The Opel Astra TCR development programme is going at full speed. Last week, the new customer racing touring car covered around 250 laps of the Estoril circuit over five test days.
“It was a good test,” said Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott. “The timeline is still very tight, but we are on schedule. The Astra TCR ran reliably at the last tests 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 will be officially launched at the Geneva Motor Show (March 3/13). 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 both front wheels,” explained Metrich. “And this is not only about the lap times, it is also about tire wear.”
During the last test drives, the technicians concentrated on the basic setup to draw out the Astra TCR’s maximum performance. Metrich commented: “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 important in the process is the meticulous balancing of the mechanical grip of the chassis and wheels as well as the aerodynamic grip. Both give the racing car fast and easy-to-drive handling.”
“We still have lots of work ahead of us before our TCR debut,” Schrott concluded. “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.”
