*If YOU were in control*

[SPARK Msport]

With the 2003 Season near the end, and 2004 year in the making, the regulations are going to change once again with the ETCC cars allowed to compete against the BTCC spec cars.

This could see race, qualifying and ballest formats changing to allow this to happy. But, what if you were able to run the championship? How would you do it? I'm sure many of you have your views on how next year should run, so why not share your ideas?

This is what i'd do:
1) Have a 1 hour practice season on the Saturday followed by a 20 minute quailfying season for both ETCC and BTCC for the first race. Cars failing to complete 3 laps will start from the back with a 5 second penaulty.
The person on pole will get 3 points, 2nd will get 2 and 3rd will get 1 world championship point.

2) On the Sunday have a 10 minute warm-up before a one shot showdown for the second race. All cars will go out in championship order (eg Championship leader goes first). Cars failing to complete there lap will start at the back with a 5 second penaulty. The pole man will get 5 points, 2nd will get 3 and 3rd place will get 1.

3) The first race is a sprint, and will be around 10 - 20 laps long. championship points:
1st 10
2nd 8
3rd 6
4th 4
5th 2
and everyone else that finishes on the same lap as the leader will get 1 championship point.
there will also be 1 bonus point for fastest lap

4) The second race is double the lengh as the first, and the teams make 1 pit stop. But before the race the drivers take a ball out of the bag telling them what lap to come in - so everyone knows when each other pits. Points will be the same as the first race.

5) Scrape Ballest all together. But all the cars must weigh the same

This doesnt take into account the differences between BTCC and ETCC, its just a little idea of what i'd do.

[BootsOntheSide]

I don't like the idea of forcing all the cars to weigh the same. Building a light car is part of the challenge of building a great car.

I think that points system is dumb, quite frankly. Why should someone who runs sowly the entire race get as many points as the guy who fights it out for 6th?

The pitstops would be pointles sif you remove the strategic element of deicding when to make them.

The racingh's good enough as it is without needing any Mickey Mouse ideas. Oh, and anyone who wants one long race is off their head. Short races mean lots of compressed clsoe action, snd two chances to score big points.

[Reido Rules]

I f I was in charge I'd have left it the same, the BTCC is recovering, we're getting good racing. It aint broken, don't try and fix it! that means no ETCC cars too.

Qualifying could be improved with the one shot show down returning. But hey the BTCC don't listen to us, think about it they tinker with the rules stating that their more fan friendly or that it's what the fans have asked for. The only thing that is repeatedly asked for is the return of the one shot showdown, and it hasn't returned.

Tactics are all part and parcell of having pit-stops. Don't even get me started on your points system!

The only change that I'd definately make would be to lose ballast, because well let's not start on that one either. (If you want to see why, visit my thread on the subject)

If I were to be in charge, I would 'clean up house' make things about the fans, pull marketing stunts (like ASCAR and it's 40,000+ attendances) to get the sport known, and I wouldn't sell out to the devolved ETCC unless the BTCC was on it's knees, which it isn't!

[touringlegend]

What we don't need is an over complicated system in the BTCC.

To start, I'd ditch qualifying and convert that time to extra free practice. So 100 minutes of practice per weekend.

With the races I'd keep the 2 race format (anymore and it'd be boring, more starts = more likelihood of first lap accidents etc..). The grid for Race 1 would be decided by the championship positions reversed - that would guarantee some overtaking then!

Race 2's grid would be decided by the finishing order of Race 1. There - as simple as that!

[SPARK Msport]

Anyone feel championship points show change? I mean, if you finish on the leaders lap and teams like Peugeot...etc do try hard, they should get 1 point. All these drivers do try their hardest, and getting a point for finishing on the leaders lap would be worth staying out there (could see more cars TRYING to finish the race...)

[Adrian Randle]

Points for Staying on the Lead Lap ???

That will become Points for Ignoring the BLUE FLAG !!

If you want points for further down the finishers then give the winner more points and work down.


As for my suggestions....

1) No limit on Ballast

OR

2) The reverse grid idea from touringlegend.


3) Get tought on the drivers for "bumping" and "corner cutting".

[SPARK Msport]

I can't see drivers ignoring Blue Flags, that would just kick them out of the race. I've seen in other forms of motorsport a point given to everyone finishing which can be nice for people and a team if they have worked really hard, but havent got the speed.

I think the corner cutting was ok (if you talking about Colin in his MG...) the bumping...down to what you mean by `bumping`.

