After careful deliberation and consideration of the results of the 24 Hours of Aston GP Masters of Endurance race and the IGTC pre-season test race, the IGTC admins have decided to use the MoE spec +15kg ballast for the FZR. The FXR and XRR will remain unpenalized.
Is this really needed?.. Why not just let it stay how it was? If FZR is faster, it's not like you can't choose to drive that car... It's already harder because of the gearbox, also it can do shorter stints...
Actually I've really got to question the logic on the OP. You say the reasoning is that the 3rd fastest FZR was .8 seconds ahead of the XRR on a FZR-dominant track. Where the lap times were ~2:40.
2:40 = 160 seconds
.8 / 160 = 0.005
0.005 = 1/2 a Percent.
With Significant digits from your own numbers, that advantage is exactly Null (correct me if I'm wrong).
This on a track that Favors the FZR (coming from OP)? That's Absurd beyond belief. It's going to get Murdered on the XRR tracks.
Therefore I retract my previous statement and hereby pronounce Shenanigans!
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IMO, cars are perfectlly balanced, but thing is that all best drivers (teams) take FZR and those ppl who left in XRR just can't get it going as fast as car really can. Than on 24h combo, where FZR has been dominant car in X10 (0.7 sec) faster than XRR.
With default cars, difference is 0.5 sec, but since MoE admins from to me unknown reason just like XRR more they have decided to give FZR penalty. In first it was 30kg, than down to 25kg than to 20kg and finally to 15kg.
With 15kg FZR is only 0.1 sec faster. If we remember good old X10 balance, where cars were perfectly equal, and gap on that track was 0.7 and now it's only 0.5 (default) why should we give penalty to FZR?
FZR doesn't deserve penalty for being most used car!
Infact, I will give you one great example. ALMS, real enduro champ. Penske Porsche and Audi R10. Audi is always faster than Porsche, but Porsche is just like XRR, does longer stints; has more grip, but less power.
In ALMS just like in IGTC, SC is nothing strange. So longer stints don't pay out always, but hey did they gave penalty to Audi for that: NO!
Even in MoE it's hard to use full potencial of XRR. You may ask why, it's because of Disconnects and shift+P situations.
I don't know how MoE admins, still blindly believe that 15kg is right :\
IMO, they will use BL round also to confirm they are right. And again FZR was faster there in X10...
If you'll examine the OP more closely, you'll find that that's not true. Bawbag was within .1sec, yes, but the next closest XRR driver was Jonesy at .5sec back. Bawbag was in fact the only XRR driver to get into the 38s. The third fastest XRR driver only managed a 39.4, whereas the top 9 FZRs had PBs all within the 38.4-38.7 range. Clearly Ray and to a lesser extent Joona are outliers here.
I understand that you rate the FZR drivers more highly on the whole than the XRR drivers, which is a matter of opinion, but even if this is so, the gap in performance between those non-Bawbag/Jonesy XRR drivers isn't that large.
These cars are also in different classes, not the same class. Poor analogy.
We don't blindly believe. We look at the evidence, which you seem to have a hard time doing.
Furthermore, I'll state that the XRR's tire wear advantage doesn't really come into play in the IGTC, since the races are only 4 hours long and thus all cars will certainly require 3 pit stops. Not to mention that SC periods will probably prevent the four full stints being run in most cases.
I still don't get the need to re-balance. These are the cars we have like this... If one car is so clearly better, what's there to stop you from picking it? Balancing is just unnecessary hassle imo.
These restrictions WILL be in effect for the Feb. 9 test race. All teams must attend if at all possible.
We will use the test race, on top of its already existing purpose, to test these restrictions for the IGTC field. After the test race we will consider the results and give you final word on the balancing within a week. Car model changes will be accepted after the final balancing is delivered.
"Sandbagging" during the test race will be closely scrutinized, so please don't try to mess around with the results. A balanced series is good for everyone.
I really hope this , for the first time in 2008, gets the FXR into the balancing discussion. It would only be fair.
Or isn´t there anything to add to this:
"The FXO GTR is a great car for somebody just getting used to the extra power offered by the GTR cars or for somebody who just wants to have some fun in the GTR class, but if you want wins and don't like long races you have to move to one of the rear-wheel drive GTR cars."
Why not just let it stay how it was? If FZR is faster, it's not like you can't choose to drive that car... It's already harder because of the gearbox, also it can do shorter stints... 
And there surely won't be much less XRRs than last year, as there was only 1 