As predicted, the British Touring Car Championship has been pretty quiet since the end of the season. Oddly, it’s been BMW or nothing, news-wise.

There’s been testing for Motorbase, and also new team Forster Motorsport.

But most significantly, rear-wheel drive cars – i.e. the BMWs – are going to have a mandatory longer first gear, to remove their advantage off the start line.

I’m not keen on this at all. Front-wheel drive cars have a stability advantage – both in being able to recover from a spin, and generally in wet conditions – which remains.

There’s scope in touring car racing for measures to be put in place to stop a given car having a significant performance advantage. Which is fine. But only when it’s needed.

There’s an argument that other series have tackled the rear-wheel drive start line advantage. But if the front-wheel drive cars are competitive with the rear-wheel drive cars over the course of a season – which they were this year – then why change anything?

The BTCC is not the same as the WTCC, or another national series. Our tracks are quite unique; our weather is variable; and we have different manufacturers, including until now Vauxhall. Maybe some of that contributed to the virtual equality of front- and rear-wheel drive cars we saw over the 2009 season.

I just don’t see the logic for the change. If anything, the Chevrolet Lacetti needs holding back.