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2016 proved to be a very successful
first full racing season for the
Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR that claimed
titles in the International and the
Asia Series. In the wake of these
results, a number of competitors
have elected to race the German car
in the upcoming season, especially
because Volkswagen Motorsport has
not rested on its laurels and has
worked to further develop the car.
Modifications have been made to the
car’s outer skin, while the
technology under the bonnet has
also been fine-tuned.
“The first full season was
a great success from a
sporting point of view,”
said Volkswagen
Motorsport Director Sven
Smeets. “We want to
continue to offer our
customers a competitive
car for their
commitments around the
world and we have
systematically further developed the
Golf GTi TCR, focusing on the
aerodynamics.”
At the heart of external
modifications are the new fenders,
with a new profile and new vents
improving the aerodynamic
efficiency. “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 optimised the performance on
fast sections of track by reducing
aerodynamic drag and increasing the
overall downforce. We have also
worked on many detailed solutions
based on the experience gained from
last year: we have optimised the
power development, improved the
control of the sequential gearbox and
integrated a powerful electric power
steering system.”
At the same time, the Volkswagen
Motorsport technicians in Hannover
have also dedicated their
time to improving the
durability of components
that are subjected to great
strain.
Roughly 30 more cars are
expected to be delivered to
teams taking part in the
different TCR championships
and series worldwide during
2017.
The Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR
STANDINGS
SPOTLIGHT
Above: Volkswagen Motorsport key men, from left Eduard Weil (Head of Customer
Sports), Armin Meixner (Technical Support) and Sven Smeets (Motorsport Director)