Which is the best tin-top series?

Touring car racing remains one of the most crowd-pleasing forms of motorsport, with a plethora of series operating nationally and internationally. But which is the best? And how do you define the best anyway? This is what AUTOSPORT is attempting.

What follows is an analysis of the eight biggest touring car series currently active. We have decided to split this analysis into five different categories in order to give a well-balanced perspective on the relative strengths of the World Touring Car Championship, the DTM, the European Touring Car Cup, the British Touring Car Championship, Australian V8 Supercars, Argentinian Super TC2000, the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship and Brazilian V8 Stock Cars.

The categories we will appraise them on are entertainment, competition, cars, prestige and variety. These are the main components of the appeal of any series, covering the appeal to spectators and the overall commercial value that underpins success.

There are other championships we could have chosen, and categories beyond the five we are appraising them on, but we believe this offers us a manageable and digestible analysis of the most significant tin-top series in the world.

ENTERTAINMENT

BTCC: 9
There's a simple reason the BTCC can attract upwards of 40,000 through the gate on race weekends: the spectacle. Close racing is one of the hallmarks of touring car action and the BTCC can provide this in spades, although a crackdown on driving standards meant that last year there were a few more processions than normal. Rubbing is racing, and usually the BTCC delivers.

DTM: 6
The DTM has the right ingredients for great racing - top drivers, sexy cars, cool circuits - but it could be better in the excitement stakes. For example, the manufacturer support is crucial for the series' survival, but the politics often leave question marks over just how level the playing field is. The aerodynamic dependency of the cars also makes door-to-door racing difficult.

ETCC: 5
The drivers aren't top-liners, but there's sufficient ability behind the wheel to provide some hard racing - and enough ambition to lead to some overzealous antics! Furthermore, the class structure - there were four different divisions in 2014 - means there's usually an entertaining battle to be found even if things have become a little bit processional
at the front.

STCC: 6
Reversed grids for the first race of each event have produced some very hard fights and often some surprise winners, including new, young faces. The favourites tend to dominate the second races, often in processions, but there is usually close racing among the backmarkers. Big crowds in Gothenburg and Stockholm suggest the formula is right.

Super TC2000: 8
In general, the races produce plenty of changes of lead and in the positions down the order, although there's not so much of the argy-bargy seen in other tin-top divisions around the world. The exception is on the street circuits that have been employed over the years, in which case it usually turns out to be a bit of a procession thanks to the lack of passing.

V8 Stock Cars: 8
In 2014 the series switched to a new format of two races per weekend for most rounds. The first races tended to be strategic, with the second - from a top-10 reversed grid - quite wild and run over just 20 minutes. This year, both races are being lengthened, but there's no reason to expect the cars not to bear the scars of battle thanks to the close racing.

V8 Supercars: 8
It has powerful, aggressively styled cars plus tracks such as Mount Panorama, Phillip Island, Adelaide and Surfers Paradise in its favour, but not every event is a surefire stunner, particularly the sometimes coy early races in the triple/quadruple-header weekends. Jamie Whincup's dominance can take the edge off too. Those are essentially quibbles, though.

WTCC: 6
The WTCC can serve up racing comparable to any rival tin-top series, as exemplified by events at Moscow Raceway and Macau last year. But drivers often engage in excitement-limiting risk-management in the opening race of a weekend, to preserve their machinery for the second. The championship has arguably suffered from domination by Citroen and Chevrolet.

COMPETITION

BTCC: 9
Teams of the calibre of Triple Eight, Team Dynamics and West Surrey Racing, and no repeat champion since 2010, show this series operates at a very high level. Winning a race here is probably one of the toughest tasks in tin-top racing. The style of racing is unlike any other and the NGTC regulations ensure the performance spread is at a minimum.

DTM: 10
The series offers a viable alternative to F1, in that a driver can be well-paid and manufacturer-aligned, with the chance for a long career with Audi, BMW or Mercedes. It's hard to win, because the depth is huge; and there is a perfect mix of career DTM drivers and young mega-talents trying to earn a living on the way to F1 rather than tipping millions into GP2 or Formula Renault 3.5.

ETCC: 4
Most of the competitors have come from Eastern European lower leagues of tin-top racing, and the same goes for many of the teams. That doesn't mean to say that they are lacking in talent, but you wouldn't put your money on them against the engineering might of Citroen or JAS, or the driving talent of Yvan Muller or Rob Huff. It's fair to say that there are few well-known names competing.

STCC: 5
Fields average between 13 and 16 cars, with six teams involved in the series. The factory Volvo team - run by Polestar, which competes in Australia - is tough to beat, but BMW dealer-backed West Coast Racing is always in contention and there are importer teams from Kia and Dacia. Thed Bjork, Fredrik Larsson, Fredrik Ekblom and Richard Goransson are strong drivers.

Super TC2000: 9
Super TC2000 attracts the cream of Argentina's driving talent, and these leading drivers in turn are swept up by the division's five works-supported teams, some of them boasting up to four cars, and by the several works-satellite and privateer squads. Competition is fierce at the top for drivers and teams. Winning a race, let alone the title, is far from easy even for top drivers.

