20kg weight drops for Honda and SEAT

Tiago Monteiro’s Honda Civic and the six SEAT León WTCCs will both drop 20kg of weight for the season finale at Macau, whilst the BMW 320 TC gains 20kg and is now back up to base weight. The Championship leading Chevrolets continue at maximum ballast as they have all season.

With the Honda now having completed its first two races, the compensation ballast for the new Honda Civic Super 2000 TC has been calculated by the FIA for the last race of 2012, and with the Civic 1.3 seconds a lap off the reference car (Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T) throughout qualifying and the races, the car will be able to drop from 1,150kg to 1,130kg for Macau.

The SEAT León WTCCs used by SUNRED Engineering, Special Tuning Racing and Lukoil Racing Team have recently been carrying 30kg of ballast above their 1,150kg base weigh, but due to slower times being set at Sonoma, Suzuka and Shanghai, they will now drop 20kg of that penalty and run at 1,160kg for the last round of the season.

BMW have been allowed to run at 1,140kg at Sonoma and Shanghai, but stronger pace at Shanghai has brought the BMWs back up to 1,160kg, with the cars evaluated as being just 0.7 seconds slower than the Chevrolet. The change is deemed to be academic however, as the BMW teams report they can’t get the 3 series below its 1,160kg base weight.

Chevrolet will remain at the maximum of 40kg above base weight, running at 1,200kg as they have all season. The Ford Focus S2000 TCs of Tom Chilton and James Nash will again be allowed to run at a minimum of 1,130kg based on their performances, whilst André Couto takes over the SR León, which loses 20kg due to its pace but puts it back on again due to its homologation status, so will be at 1,150kg at his home race.

The normally aspirated cars which first took part at Shanghai have not taken part in enough events to have their compensation ballast calculated and so will run at base weight – 1,150kg in all cases. The BMW 320si however, which was entered by Engstler Motorsport for Masaki Kano at Suzuka and Alex Liu Lic Ka at Shanghai, has done enough rounds and so drops 20kg for Macau to 1,130kg.

WTCC Race of Macau Compensation Weights

Car – Weight – Breakdown
Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T – 1,200kg – 1,160 +40kg compensation weight
BMW 320 TC – 1,160kg – 1,160 base weight
SEAT León WTCC – 1,160kg – 1,150 +10kg compensation weight
Honda Accord Euro R – 1,150kg – 1,150 base weight
Chevrolet Cruze LT – 1,150kg – 1,150 base weight
Chevrolet Lacetti – 1,150kg – 1,150 base weight
SR León 1.6T – 1,150kg +20kg penalty ballast -20kg compensation
Honda Civic Super 2000 TC – 1,130kg – 1,150 -20kg compensation weight
Ford Focus S2000 TC – 1,130kg – 1,150 -20kg compensation weight
BMW 320si – 1,130kg – 1,150 -20kg compensation weight