BTCC makes several rule changes for 2015 season

Calls for revisions to the regulations were prevalent during the 2014 season as Colin Turkington swept to the title in WSR's rear-wheel drive BMW, with a number of leading rivals arguing that their front-wheel-drive machinery was unfairly pegged back.

A series statement said that success ballast would "considerably increase" from the current 45kg maximum, with exact levels to be finalised, and that "rear-wheel-drive cars will carry their success ballast as far forward in the cabin as possible, in order to better equalise the front to rear weight balance between both drivetrain formats".

It added that "Cosworth and Xtrac will independently analyse the startline performances and in-gear acceleration of front and rear-wheel drive cars with a view to more equalising them through engine management programming".

The previous system of adjusting cars' boost levels based on the fastest laps set in the preceding two events will be dropped in tandem with the success ballast revision.

A season-long boost level will be set for each car and engine type instead.

FURTHER CHANGES

There have also been revisions to the sporting regulations. The race two grid will now be set on fastest laptimes from race one, rather than the opener's finishing order.

The rule mandating that soft tyres are used for one race at each event has been amended, with drivers now required to use the softs three times in race one, three times in race two and three times in race three over the course of the season.

The soft tyre rule will continue to be suspended for Thruxton due to the track's tyre-punishing nature.

The final change applies to the Jack Sears Trophy, which is set to be become a prize for the top rookie driver, though it will be awarded to the leading one-car team if there are insufficient newcomers.

This year the trophy went to the driver who completed the most overtaking moves during the year, and was won by Dave Newsham.

It had previously gone to the championship's leading Super 2000 driver during the transition towards a full NGTC grid.