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December 04, 2013
Published on tags: Superleague

 

Three new outfit are revealed to be joining the Superleague, as the 2014 season kicks off with the announcement of many new exciting features.

Three new teams will join the GPVWC Superleague when the 2014 season starts in Australia. Supercup champions CSG Racing, debutants Target Racing and old-timers Vod:Bul Racing are all set to compete in the top tier of the Career Ladder following the disappearance of Halcyon Racing and Constant Racing at the end of 2013 and the expansion of the series to 14 teams.


While Target Racing is a relative newcomer, having joined the GPVWC in 2013, CSG and Vod:Bul come with plenty of history. CSG Racing last competed in the Superleague in 2010, its second at that level; it joined GPVWC in 2009, winning five races out of five in the 2009 season with Lee Morris and adding to the tally in 2010. It returned in 2013 to compete in the Supercup. Vod:Bul Racing competed in GPVWC events as early as 2005, having a solid presence in the level now known as Supercup; a return to the GPVWC in 2013 saw them do well in the Supercup and earn a call-up to the top level of competition.


The full 2014 GPVWC Superleague entries are as follows:


1/2: Midnight Motorsport
3/4: Nijo Racing
5/6: Torrent Motorsports
7/8: Nordsjoen Racing
9/10: Hawkeye Racing
11/12: Red Archer VRT
14/15: Kernow Sport
16/17: Woods Racing
18/19: Phoenix F1
20/21: Green Stripes Racing
22/23: ST Racing
24/25: CSG Racing
26/27: Target Racing
28/29: Vod:Bul Racing


The 2014 season will feature several changes on and off the track. The most direct new feature will see changes to the Free Practice sessions and the RD-points acquisition system: the usual FP session will be limited to race drivers and will not be used to earn RD points any longer, where a separate, 30-minute session on a different server will be open to third drivers only. This will avoid overloading servers and machines with too many cars during FP, and avoid disrupting race drivers' preparations for the event. As a result, teams will hopefully avoid over-earning RD points as it happened in the past.


A connected change regards the scrapping of in-season testing, resulting in more time during the season (and the return of the summer break) by eliminating four redundant sessions. Pre-season testing will be reformatted, with a cap on the total mileage and the freedom, for teams, to create their own testing programme: more details will be released over the next few weeks. All costs and gains - of RD points and for fuel - will be calculated on the basis of mileage, not laps; finally, Superleague cars will now be equipped with KERS.


A crucial change for 2014 will regard the introduction of a limit on the number of engines available for every car - to eight. Usage of the engine during qualifying and race will reduce lifespan, with managers being able to select an engine for the race up to two days in advance of the event. Free practice laps will not count to the engine lifing. A driver to use more than the allocated number of engines would receive a penalty.


There will be changes in the managerial aspect of the Superleague as well. The changes to Free Practice and in-season testing will reflect to changes to the Engine Manufacturing eRD points acquisition, which will now take place during free practice (for third drivers). Reliability development will be added, with more steps and options added to this aspect of R&D.


Teams will now have the option to purchase a 2013-spec of the engines at a reduced price. These engines will have a better initial reliability, providing an advantage in comparison to 2014-spec ones, but they will not be developed. This will not affect the total number of deals a manufacturer can have, but will add a strategic lifeline to cash-strapped teams.


R&D will see a radical overhaul, with a 1/100% system replacing the 10 steps used so far. This will make each team's development range unique, ensuring no two outfits will take the same path throughout the season. In addition, tweaks to the RD points acquisition and spending will make it harder for teams to develop their cars fully, ensuring development is still ongoing by the end of the season.


An expansion of the personnel system is on the cards, with the ability to add different ranges of staff to each area. Different quality will have different prices, with each staff member influencing the cost and time of development. The system will be structured to make it impossible (and unaffordable) for teams to max out personnel; in addition, each additional member of staff will bring a marginal improvement to the department, avoiding the creation of big gaps in capability between teams.


A final change to the Managerial system regards the introduction of a new marketing system - Hospitality. Teams will be able to host up to three big events and four medium or small hospitality events (in addition to the standard marketing operations) to attract new sponsors: these will result in the gain of Marketing Points to be used in the 2015 sponsorship negotiations. This will make the figure of the Commercial Manager relevant all year round, not just during sponsorship bidding.


More details about these systems will be shared in the coming weeks.