The compensation ballast for BMW ahead of next weekend’s first visit for the FIA World Touring Car Championship to the Slovak Republic has been increased by 20kg, with SEAT’s reducing by 10kg, with Chevrolet unchanged at maximum weight.
The nine independent BMWs of ROAL Motorsport, Proteam Racing, Wiechers-Sport, Zengõ Motorsport and Liqui Moly Team Engstler will run at maximum ballast for the first time this season, with the average best lap of the BMW 320 TC over the last three rounds just 0.3s slower than that of the benchmark Chevrolet Cruzes of Rob Huff, Yvan Muller and Alain Menu.
With maximum ballast, the rear-wheel drive BMWs will be running at 1,200kg, the same weight as the Championship leading Chevrolets.
The new SEAT León WTCC, which was up to 1,180kg at Marrakech, now loses 10kg, and so will be 30kg lighter than the heaviest BMW/Chevrolet cars.
The SEAT León TDI, Ford Focus S2000 TC and SUNRED León 1.6Ts are permitted to drop up to 20kg of weight, if the minimum weight of the car permits. Though the two SR Leóns of Tiago Monteiro and Andrea Barlesi have to carry an additional 20kg of weight set by the FIA Touring Car Committee which will keep them at their base weight.
The two Ford Focuses of Arena Motorsport will be running at their lowest weight yet at just 1,130kg. The two cars are required by the FIA TC to have altered their front and rear suspension ahead of Slovakiaring, so stand to lose their 30kg weight penalty which they’ve carried at the first three rounds of the Championship.
FIA World Touring Car Championship – Compensation Weight for Slovak Republic
Car – Weight – Detail
Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T – 1,200kg – 1,160kg + 40kg compensation ballast
BMW 320 TC – 1,200kg – 1,160kg + 40kg compensation ballast
SEAT León WTCC – 1,170kg – 1,150kg +20kg compensation ballast
SUNRED León 1.6T – 1,150kg – 1,150kg -20kg compensation ballast + 20kg ‘SUNRED’ ballast
SEAT León TDI – 1,130kg – 1,150kg -20kg compensation ballast
Ford Focus S2000 TC – 1,130kg – 1,150kg – 20kg compensation ballast
