1：Introduction
The World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) evolved from the renowned European Touring Car Championship (ETCC). In 2005, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) officially named it the World Touring Car Championship. WTCC races are based on commercially available production cars. The race cars speeding on the track mirror the familiar figures of everyday driving vehicles, making this competition more approachable, realistic, and closely connected to fans' lives. The World Touring Car Championship had 12 races in the 2009 season.
2：Participation Requirements
To ensure fair competition, the WTCC organizing committee has set strict regulations for the race cars. Cars participating in the WTCC must be based on a mass-produced car with at least four seats, use a 4-cylinder engine, and not exceed 2 liters in displacement. They must also be naturally aspirated, with a maximum rotation speed of 8500rpm, and horsepower restricted between 250-270hp. Cars can use a 5 or 6-speed straight-cut manual transmission. Wheel size must not exceed 9x17 inches, and each wheel must not weigh more than 9kg. Additionally, the diameter of the brake disc should not exceed 296.5mm.
3：Racing Rules
Before each race, both the car and driver undergo weighing. The total weight, including the driver, must not be less than 1140kg. If there's a discrepancy in total weight, ballast will be added to ensure that every car and driver's weight is equal.
Weight adjustments are calculated in two ways based on the driver's total points and performance in each race. Firstly, for every point a driver scores, 1kg is added. Moreover, good performances in one race lead to added weight in the subsequent race. The latest rule is: the top six finishers of a single race get added weights of 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, and 5kg respectively. After each race, the weights for the next race are recalculated based on performance. The maximum added weight is capped at 70kg.
The World Touring Car Championship is organized in stages. Each stage consists of qualifying rounds and official races. The official races are divided into two rounds, each with approximately 50km of racing distance. The results of the qualifying round on the first day determine the starting order of the first official race the next day. The starting order of the second race is based on the results of the first race, with the positions of the top eight finishers from the first race being reversed. Thus, the second race's starting order is arranged in reverse order of the first race's results from first to eighth place. At the end of the race, awards are presented for the champion driver and champion manufacturer. The top eight finishers in each round earn race points in the order of 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
