The 'Top 100' Motorsport Championships

[Lazaro_Milton]

About, Aim and Rules

The aim of this chart is to show which championships offer the best action for the spectators

It's ordered by a percentage figure which reflects how full the grids are. Each circuit layout has a maximum number of cars allowed to race on it, and there are three different levels based upon the type of car and engine size. Ordering the chart via average grid size is not valid as it would penalise championships that run frequently on smaller circuits (where the amount of cars that can race is substantially lower e.g. Lydden Hill = 24, Snetterton 300 = 45).

Of course having a full grid of cars doesn't necessarily mean the racing will be good, but for the spectators there's likely to be more battles throughout the field, rather than a 6 car race where all the cars are spread out for example. Of course a two car battle for the lead can still make a race a classic!

So this 'top 100' is more for fun than for any serious comparison.

What Championships or Series are included?
Circuit tarmac races for cars and trucks in England, Wales and Scotland, where the results of two or more 2012 events can be found online. Does not include events such as allcomers races, one day festivals, winter championships, karting, rallying, rallycross, sprinting, time attack, motorcycle racing, drifting. Also does not include (even if they have two or more Races in the UK) championships/series which race for the majority of the time outside of England, Wales and Scotland.

Key
Asterisk symbol (*) indicates that the championship or series has, for at least one event, in recent years, combined grids with another championship or series, or has allowed 'invitation' class cars to run in their series or championship.

Pos 2012 = Position in Chart 2012
Pos Diff = Difference in chart positions from 2011 to 2012
% 2012 = Percentage 2012
% Diff = Percentage Difference 2011 to 2012

How are the percentages calculated?
The amount of cars that take part in each race (including any non finishers) is divided by the maximum amount of cars that are allowed to race on that particular circuit and for that type of car. The data is collected from the official TSL or MST results and/or the official championship websites, and each event results in a single figure which is used to calculate the average figure for the year.

If additional races have to be held to accommodate all the entrants for that event, then the amount of starters in each race is ignored and the championship or series automatically scores 100% for that event, please see the full explanation and example in the section below.

Additional Races - Automatic 100% Score
If an individual championship or series has more entrants for an event than can start a single race, then they will have to run additional races. If this is the case then the championship or series will automatically score 100% grid capacity for that event. This is to ensure that the percentage figures are a true reflection of the health of the championship.

Example: A championship wants to run a single round at a track which can race 32 cars. If there are 31 entrants then all the entrants can race in one race, which would be one round of the championship, and would score 96%. If there are 3 more entrants, 34 in total, then there would need to be two races to accommodate all the entrants, making up the one round, with a likely total of 17 drivers in each race, which would score (a much lower) 53%.

Using the 53% figure would be a poor reflection of the health of the championship, the fact of the matter is that they have filled the grid and had to run an additional race to accommodate all the drivers.

If the total amount of entrants for a championship or series event is less than the maxiumum amount of cars that are allowed to start a race on that track, for that type of car, but separate races are still run, then the 100% automatic score does not apply and the amount of entrants in each race will be used to arrive at an overall percentage figure for the event as per usual.

Additional non championship or non series races will not be counted towards the overall percentage, but additional races, run inorder to acommodate all the competitors, will mean a 100% score for that event, regardless of whether the additional races form part of the championship or series point scoring rounds.

Combined Grids / Multiple Classes
Where a championship runs combined grids with another championship or series, then the event percentage figure used will be worked out from the full number of cars in the race e.g. including cars that are not in that championship. This is because the spectacle for the fans is increased by having a larger grid of cars.

All classes within a championship or series count towards the grid capacity figures. If a championship runs separate classes in separate races and promotes them as separate championships, and /or with no overall championship encompassing all classes then they will be listed separately in the Top 100.

Disclaimer
I have made every effort to ensure that the data is accurate, but as I am only human some mistakes may have crept in. Please feel free to point these out and I will re-check and amend the chart if appropriate.