 378 mm brake discs and 6-piston brake calipers at the front along with 265 mm brake discs and 2-piston brake calipers at the back. The driver can modulate the braking balance from the cockpit.

The chassis is fully adjustable and comes with ultra-modern damper technology. The efficient aerodynamics, which include an adjustable front splitter and rear spoiler that for cost reasons are standard components and identical on all TCR vehicles, are also relevant for the vehicle set-up. Electronic assistance systems such as ABS and ESP are not permitted.

In order to ensure that the Opel customer teams can use their Astra TCR for a number of years without making any technical adjustments, the car already comes with features that the International Automobile Association (FIA) will only declare mandatory from the 2017 season such as the 100-liter fuel safety tank.

Opel’s commitment in the Touring Car Racing Series marks the continuation of a long and successful tradition in touring car racing. Customer racing has always been a key pillar in Opel’s motorsport commitment in many countries across Europe alongside factory-backed participation in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) or national championships such as the German Supertouring Championship (STW). The concept of the TCR matches this philosophy perfectly – with powerful, optically impressive close-to-production touring cars available at affordable prices, the TCR meets the current requirements of the interested customer teams.

The TCR also offers Opel the perfect platform to present its new volume model in a racing environment in the involved markets. The various national championships, obviously including the new German TCR series (ADAC TCR Germany), which will be staged under the overall control of Opel’s longtime partner ADAC, and the European championship are an ideal playing field for Opel and its customer teams. The three-tier concept – national and continental championships along with the global TCR International Series – ensures that customer teams can compete worldwide with the same car.

The Astra TCR is being developed in close cooperation with Opel’s longstanding partner Kissling Motorsport from Bad Münstereifel. Initial performance checks are set to take place before the end of October. A limited amount of Opel Astra TCRs will be delivered to selected customer teams from February of next year. The race-ready vehicle will cost a competitive €95,000 (plus VAT).