British Touring Car Championship bosses have introduced the threat of driving bans in future meetings with an amendment to the championship’s Sporting Regulations.
A statement from series organiser TOCA was released on Tuesday, stating that driving bans could now be meted out.
The amendment comes in the wake of a number of big shunts at the previous meeting at Snetterton, where an ITV cameraman was lucky to walkaway uninjured after a crash in the third race of the day.
The addition to Championship Sporting Regulation 4.4.5 states;
‘Any driver who, in the opinion of the BTCC Clerk and the Administrator, has failed to exercise an acceptable standard of driving may be excluded from participation in the next available race or races or Championship meeting’.
This amendment to the regulations is implemented with immediate effect.
The last time a driver in the BTCC was barred from a race was when Phil Bennett was given a one-race ban in 2001, which resulted in Andy Priaulx getting his touring car début in his place.