The FIA and Automobile Club de l’Ouest have announced that an automatic Balance of Performance (BoP) system will be used in the World Endurance Championship’s GTE Pro class in 2017.
Following controversy surrounding the implementation of BoP in GTE Pro throughout the 2017 season - most notably at Le Mans when changes were made the day before the race - a new automated system designed to remove human influence will be used this year.
“Adjustments to the balance of performance for cars entered in the LMGTE Pro category during the season will now be made automatically after certain rounds, according to evaluation criteria defined and agreed by all parties before the start of the season,” a statement from the WEC reads.
“A calculation tool has been created which will allow the targets for balancing the different car models to be met without human interpretation or decision-making, and using mathematical formulas based on the quantified, public, specific, measured data obtained during each race.”
The new system will be applied at all rounds except Le Mans, which will be judged separately.
All manufacturers have agreed that no adjustments will be made until after the first two races at Silverstone and Spa to avoid an overreaction. As a result, the first adjustments will be made for the 6 Hours of Nürburgring in July.
This year’s GTE Pro class features eight full-season entries, with Ferrari, Ford, Porsche and Aston Martin each fielding two cars.