How world tin-tops is teeing up a close championship fight

With two rounds in the bank for the FIA TCR World Tour, the championship looks set to have a close battle between its main two manufacturers, after what was almost a one-horse race last year in which Lynk & Co comfortably won in its final season. 

While the brand has changed, the team and drivers have remained the same, with Swedish powerhouse Cyan Racing having built a quartet of cars for Lynk & Co’s parent company, Geely Auto. The new Volvo-esque ‘Preface TCR’ is an old-school touring car, a large saloon that has already won four out of the first five races.

The Chinese marque looks like it will be the primary contender, which could see the highly invested Geely win the title in its first year of FIA competition. Reigning champion Yann Ehrlacher has undoubtedly had the best pace. The 29-year-old Frenchman has famous pedigree: his mother is former Formula 3000 and Indy Lights driver Cathy Muller, and his uncle is four-time world champion Yvan Muller. 

However, a luckless second meeting at Valencia, where he was hampered by power steering and engine issues, means his team-mates Santiago Urrutia and Thed Bjork have grabbed the early initiative. Urrutia also claimed the first hat-trick in the series’ short history in Spain, though by his own admission some of this was due to bad luck befalling his rivals.

After a tough year for Hyundai in 2025, when the South Korean marque’s campaign was derailed when its car underperformed at the season-opener in Mexico, the lack of Mexico on this year’s calendar and a newly homologated turbocharger mean the revised Elantra has proven highly competitive so far. The team has reduced its programme to a focused two-driver pairing, with three-time world champion Norbert Michelisz winning the season opener at Misano. 

Meanwhile, his Spanish team-mate Mikel Azcona has been the highest points scorer, only just missing out on what would have been a popular victory at home due to a late-race puncture. 

While Hyundai and Geely are the manufacturer-assisted programmes that will undoubtedly fight for the title, a refreshed privateer effort, as well as stronger tiers under the main league, has helped nurture new touring car talent.

The top three drivers from last year’s TCR Europe series have all made the leap to the World Tour: 2025 champion Jenson Brickley, alongside experienced French touring car drivers and team owners Teddy and Jimmy Clairet. 

Urrutia celebrates his victory in race one at Valencia – the first of a hat-trick in Spain

Photo by: WSC/Fastclick-AvensImages

The 22-year-old Brickley came close to securing what would have been a sensational first victory at the second meeting in Spain, leading the second race in his Honda Civic Type R until just four laps from the end when his turbo failed.

Spanish performance marque Cupra is also present, with experienced campaigners Aurelien Comte, Jean-Karl Vernay and Viktor Andersson (son of Swedish Touring Car stalwart Mattias) all regulars, though they are partaking in partial campaigns due to other commitments or, in 2017 International series champion Vernay’s case, a foot injury.

The championship’s concept has adapted from its original idea. Instead of a travelling programme of cars joining the grid of national championships, it’s become more of a standalone series running under the FIA moniker.

It joins the paddock of various touring car series, such as the Chinese, Spanish or Italian championships, but usually in separate races due to tyre supplier or commercial factors, encouraging local drivers to take part. 

Brickley came close to securing what would have been a sensational first victory in Spain, leading the second race in his Honda until just four laps from the end when his turbo failed

This means a core grid of highly competitive drivers, but also grids of varying sizes throughout the season, ranging from the mid-teens all the way up to 26 at the most recent round.

The paddock is also filled with experienced tin-top talent from previous years. For the latest round at Valencia, double British Touring Car champion Alain Menu was on hand as the driving standards advisor, while fellow world touring car alumni Rob Huff and Gabriele Tarquini have been present during race weekends to coach developing talent from the UK and Italy.

A half-European, half-Asian calendar, ending with the traditional glitzy finale at Macau, should deliver an exciting title battle between Geely and Hyundai, and this early on it’s very difficult to call which of the teams’ drivers will be champion.

This article is one of many in the monthly Autosport magazine. For more premium content, take a look at the August 2026 issue and subscribe today.

Briche and Piirimagi clash at the start of race two at Valencia

Photo by: WSC/Fastclick-AvensImages