The FIA World Touring Car Championship and Infineon Raceway have tentatively reached an agreement that would bring the series to California's Sonoma Valley in September 2012.
“Bringing the championship to the USA was the next item on our agenda and the last one to fulfill our aim for a really global calendar,” said WTCC promoter Marcello Lotti. “So far we have worked to establish our European and South American events, reinforce our presence in Asia and return to Morocco. Now we feel that the time has come to expand to the U.S. market that is a priority for our manufacturers and stakeholders. Infineon Raceway is a modern racetrack with impressive facilities, and I believe it is the ideal location to host a WTCC event. I am very satisfied with the meeting we had with [Infineon Raceway general manager] Steve Page that enabled us to find an agreement to submit to the FIA the proposal to enter the WTCC race in the U.S. on the 2012 calendar.”
WTCC races are conducted on road and street courses throughout the world, with events in 12 different countries, including China, Brazil, Belgium, Germany, Japan and Macau in 2011. Chevrolet, BMW and Volvo all field teams in the series.
“The WTCC offers the kind of door-to-door, hard-fought competition that American racing fans really respond to and we're very excited about the opportunity to introduce this series to the North American continent,” said Page. “The Infineon Raceway road course is an ideal circuit for these cars and we look forward to introducing Sonoma-style racing to a worldwide audience.”