I think I mentioned something like this in another thread. It's not a long-term solution (that would require a complete rewrite of AI behaviour, a removal of the poorly implemented rubber banding effect and of single-file, spaced out rolling starts), but it could work. The example I brought up was the Polyphony Digital Cup, where one race had a GT-R on pole and an Audi S3 in 12th place. Obviously, the S3 is completely unable to remain competitive and will hang about at the back. At the front, the GT-R will storm off, as will the player from 11th place. At least if the fastest AI are close to the player, it will make for some competition.
However, it is often said the rationale behind the single-file, "chase the rabbit" starts is to make the race last much longer, and make it harder to reach first place. Trying to put all the slow cars near the front will prevent this from happening. I'm not saying "chase the rabbit" is right, but it's clearly something the developers have aimed to implement - a sort of illusion of difficulty, if you will.
Wow, that was more of an essay than a forum post. Sorry about that.
