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Ouch. This is going to be a big hit on their performance. Is it right, is it wrong? Innovation? If you level the field, then what? SEAT came out with the TDI effort and kept within the standing rules. Audi did this with the R10 TDI and now look at Peugeot, they are outpacing the R10 TDI’s.

SEAT Sport Chief Track Engineer Xavi Serra explains what the ballast consists of, and how it is responsible for making the engineers and drivers work so hard:

the ballast consists of 1, 3, 5, 10 and 20 kg pieces of lead that are firmly bolted to the floor and sealed by the organisation. Their arrangement in the car is vital, since they strongly influence the weight distribution of the car.

According to the rules the ballast has to go on the floor of the car, somewhere between the driver’s feet and where the spare wheel would be. We can choose ourselves where to place it, either all together, all at the rear, at the front or at the sides, more in one place, etc. Deciding where the best place to put it is one of the jobs we have to do at every race since each track is different, and each driver carries a different amount in his car. It’s an ongoing challenge for both the engineers and the drivers.

Thanks to the success of the first two season meetings, with four victories in four races, the SEAT Sport drivers are going into the next event in Valencia (17-18 May) with a handicap that their rivals can avoid. According to the WTCC rulebook, their cars will be carrying extra weight that prevents them from participating as favourites.

At the Touring Car Championship, the performance features of the cars is balanced out by weight handicaps, a method used to guarantee equal conditions, and commonly accepted by the manufacturers. With this system, the participants have equal chances and the races are more exciting.

Since the WTCC is the only championship that permits several different technical solutions (petrol or diesel engines, sequential or H-pattern gearbox, front or rear suspension, etc.), by regulating the weight of the car, excessive differences among the participants is avoided. In some cases, this is controlled by the technical rules. For example, a sequential gearbox means the car has to carry 30 kg more (only 20 if it is a Diesel) than a car with an H-pattern gearbox.

The extra weight system also applies to the sports results – the driver with the best results will be penalised with extra weight at the following race. If at that race his results are not good, the penalisation is not carried over to the next one, but if they are, he has to continue carrying that extra burden.

The objective is that the races are balanced and fun, and prevent anyone from standing out at the championship, as well as give less experienced drivers a chance to catch up to the leaders.

The weight scale

Each WTCC meeting features two races. At the end of each one, the results are added and the drivers are classified. The first six drivers will have to carry extra weight in their cars at the following race - 30 kg is applied to the winner, 25 kg to the runner-up, and 20, 15, 10 and 5 kg to the remaining four.

On the other hand, for each point awarded at the championship, another 1 kg is applied. This weight remains with the car during the entire season, so little by little the leaders accumulate more weight until the maximum of 70 extra kilos. If a driver reaches that amount, whatever the number of points he accumulates afterwards or his results within the championship, the maximum amount can never be exceeded.

The championship organisers calculate that with the scale of ballast weights, the contenders will most likely be carrying the maximum amount in the last race, which means that the final outcome will be evenly balanced.

The ballast

SEAT Sport Chief Track Engineer Xavi Serra explains what the ballast consists of, and how it is responsible for making the engineers and drivers work so hard:

the ballast consists of 1, 3, 5, 10 and 20 kg pieces of lead that are firmly bolted to the floor and sealed by the organisation. Their arrangement in the car is vital, since they strongly influence the weight distribution of the car.

According to the rules the ballast has to go on the floor of the car, somewhere between the driver’s feet and where the spare wheel would be. We can choose ourselves where to place it, either all together, all at the rear, at the front or at the sides, more in one place, etc. Deciding where the best place to put it is one of the jobs we have to do at every race since each track is different, and each driver carries a different amount in his car. It’s an ongoing challenge for both the engineers and the drivers.

- SEAT