Re: Comments above -
Heavy damage - While some have had negative experiences with it, I can't say I have at all. I know for a fact that when I race under Light damage settings I become more aggressive - not intentionally, just within the subconscious I know that if I make a mistake under braking it isn't going to effect me (or the other driver) too much - but it doesn't make for good racing, just extra aggression. Some like Johnkiller have had bad experiences almost every race. In comparison: I've raced in almost every pre-season race and in every in-season race. I've yet to even take any damage, and I can still be aggressive with passing if I need to be. I think it maybe takes a bit of extra awareness to be able to position the car appropriately to avoid an incident - things like being able to defend hard, but giving the other driver enough space for manoeuvre. Admittedly there will be the odd occasion where you'll get rear ended and there's nothing you could have done about it, but most importantly: it's the same for everyone else.
Ballast - I think this has already been discussed for next season, there are a lot of things to be put into Season 2, most of which simply weren't available as features when we started this one. We had some discussions of including it in this season but the feature was implemented into GT5 simply too close to the season start, we would have had to postpone the start of the season to be able to agree on ballast amounts - when the season was already 2-3 weeks late already, this wasn't an option. But for next season, I think it's a definite, though it needs to be discussed more with stewards.
Prize Money - Meh, it's ok, but people will get greedy and the racing will become less enjoyable that way.
Single Class/Multi Class - The series was started as multi-class, so everyone who signed up to this series was aware of that. Complaints about it later are a bit strange, because it's all there to see in black and white in the OP. I can understand that racing with a grid of 14-16 of the same class is enjoyable, but does it bring closer racing, really? Look at the qualifying laps of the top 16 in GT500 and GT300, and I really doubt you'll be battling with any more than the amount of people you battle with at the moment. A full grid of GT500 or GT300 doesn't magically make peoples laptimes any closer. Take Monaco which was a single class race for example; I had a battle with Neomone, and only Neomone. Then look at the Nurburgring race just gone - I had a battle with Neomone, and only Neomone. So, more competition? Yes. Closer racing? I don't see it. - I also worry that there are plenty of Super GT series out there, so why would anyone come to ours as opposed to somewhere else? I also feel that splitting GT500 and GT300 would result in two seperate race series' with little communication between the two, which was never the purpose of Masi's Super GT Championship.
Also as to why SuperGT runs seperate classes, or why any race series runs seperate classes; it isn't at all for budget reasons - one of the main attractions of GT racing is the multiple classes on circuit, it brings added excitement and makes racecraft an important part of the race - rather than 'quickest driver wins', those who can pass the slower traffic quickest, manage traffic appropriately, and make safe passes, are the ones who come out on top.
This was a long post, sorry