[Matt K]

Originally Posted by thetool

The whole thing has been silly for years now. Once a sport becomes an entertainment package, as the BTCC undoubtly has been since the 90s, it's almost inevitable.

Even in the 90s you'd have various tweaks with FWD/RWD 4-5-6 cylinder engines and RPMs, etc, but they were at least a lot more general and done at FIA level across all championships. Then came the 40-30-20KG success ballast in 2000 to improve the "show", a situation that was escalated in following years, including permanent extra weight for Vauxhall in 2001 as they were the only team on the grid to built a proper BTC-Touring spec car.

And since then it's been one contrivence after another - Reverse Grids (2004), Reverse Grids with pulling number out of the hat (2005), Spec engines (2010), Spec engines that are performance-balanced (2011), followed by the inevitable end result of everything being performance-balanced by 2013/4, and then unncessary multiple tyre compounds (2013). It wouldn't even be so bad if they just did it openly like GT3 - but instead it's all cloak-and-daggers to the point where not even the teams are aware of all the various performance balances other teams have been granted.

Agree. All the mumbo jumbo with turning boost is a bit strange and pulling numbers out of the bag before R3 is a bit ridiculous. The ruleset is such that cars are generally close together so in my opinion taking too many actions to make the grid equal is unnecessary. I would do without performance weights, different tyres and reversed grids. I know it's an unpopular opinion and also I know the cream always rises to the top (thankfully the BTCC is not as random as WTCR!) but I'd like to see more sport, less family entertainment. Of course it'll never happen and I enjoy this family entertainment a lot but 'harsher' rules would he welcome.