I don’t know about you, but if someone makes no effort with me, then I’m not inclined to make much effort with them. I think that’s where I am with the WTCC.

I don’t want to seem petty. I was moderately excited about the glamorous-sounding World Touring Car Championship when it was resurrected in 2005, and enthusiastically went along to the race at Silverstone that year. I followed it reasonably closely on Eurosport when I had the channel, and thereafter made an effort to catch the highlights on ITV4.

That changed last year, when the WTCC disappeared from free-to-air TV in the UK. That continues this year. But also this year, for the first time, there’s no race in the UK. Ever get the feeling you’re not loved?

National vs International

Perhaps that’s part of the reason that, as new WTCC pitlane reporter Ben Constanduros intimated, the UK holds the BTCC in higher regard. It might not be objectively fair, but it’s obvious why: the cars are ostensibly identical, so the racing looks the same, but the BTCC is broadcast live on free-to-air TV and tours UK circuits.

Is it a coincidence that Germany, home to the DTM, also has no WTCC race?

The fact is, the WTCC doesn’t really care about the UK – or probably Germany for that matter. It’s far more interested in emerging markets – and if that’s what the championship’s stakeholders want, then fair enough.

After all, it’s not the only series to desert the UK this year: the Silverstone round of the free-to-attend World Series by Renault clearly wasn’t doing enough for Renault’s UK sales figures.

National to International

But what’s vaguely surprising to me is that the WTCC seems to hold a significant appeal for British drivers. No less than four are moving across from the BTCC this year: Tom Chilton, James Nash, Alex MacDowall and the returning Tom Boardman.

It’s perhaps not a given that Nash and MacDowall are moving entirely by choice. But Chilton’s Team Aon and Boardman’s Special Tuning Racing are moving and expanding respectively into the WTCC, so it’s clear that the world stage is where they want to be.

That’s despite the WTCC being basically invisible in the UK compared to the BTCC.

Shame

With so much British interest, I want to be more enthusiastic about the WTCC season ahead. It should be fascinating to see how they all get on; MacDowall is already making headlines in testing.

But the WTCC makes it so damned difficult to be enthusiastic. Shame, that.

Photo Credit
Jens / mautau – Flickr – Some rights reserved