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2014/06/30 10:53 AM
The times they are
a-changing
Next year will arguably see the biggest
change ever in the illustrious history of
Bridgestone Production Cars however, with
a change to a 2.0-litre formula for Class
A, a move which reflects the trends in the
world market with smaller-engined cars
the norm in a bid to meet environmental
objectives in terms of emissions and fuel
consumption.
This means that from 2015 BMW will be
able to use a four-cylinder version of the
F30 and Audi could change from an S4 to
an A4 or A5 with a 2.0-litre turbocharged
engine. As before, any drive layout will be
permitted, with a base weight for each car
and adjustments depending on whether the
car is front, rear or all-wheel-drive.
“There is no question that it is time for a
change,” says Richard Pinard, chairman
of the Bridgestone Production Cars
Management Group. “The local motorsport
landscape is very fluid at the moment and
we need to be cognisant of the changing
needs of the sport’s stakeholders. We
all face the questions: why are fields not
growing, spectator numbers remaining
stagnant and sponsors looking at various
other marketing avenues?
“We believe that we put on a great
spectacle, but motorsport in general is
not attracting the right target market.
We provide a show to rival the wide array of
recreational activities vying for consumers’
time and money. We need to move away
from just being in the motorsport business
to being more in the entertainment
business.
“On a pure nuts and bolts level we
continually review our position. A 2.0-litre
flagship class will allow us appeal to a
number of high-tech brands, such as
Jaguar with their upcoming new compact
middleweight, Mercedes-Benz with their
giant-killing A45 AMG, and Subaru with the
latest WRX STI. The possibility of running
this class on full slicks is being considered.
“Class T will remain much the same though
we will continue to apply changes in line
with world trends for higher efficiency and
lower carbon emissions. Class T is the core
of Production Cars and will be particularly
appealing to the hot-shots from junior
➲ A class for 1.6-litre turbocharged cars could see the likes of the Citroen DS3 on track as soon as
next year...
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