I've only just watched some of the 2001 races, and I noticed that at Donginton near the end of the year, Dan got his 306 infront of Muller and Plato after those two were side by side down the pit straight. But Plato pushed Dan off as they went down the hill and I felt Plato should had been punished for that as Phil and Plato himself had been given race bans, 30 sec penaultys etc etc for stuff like that during the year. - if thats what you mean by bumping then yes i agree with you.

[No. 1]

2003 has been a great season for BTCC! I think Alan Gow knows a thing or two about the BTCC and motor racing in general. I am on tenterhooks going into the last meet at Oulton Park and feel that next season will be even better.

[SPARK Msport]

so No.1 you would keep the BTCC the same? No change just stick with a format we all know and love? (could be the best thing but noooo, we have ETCC cars coming...)

[No. 1]

Hi Spark.
ETCC cars will not be any worse than production cars. I am sure the BTCC races will still be as thrilling as ever.

[runnyhunny]

The current race formats are ****.

Using the race one results to start race two only encourages domination, and punishes bravery (e.g. someone trying a move, then falling off in race 1, starts race 2 last).

As a spectator, I find qualifying awful - you don't know who is on a hot lap, and who is not. The 'one-shot showdown' was excellent for spectators, and should certainly be brought back.

As for pitstops, well, they are totally artificial, and should be scrapped. 'Brings the teams into it', my eye! The teams have already done their bit in building the bloomin' cars!!!

How many races? Certainly two or three, in my opinion... but I'm unsure on the length. Too short, and battles don't develop - but too long, and the cars can get spread out! Not an easy choice!

[rdjones]

IMO I think they should keep the same format as this year, if it isn't broke why fix it.....

[runnyhunny]

But it *is* broke - see my post above.

[Andy Metcalf]

I am a big believer in the idea that you only fix it if it is broken. Perhaps if the ETCC spec cars could change their wheels hubs then they could have pit stops like BTCC do now.

[Andy Metcalf]

Originally posted by runnyhunny
The current race formats are ****.

Using the race one results to start race two only encourages domination, and punishes bravery (e.g. someone trying a move, then falling off in race 1, starts race 2 last).

As a spectator, I find qualifying awful - you don't know who is on a hot lap, and who is not. The 'one-shot showdown' was excellent for spectators, and should certainly be brought back.

As for pitstops, well, they are totally artificial, and should be scrapped. 'Brings the teams into it', my eye! The teams have already done their bit in building the bloomin' cars!!!

How many races? Certainly two or three, in my opinion... but I'm unsure on the length. Too short, and battles don't develop - but too long, and the cars can get spread out! Not an easy choice!

Using race one to qualify race two encourage consistency.

Qualifiers on a hot lap are encouraged to put their lights on.

Pitstops bring an added tactic to the racing.

Race length is ideal.

[runnyhunny]

btccnews,

Consistency is boring and predictable! Do you honestly think that a retirement in race one should mean a back-row start for race two?

Qualifiers do not have to put their lights on. If this were enforced, it might work.

Pitstops are artificial (and they often spread the cars out, rather than mixing them up). How can you claim they add tactics? What happens when the safety car comes out, or a wheel nut sticks? Are those things all tactics?!

[racer69]

I'd go for a single 1 hour race. No compulsory pitstops, but if you want to you can.

10-6-4-3-2-1 points spread for results, no additional points awarded.

Proper qualifying, no single laps qualifiers

[KPC]

Ballast has never sat quite comfortably with me, but it does serve a purpose, which is to make the racing interesting. This is the 4th year where the championship has gone down to the wire and the preceeding few years were pretty close. Remember the days of runaway winners mid-season... yawn.

I do miss the sprint race though, it did make the two races different and interesting in their own ways, the sprint always being more manic in my opinion.

Perhaps we could have a pit stop race and a double pit stop feature race, as with the DTM....

As for F1.... does that name belong in the same sentence as "race"?

[SPARK Msport]

I must admit im a bit suprised at the `voting` results...thought a pit stop and sprint race would had been something we all wanted...all well.

I cannot understand why the One Shot Showdown went, and why it can't return? Does Alan listen to the people that support the sport? Or does he go with what he sees on the race track?

[Speedworx]

I would have one big race like the DTM has.

[SPARK Msport]

does the DTM have one big race? Thought there were 2 races per meeting? (Havent been watching it this year...)

[touringlegend]

Don't worry you haven't missed much...

Yawn..DTM is meant to be a Touring Car Championship sometimes I do wonder what it wants to be..

[SPARK Msport]

Mix between GT cars with big power and rear wheel driver and Touring cars becasue they keep on saying they are one??