USTCC Champion to Test in FIA WTCC in 2011

The ties between the FIA World Touring Car Championship and the US Touring Car Championship seem to be getting closer and closer in recent weeks, as it was today confirmed that this year's USTCC winner will get to be offered a test in the FIA-sanctioned series at the end of the season. The test would be ran in co-operation with Proteam BMW.

The news was announced by both series' bosses Marcello Lotti (FIA WTCC) and Ali Arsham (USTCC) in a press release and comes only a few days after it was confirmed that the European based championship is aiming to secure a race in the US starting the 2012 campaign.

“I'm very proud of this initiative that fits perfectly in our plans of throwing a bridge between the World Championship and those national championships that share the same view of what touring car racing is,” said Lotti.

“We have some amazing drivers in the US and we want to show the world that they can compete at the highest levels,” added Arsham, enthused that the USTCC will be able to prove itself in the FIA ranks as early as next year.

Recently, Lotti told the media that he is looking to co-host a round in the FIA WTCC with its North American counterparts from as early as 2012, an event which will see the latter's cars eligible for racing in the former competition. Such a project would be eased by the fact that the cars in both series are ran under Super 2000 technical regulations.

According to British magazine Autosport, a meeting between the two parties has already taken place, but only provisional details have been discussed so far.