V8 Stock Car: 9
With four ex-F1 drivers (including reigning V8 champion Rubens Barrichello) and other stars in the field, don't think that the domestic talents are overshadowed. Caca Bueno is a multiple champion, Daniel Serra and Thiago Camilo are blindingly fast and Valdeno Brito has the spirit of a bullfighter. All of them are incredibly closely matched in grids topping 30 cars.

V8 Supercars: 8
V8s' domestic strength - helped by teams of the quality of Triple Eight and Prodrive - lures plenty of drivers good enough to shine globally but who faced economic obstacles in establishing European careers. Recent international envoys have made little impression, though that was largely because specialised experience counts hugely.

WTCC: 6
Heady financial commitment is required from manufacturers to win at WTCC level. Multiple WRC champion Citroen arguably raised standards of preparation to new levels on its entry to the series last year. All of the factory teams boast world-class driving talent on their books, but few would suggest the series equals the DTM for outright strength in depth.

CARS

BTCC: 6
The NGTC regulations serve a purpose in bringing the running costs down and have played a key role in its recent resurgence. But the current crop of BTCC cars is not inspiring. There's a lot of negative feedback on what they're like to drive, and they're a far cry from the racing thoroughbreds in other series. Again, that's a means to an end, but it's still a blot on the copybook.

DTM: 10
DTM cars look cool. All that aero may not be great for the racing, but it looks fabulous. Don't be fooled, though; these aren't touring cars. They are open-wheelers with a roof. And that makes them fast. The only issue is that they aren't all that spectacular. The aerodynamics keep them firmly planted on the track surface, so there's not much powersliding or wild driving.

ETCC: 4
The cars at the front are recycled from the previous two generations of WTCC machinery, which never really got anybody's heart racing even when Yvan Muller was behind the wheel. Not far behind - and often ahead in the wet - can be found machinery from the old SEAT Leon one-make series that used to entertain on the WTCC support card, with 1600cc Fiestas bringing up the rear.

STCC: 7
Since 2013, the STCC has used the mid-engined Solution F car that came from the rival TTA series. Powered by a 3.5-litre, 400bhp Nissan/Renault V6 engine, the chassis is then clothed in whatever body shape the team desires. The cars are noisy and fun to drive, but poor visibility makes for frequent contact, and it's hard for spectators to identify the cars and drivers.

Super TC2000: 8
It's considered to be Latin America's most technologically advanced division, as the European drivers who have competed in selected rounds can confirm. The cars, based on locally manufactured models, sport spec V8 engines belting out 430bhp. On the Rafaela oval in 2012, that led to a top speed of 190.37mph and average of 164.55mph.

V8 Stock Cars: 7
They're beasts, weighing 1300kg and powered by 5.7-litre American V8 engines that are electronically limited to 460bhp, or 530bhp with the push-to-pass button, driven through six-speed Xtrac gearboxes. The chassis are made by JL Motorsport and cloaked in Peugeot or Chevrolet aluminium bodywork, which is carefully painted by specialised artists.

V8 Supercars: 9
Even as other series make efforts to 'sex up' their cars' looks, the V8s are still a benchmark for how you want a racing saloon to look, sound and handle. Five-litre V8 engines kicking out 600bhp-plus and reaching 185mph are hard to dislike. It's not all flame-spitting and kerb-hopping - they would lag behind DTM pace, but match the GT3 laptimes in Australia.

WTCC: 8
A criticism of the WTCC's previous-generation S2000 cars was their inherent lack of drama, despite often providing thrilling race action. The introduction of TC1 machines has addressed many of these concerns. Power from the 1.6-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged engines has risen from circa 320bhp to 380bhp, while the cars are more aggressive in appearance.

PRESTIGE

BTCC: 8
The BTCC's status and credibility took a hit in the mid-2000s with a post-Super Touring hangover. But you cannot argue with the history of a championship that was first run in 1958. That story boasts the glory of eras such as Group A and Super Touring and it remains the best-supported series in Britain, attracting big names and creating new ones too.

DTM: 10
The DTM, particularly in the modern era, is worth winning. Despite still being essentially a national series, the quality of the field and investment from the three makes involved give it a very international feel. And seeing your name on the same list as Bernd Schneider and Hans-Joachim Stuck must be nice, especially for a young German driver.

ETCC: 3
Even the most ardent reader of AUTOSPORT would struggle to put a face to the name of reigning champion Nikolay Karamyshev, although he is a talented driver who would be worthy of a decent WTCC shot. No doubt there's more prestige attached to the series in its heartland, but as far as the west is concerned it registers little more than a blip on the radar.

STCC: 7
The Swedish Touring Car Championship (from which the Scandinavian emerged) replaced Formula 3 in the 1990s as the country's top series, with a mix of hardened tin-top veterans and junior up-and-comers including Mattias Ekstrom. Series initiator Jan 'Flash' Nilsson won the first two titles for Volvo and brought in TV, leading to Audi and BMW factory efforts too.

