BTCC to use new entry licence process for 2014 season

The TOCA BTCC Licence (TBL) will now be part of the entry requirement and is designed to recognise the commitment of existing teams.

A maximum of 30 TBLs will be available, with allocations prioritised in the following order:

- Existing teams that competed in at least 50 per cent of the 2013 BTCC season with NGTC machinery. Such teams will have automatic entry for the same number of cars in 2014, subject to fulfilling the pre-registration requirements by November 30.

- 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.

Successful teams will secure entry for a minimum of three seasons.

Possession and retention of a TBL includes an obligation from each entrant to contest all BTCC events for each season entered.

Any entry that is unused for one event in any season will void its TBL and a team missing two events will have its entry rescinded for the rest of that season.

Squads will be allowed to sell, gift or loan their TBL to other teams on a one-season basis, subject to TOCA approval.

Each entrant will also only be allowed to make one change of driver per car during the season, except in cases of force majeure. Financial issues are not considered force majeure.

Substitute drivers must have completed at least 300km of testing in an NGTC machine, unless they are acknowledged by TOCA as having "extensive experience driving a touring car or are a driver of high repute", according to a TOCA statement.

AUTOSPORT SAYS
BTCC correspondent Kevin Turner (@KRT917)

It doesn't take a genius to work out why TOCA have introduced the new licence for 2014.

This season was one of the strongest in recent series history, but there were several teams that put in entries ahead of the season and either showed up late or not at all.

The full entry talked about at the pre-season media day never actually materialised at a meeting.

There was also some seat swapping, most notably with the Team Hard squad, and the rule appears to be an attempt to reduce that.

Constant and dependable entries help series. First off, it is better for the BTCC to know the entries that it has received are likely to appear.

Secondly, it is helpful to the fans, who will be able to follow ostensibly the same drivers in the same squads.

The driver regulations also mean that each racer who appears in the series will either have had enough time in a BTCC car, or have enough experience, to be able to perform at a decent level.

The only caveat is that this sort of quality control is fine when a championship is strong but is also the kind of thing that gets rescinded when grids dwindle and every entry that can be mustered is needed.