Suzuka to host 2011 WTCC round

Date published : 21 Jun 2010 - 15:50:44

The Japanese round of the World Touring Car Championship will switch from Okayama to Suzuka from 2011.WTCC promoter Marcello Lotti says Okayama, which has hosted the WTCC for the last two seasons, has been replaced by the F1 venue for "commercial reasons"."We feel honoured to run at Suzuka," said Lotti. "The decision to move from Okayama was mainly led by commercial needs, although we are very happy with our co-operation with Okayama."In these three years they have believed in the potential of WTCC and worked hard to help it become popular with the fans. But WTCC is growing fast and every year we must provide more and larger spaces for hospitalities, VIP reception, commercial and promotional activities."Suzuka will enable us to achieve this, especially after it was radically restructured to host Formula 1."The Suzuka date is expected to be confirmed in the same calendar slot as Okayama - the penultimate event of the year in late October/early November.