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BTCC drops boost adjustments, increases success ballast for 2015

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The organisers of the British Touring Car Championship have confirmed a number of key changes for the 2015 season, including the removal of the race-by-race boost adjustment system, an increase in success ballast, as well as a revised approach to setting the grid for the second race of the day. In addition to this, there will be revised techniques in equalising the performance difference between front-wheel and rear-wheel drive cars.

The controversial boost calculation, which has been in effect since the Next Generation Touring Car formula was introduced in 2011, with the variances having decreased effectively year-on-year, will be dropped for 2015. Following a re-test of all of the engines in the Championship, which has already taken place by an independent party, a boost level will be set for each engine which will remain in place for the whole of the season.

The level of success ballast will be increased “considerably” for 2015. Presently, the championship leader carries the maximum of 45kg of weight into each weekend, and subsequently the race one winner carries that penalty into race two, and race two’s winner into race three. With the NGTC specification cars being considerably heavier than their Super 2000 and BTC-specification predecessors, TOCA have decided to increase the ballast for 2015, but as yet have not confirmed what the new weight levels will be.

In the FIA World Touring Car Championship, the maximum compensation weight is 60kg (even though the TC1 class cars are significantly lighter at 1,100kg), while the DTM has implemented a weight system but with just 20kg as the maximum weight penalty per marque. On the other end of the scale, the China Touring Car Championship uses a system which means the maximum weight carried is a hefty 125kg.

TOCA have also confirmed that electronics and gearbox supplies Cosworth and Xtrac will independently analyse the “start-line performances” and “in-gear acceleration” of the front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive cars and will implement changes to equalise them through engine management programming.

A significant change is also being made to the way the grids are set, the first such change since the 2005 season, with the fastest laps set in race one being used to determine the grid for race two. Race two’s grid will still set the third race’s grid, with the top six to ten positions reversed, depending upon the outcome of a draw. Previously race two’s grid was set exactly as the result from race one. Laps will be discounted if they’re set following a tyre change in the first race.

The soft tyre must still be used in one of the three races at each weekend (excluding Thruxton), but per nine events, these must be evenly distributed between the first, second and third races. Historically drivers have tended to prefer to run the option tyre in the third and final race of the day, but will now not be able to do so.

The Jack Sears Trophy title will now be awarded to the top rookie, as long as there are enough rookie drivers competing to make the trophy “worthwhile” in 2015. Else it will be awarded to the top placed single-car team. In 2014, the Jack Sears Trophy title was awarded to the driver who made up the most positions over the course of the season, and in 2013 it was awarded to the winner of the remaining Super 2000 class cars competing that season.

Further changes for the 2015 sporting regulations are also possible, and the exact details of the above changes are still to be absolutely finalised.