IMSA Adds Balance of Performance Censorship Rule

Following the example of the World Endurance Championship and its fine-happy sanctioning body, the FIA, IMSA has now updated its rules to forbid competitors from complaining about its balance of performance (BoP). Please enjoy article 2.2.3.a of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech Championship sporting regulations:

“Manufacturers, Competitors, Drivers, Constructors, and any persons or entities associated with their entries must not attempt to influence the establishment of the Balance of Performance (BoP) or make any public comments regarding the BoP process, methodology, data, or outcomes, including but not limited to statements made through traditional media, digital media, or social media platforms.”

As in all motorsports series that employ censorship and fines, WEC teams now speak entirely in innuendos.

Actually, I’ve noticed IMSA competitors tend to tiptoe around BoP conversations already, as the series can make their racing lives miserable in other ways as punishment, such as by giving their car an unfavorable BoP. But now the gag order is in writing and violations costs money.

BoP is the most political part of sports car racing, and I honestly get why the series would want to prevent competitors from using the media as a weapon. While sanctioning bodies’ constant fiddling with BoP clearly causes stupid swings in competitive order throughout a season, teams are also blatantly dishonest about how they talk about BoP publicly, basically just doing whatever advantages them, as race teams are wont to do.

I think, on balance (😏), it’s the right thing to do balance lap times between cars of different makes and let their more particular strengths and weaknesses — and teams’ and drivers’ ability to execute — determine the winners and losers. I just wish the process wasn’t so fiddly, because it introduces errors all throughout the process, and that’s what competitors rightfully complain about. I am in favor of this BoP censorship policy in the meantime, but I want to see sports car racing regulators making tangible progress on finding less controversial ways to balance performance.