BTCC: Qualifying ‘Shootout’ to be tested at Snetterton in 2020

BTCC have revealed the new changes being made towards the 2020 season, headlined by a shootout to be trialled at Snetterton. Alan Gow, BTCC’s chief executive, explained:

“We are always looking at how we can spice things up, so we thought we could give this system a try.”

Along with the shootout, there are tweaks being made to both success ballast and option tyres.

As opposed to the standard 30-minute qualifying sessions fans are used to, Snetterton’s session will be reduced to a 25-minute spell. The fastest 10 drivers will then take battle in a 10-minute shootout to decide the order of the front five rows come raceday.

However, unlike some shootouts in other categories, there is arguably more leniency – in Supercars, for example, each driver gets the track for themselves for one flying lap. In the BTCC’s shootout, all 10 drivers will be on track together, and can navigate the track multiple times in order to get their best time.

Alan Gow stated that if it is deemed successful, further changes may be made to other events in the calendar.

Tyre nominations will also be altered in 2020 – instead of nominating which race they will use the option tyre before qualifying on Saturday, teams can now make the decision on Sunday at any time during the raceday.

In response to this, Gow said:

“The nomination change will allow drivers to think on their feet and use different strategies across the different race weekend. It should spice up the action.”

Thanks to resurfacing earlier this year, Croft will also join Snetterton as an event in which drivers will have to use all three of the hard, medium and soft tyres in separate races. This was successfully put into practice in 2019’s round of Snetterton.

Once again, success ballast has been tweaked for the upcoming season. 2020’s system is more logical, as 6kg of ballast will be reduced for each position below first. The top ten will now be weighted as follows: (1st – 10th) 60kg, 54kg, 48kg, 42kg, 36kg, 30kg, 24kg, 18kg, 12kg, 6kg.

The max ballast of 60kg is a slight increase on last year’s 54kg.

With the news of BTCC’s plans for hybrid racers from 2022, ballast will then be replaced and instead controlled through the electrical system.