Chief Moderator: Phil Thornton
The return of the 1965 cars was a great success in Season 16, as was the introduction of the Inter League races so we will be running these divisions again. This season the 65 mod races will be split into 2 divisions, one for newcomers to GPL and another run over a longer distance and under PRO damage which is aimed at the more experienced drivers. We had mixed success in the Inter League races last season based in part on our inability to field a regular team but also because we tended to race on the opponent’s “Home Turf”. Hopefully we can remedy that this season and form a regular team and race on neutral ground if not on circuits of our choosing. The Historic championship with the 1966 cars provided some close racing last season and is being run again. There will be five rounds for the 3 litre cars and five rounds for the 2 litre cars. The 1967 cars return in the familiar Division 1 and Clubmans formats. There wasn’t enough interest in the 1969 mod to warrant running a dedicated division this season but we are teaming up with GBGPL in order to provide something for the budding 69mod drivers in UKGPL. UKGPL drivers are invited to join in GBGPL’s 1969 Season 5 championship; the results of a subset of the rounds will be imported into SRou to form a UKGPL Championship.
As ever, drivers are being asked to read the rules, dates and track selection for each division and enter the divisions, they prefer. The moderators reserve the right to adjust the driver allocation as necessary (for example the main contenders for the Division 1 title last season will not be allowed to enter the Clubman's Cup this season). The objective here is to ensure the drivers are happy with the rules, dates and track selection of their chosen division(s) before committing to the season.
Experienced drivers comfortable with the 1967 cars can enter Division 1 (to be run on Sunday evenings). Fast drivers who don't like pit stops will be limited to the slower chassis. Division 1 will be run under PRO rules. The handicap format for this division is aimed at levelling car performance by a system of pit stops. The pit stop times are based on the world record times and vary depending on chassis and circuit. It should not matter what chassis are chosen, the fastest driver should always win the race. Naturally the fastest driver should also win the championship.
Drivers looking to get to grips with the 1967 cars will generally enter the Clubman's Cup (to be run on Sunday evenings). Here they will be able to get up to speed with racing the 1967 cars without the pressure of PRO rules and the added complexity of pit stops.
Newcomers to GPL will generally enter the Novices and Amateurs Trophy (to be run on Tuesday evenings). Here they will be able to get up to speed with racing on-line without the demands of the challenging 1967 cars. Once they are comfortable on-line, they may decide to experiment with pit stops with a view to moving on to the higher divisions with the faster cars.
Drivers of all abilities who enjoy the 66mod can enter the Historic Trophy division (to be run on Tuesday evenings). The top four drivers in the championship will be restricted to one of the four slower chassis. The races will be run under PRO damage.
Drivers will not be restricted to entering a single division. Drivers who enter the Historic Trophy may also enter Division 1 and vice versa. Similarly drivers who enter the Historic Trophy may also enter the Clubman's Cup and vice versa. Other combinations of entries are possible but it is very unlikely that a top Division 1 driver would also be allowed to compete in the Clubman's Cup.
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