Theberengersniper
Regulation mistake
editTLDR - the article suggests 4WD cars were banned throughout the Super Touring era, when in fact the regulations were amended to disallow it in 1998. It was technically allowed (and used) between 1990 and 1997.
In the 'Regulations' section the first paragraph mentions "Only two wheels could be driven and steered". The original author is confused. Super Touring regulations, in force between 1990 and 2000, originally allowed 4WD cars. It wasn't until 1998 and an update to the rules that the "only two wheels could be driven and steered" came into force owing to the crushing success of the Audi A4. Super Touring regulations afforded the manufacturer the option of using any engine and drivetrain combination they liked, provided the homologated road car was available with the option.
By way of example, the Audi A4 (which won the BTCC in 1996 in the hands of German ace Frank Beila) was commonly a front-wheel-drive car on the road, but a 4WD version was available to buy (the Quattro). This allowed Audi Sport UK to explore the following options, all of which would be legal:
- Build and run the car as a Front-wheel-drive car (by stripping out the prop-shaft and rear axle, which they were forced to do in 1998)
- Build and run the car as a Rear-wheel-drive car (by stripping out the front axle)
- Build and run the car as a 4-wheel-drive car (by using the available Quattro system)
The same approach was used by Vauxhall with the Cavalier in 1990. The Cavalier was available to buy as a road car with a 4WD system and therefore allowed the Dave Cook racing team to build and test the car in Rear-wheel-drive form, to much praise from John Cleland who liked the car's inherent 'balance', however in that case the decision was made to stick with the more usual Front-wheel-drive layout owing to unacceptably high transmission power losses (unlike the Audi, the Cavalier had a transversely mounted engine, meaning to power the rear wheels Vauxhall had to first turn the drive 90 degrees, then down the prop-shaft and out to the wheels, and regulations stipulated that the engine orientation within the car couldn't be changed).
Sorry for the babble, my point was simply that the article is applying the rule on 4WD to the entire Super Touring era, when in fact it only applied post-1998.