The other day, I was explaining how a race series’ Balance of Performance works to a non-motorsport enthusiast. I know how to woo a girl.
Anyhoo, BoP is a method race series organisers employ to try to keep racing close. In the British Touring Car Championship, say, an association of teams keeps a weather eye on each car’s straight-line speed, and every once in a while amends what turbo boost pressures teams are allowed to run, as part of an ‘engine equivalency’ formula that aims to keep engine power across the grid more or less even. In BTCC, they have a ‘success ballast’ too – you win a race, you get a 75kg penalty to take forward to the next one. You finish second, it’s 66kg, and so it goes on...
The BTCC also has a generous amount of transparency – once a car is homologated for use, a lot of the data teams hold is published for others to see. Throw in, too, that there is a common front subframe, and a common rear subframe, common brakes, and a few other ancillaries, which all teams must use, and you can see why touring car racing becomes so close: because it’s designed to be a wheel-bashing, neck-and-neck sprint from start to finish.
Honda Civic Type R BTCC racer lands ahead of 2018 season
This, though, can be frustrating for engineers, I said, because their hard graft might be undone by regulators. However, in the BTCC’s case, it makes the spectacle better for punters.
And to devastating effect: 40,000 people will walk through the gates on a good race day, there’s live television coverage and, at 32 cars, the grid is full. If only all race series could have it so good. If somebody was running away with every race, there’s a stronger chance that manufacturers or independents, who’d never have a chance of a good result on account of having a smaller budget, would walk away and find a cheaper series to get involved in.
My motorsport novice was unimpressed. Because, she said, it means you’re not watching the real thing, right? I mean, what kind of sport deliberately hampers the abilities and qualities of the best in the field, just to give the duffers a chance? You don’t take the world’s best sprinter and stick a half-inch insole in one of their shoes just so that it makes the Olympic 100m final a bit more exciting. Don’t people want to watch their heroes winning?
Which is an entirely fair point. It’s hard enough to be a winner in any competitive sport, without somebody tying an arm behind your back.
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Matt, you are WRONG!
Lost interest
When success ballast, reverse grids, etc came in it lost the purity of racing for me. I like to see the drivers battling, but the championship is rigged to keep it close. Haven’t watched it for years now.
BSB (Superbikes) have a horrible way of manipulating the championship end too, but it is popular by all accounts.
I’m worried Americanism is entering our sports. Entertainment is good of course, but sport is important too. There’s a push to make things shorter too as we’re all apparently too busy to watch 5 hours of golf or tennis every now and again - I like the tension of a long battle too
Hate the term “Round of 16”, that’s appearing from America too. Rant over.
Normally
Normally I'm right with Matt Prior, but can't agree on this one, I think poster "eseaton" is about spot-on. I have only watched the recent BTCC on the TV and it reminds me of BRISCA at Aldershot Stadium. The cars are very dull and the driving standards are the lowest in UK motorsport in my view .