A partial reverse grid format will be used at all seven rounds of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series.
As was the case in last year’s season finale at Bathurst, the starting grid for Race 2 each round will be determined by the finishing positions of Race 1, but with the top 10 flipped.
Starting berths for Race 3 will be set on aggregate points from the preceding two encounters, but not including the two points on offer for pole position.
In all other rounds last year, a progressive grid format was used (ie starting grid matches results of preceding race or qualifying, where applicable).
Unchanged is the qualifying format, with an initial, 20-minute session to set grid positions 11th and beyond, followed by a 10- to 15-minute hit-out to finalise the top 10.
Article S10 of the 2022 Sporting Regulations reads:
The grid for each race at each Round will be determined as follows:
(a) Race 1: in accordance with the CRSR except that the first 10 grid positions will be determined from the Final Results of Q2 and grid position 11 onwards will be determined from the Final Results of Q1.
(b) Race 2: as for Race 1 except that the top 10 positions will be reversed.
(c) Race 3: by the total number of points awarded to each Driver for Race 1 and Race 2 with the Driver with the greatest number of points on pole position and the remainder in the order of their total number of points. If more than one Driver has the same number of points, such Drivers will be placed in order of the results of Qualifying.
Ordinarily, 50 points will be on offer to the winner in each of Race 1 and Race 3, with 40 going to the victor in Race 2, and points paid all the way down to 40th position.
The driver that sets the fastest time in Qualifying 2, that being the pole-sitter for Race 1, will also get two points.
Round 7 at Bathurst is the exception, with 75 points for a win in Race 1 or Race 3 and 60 in the other, proportionate to those races being about 50 percent longer than the rest this season.
The Michelin Rookie of the Year award is in play again this year, with the highest-scoring eligible driver to be declared the winner at season’s end.
Round 1 at Symmons Plains is currently underway, with Melbourne Performance Centre’s Will Brown fastest in Practice 1 in an Audi RS 3.
Practice 2 starts at 14:15 local time/AEDT, with tomorrow’s action streamed live on Stan Sport.
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