Following the huge success of the 2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, a number of key changes are to be introduced for the 2014 season.
To recognize the commitment of existing teams and cars and to provide them with security of entry, series organiser TOCA is introducing a TOCA BTCC Licence (‘TBL’) as part of the entry requirement process.
There will be a maximum of 30 TBLs available to teams, and allocations will be prioritised as follows:
• Existing teams that have competed in at least 50 per cent of the 2013 BTCC season with NGTC machinery will have automatic entry for the same number of cars in 2014, subject to fulfilment of the pre-registration requirements by 30 November
• Existing teams with two or more NGTC cars will have priority for one additional entry subject to validation of the entry by TOCA
• Existing cars
• New entries
Eligible teams will then be issued with a TBL which will secure each entry for a minimum of three seasons (i.e. until the end of 2016). Teams may sell, gift, lease, assign or loan their TBL to other existing teams or eligible new entries on a season-long basis only, subject to the approval of TOCA as to the integrity of both recipient and transaction.
Possession and retention of a TBL includes an obligation from each entrant to contest all BTCC events for each season entered. An entry that is unused for one event in any season will void its TBL, and an entry that misses two events will have its entry rescinded for the balance of the season.
In addition each entrant cannot make more than one change of driver per car during the course of a season except in genuine cases of force majeure. Substitute drivers must have completed at least 300km of testing in an NGTC car unless they are acknowledged by TOCA as having extensive experience driving a touring car or are a driver of high repute.
In all cases force majeure does not include financial issues.
TOCA will retain two further TBLs in addition to the 30 allocated to teams. These may be loaned to a suitable entrant, but will not be sold or permanently transferred.
TOCA may allow up to two extra cars on top of the 32 TBLs to participate at selected events. These will be as ad-hoc, celebrity or R&D entries and will not gain championship points or count towards eligibility for a TBL.
As well as the introduction of the TBL, there will also be a change to the turbo boost adjustment rules in place in the BTCC. In a recent meeting the teams overwhelmingly voted to keep the current Lap Time/Boost Adjustment Calculation, however there will be a substantial reduction in the amount of boost increase compared to the 2013 season. In the near future the same sub-group from the teams as last year will determine the percentage amount of reduction.
Competitors will also only be allowed to remain on maximum boost increase for a total of three successive events.
Penalties relating to driving standards in the series have also been recently reviewed. The current six-place grid penalty for drivers who receive three reprimands in a single season will be increased to a penalty of starting from the back of the grid at the next available race. Further championship and race penalties will be introduced in 2014 – these will be announced in due course.
