Nordschleife "can be WTCC's Bathurst," says series boss

The World Touring Car Championship wants its Nurburgring Nordschleife event to become a European showpiece for the series with a profile akin to V8 Supercars' Bathurst 1000.

Although the WTCC season closer takes place on the legendary Macau street circuit, series organizer Eurosport Events' COO Francois Ribeiro said he wanted a headline round in a European time zone.

"I looked at Bathurst for V8 Supercars and the Buenos Aires 200km for TC2000 [which attracts many international drivers], and thought, 'What can we do for the WTCC?'" said Ribeiro. "You can't really say that Macau is our equivalent. Yes, it is great to be there and part of the festival of racing at Macau, but European fans have to get up at 5 a.m. I thought I need to find a way to build a special event in Europe."

Ribeiro said the positive response from the WTCC paddock has already convinced him that any logistical headaches will be worthwhile.

"When [on Thursday] morning I was at the Nordschleife and saw the paddock, I realized it is going to be tough [to organize] as it is a big machine," he said. "But the reaction I got when I talked to the top 10 or 12 WTCC drivers in Moscow was so enthusiastic, that's exactly what I was looking for."

While creating an event that both grabbed public attention and aroused the passions of drivers and teams was a priority, Ribeiro is also keen for the race to stimulate further manufacturer interest in the series.

"I hope it can have an impact on German manufacturers. The circuit is so important for the automotive industry," he said. "In March I set up a Google alert for the Nordschleife and not one week went by without it being used by a manufacturer to test a new performance car. I realizd how important it was."

Ribeiro confirmed that there had been no issue surrounding the circuit's licence to hold a WTCC event, and the only hurdle had been one rule in the FIA sporting regulations.

"The only thing we had to twist a little was one regulation with the FIA, because we wanted to turn two races into one," clarified Ribeiro. "But the FIA were open to the idea and immediately realized what we wanted to do. The FIA have been very supportive."