Super TC2000: 8
As an evolution of TC2000 (dating back to 1979), Super TC2000 is without doubt Argentina's blue-riband touring car division. Of all the Automovil Club Argentino's categories, Super TC2000 heads the polls by far, with sponsors forming queues to have their names and brands adorning the cars. Spectator attendances and TV ratings also top the charts.

V8 Stock Car: 8
Big stars such as Chico Serra, Ingo Hoffmann and Paulo Gomes (a protege of Carlos Pace) popularised the series in the early days. And the first race, in 1979, was won by Raul Boesel on his way to F1. Now GM and Peugeot are involved, plus big sponsors. All 12 rounds are shown live, with 10 of them on cable channel SporTv with commentary by AUTOSPORT's Lito Cavalcanti.

V8 Supercars: 8
What is effectively the Australian Touring Car Championship has a heritage dating back to 1960, creating legends such as Peter Brock, and is the number-one form of motorsport in its homeland, a status underlined by the $241 million (AUS) TV deal it has just secured. Its international profile is healthy and growing, with the rest of the racing world well aware of V8s' strength.

WTCC: 9
Carrying FIA World Championship status, the WTCC could claim to be officially the summit of the tin-top tree. Following a reboot in 2005, perceived prestige perhaps declined following a number of manufacturer withdrawals. Solid foundations and nurturing from Eurosport Events should see it emerge from its current transition phase to TC1 in good health.

VARIETY

BTCC: 10
You could argue that its pretty rigid calendar is something to detract from the BTCC in this area, but it still visits the best (appropriate) circuits in Britain. What has greater substance is the 11 different types of car on the grid, for which each row looks markedly different. Plus, 11 race winners last year and four champions in four seasons show it is never stale at the sharp end either.

DTM: 7
Having three manufacturers involved suits the DTM well. The Mercedes v Audi era felt shallow, but having three German car giants doing battle creates a nice dynamic. As for circuits, well, having the Norisring, Zandvoort and Moscow Raceway on the same calendar creates diversity - even if there are two trips to Hockenheim each season.

ETCC: 8
Old Super 2000 machinery from Chevrolet, BMW, Alfa Romeo, Honda and SEAT does battle in the leading classes, which is a decent smattering of makes. The calendar is also attractive, with the Slovakia Ring, Brno, Paul Ricard, Zolder and the Hungaroring on the 2015 schedule. The format is the tried-and-trusted two sprint races per round.

STCC: 5
The spec-chassis formula has led to a downturn in manufacturers, though Volvo, BMW, Dacia and Kia remain. Each round runs to the same format, with two races, one with a reversed grid, but with full points given for qualifying. There's a good variety of circuits, with proper racing venues such as Knutstorp and Mantorp Park and temporary tracks in Gothenburg and Stockholm.

Super TC2000: 9
The local subsidiaries of Chevrolet, Fiat, Peugeot, Renault and Toyota are represented by 'official' teams, with privateer efforts running VW and Ford, leading to grids of nearly 30 cars. Most rounds consist of two heats and a final, and there's the annual 200km enduro, a 'night race' on the streets of Santa Fe, and at least one crossing into a neighbouring country.

V8 Stock Car: 5
There are only two different cars - the Chevrolet Sonic and the Peugeot 408. Race format varies, with nine double-headers plus three single events: the opening round, where international drivers join the regulars; the One Million Reais; and the double-points finale. Of the circuits, Interlagos and Curitiba are well-known while Taruma and Cascavel are fast and reward guts.

V8 Supercars: 9
The 'New Generation' machines include plenty of control components, but such is the global touring car trend. Engine and aero differences ensure it's far from a one-make field. The series format is particularly diverse - circuits range from Bathurst's epic to tight city street tracks, and race lengths from half-hour sprints to the showpiece 1000km enduro.

WTCC: 9
Whereas the DTM has frequently opted to run on truncated circuits, and the BTCC is constrained by the availability of tracks in this country, the WTCC has a history of bold choices for its venues. Macau may be off this year's calendar, but the addition of the fearsome Nurburgring Nordschleife and madcap Vila Real street race go a long way to recompense.

RESULTS

1. DTM: 43
2. BTCC: 42
3. V8 Supercars: 42
4. Super TC2000: 42
5. WTCC: 38
6. V8 Stock Car: 37
7. STCC: 30
8. ETCC: 24

What really hits home is just how strong a crop of championships there are in the world. The DTM just wins our rating, but only by a point, and the decisive factor in that is its international prestige.

Close behind are three outstanding national championships, the British Touring Car Championship, Australian V8 Supercars and the less well-known Argentinian Super TC2000 series. It's a reminder to those in this country who long for the old days of Super Touring in the 1990s that the BTCC has rebuilt itself into a hell of a championship, and its high score for entertainment highlights just how good it is to watch.

As for the rest, the World Touring Car Championship is not as strong as it was a decade ago in terms of strength in depth, even though the cars are better to watch than the S2000 machinery that populated the series then.

Brazil's V8 Stock cars is also fine, but like the Scandinavian series loses out a little from being silhouette touring cars. As for the European Touring Car Cup, it's a valid series using hand-me-downs from other categories, but it doesn't tick all the boxes.