According to the latest available info the new event format looks as if less easy to understand for “Joe Public” than originally claimed as one of the major advantages to come for European Rallycross.

We wrote after the FIA Modena seminar on January 31 (see news link below) that IMG has decided to skip the formerly often praised Round Robin system in favour of a hybrid system that will see the old qualification style (but with 4 instead of 3 heats) back into the rules as well as a total of 3 finals. The 2 semi-finals, in a similar knock-out style that was used for only one year in the history of the ERC [in 1976, when the FIA adopted Rallycross], and a finale.

In each qualifying run the drivers are able to score points; thereby it does not make sense any longer sitting races out. After the qualification is over the best 16 competitors get championship points, the best one 16 points, the second best 15, the third best 14 and so on, while the 16th will get the last point available. However, only the 12 best are allowed to enter the semi-finals, where they can score some more points as well as to qualify for the last race of the day. This finale will see the 3 winners of both semi-finals, the winner here will be called the overall winner of the event.

Now to the problem we see: Tom X. has collected 5 points from the qualification of the British round, after becoming the 12th best driver here. If he wins both his semi-final (6 points) and the finale (6 points) Tom is the overall winner of the Lydden event and has claimed a total of 17 points for the point standings of the series. Dick Y. was the best driver of the qualifying heats, getting 16 championship points. In both his semi-final and the finale he becomes the runner-up to Tom, which gives him a score of another 10 points. At the end of the day he has collected a total of 26 points, is leading the standings of the series, but has not won the event… For Harry Z. there is a similar situation, he was second best in qualification, which ensured him 15 points, he made it to third place in his semi-final as well as in the finale to finish the weekend with a total of 23 points, but nevertheless it is Tom who is the event winner with his rather poor 17 points. Easy to understand?

PS: Checking the system further one comes to the result that the smallest amount of championship points an ERX round winning driver can collect is 15 (5 + 4 + 6) while the biggest amount of points an event looser can score is 27 ( 16 + 6 + 5).

FIA/IMG ERX changes: http://erc24.com/archives/9669

Photo: The driver with the most event points will not necessarely be the winner of a future European Rallycross Championship round.