[KenWittlief]

We recongnize that rookie teams have a difficult challenge, starting from scratch and competing against experienced teams

and we also keep our eyes on previous regional and championship winners, expecting a lot from them

so instead of having a regional by regional 'toughness' rating system, we could have something like a handicap system (used in golf for example).

Your teams handicap rating would be based, not on the event you are attending, but on past performances.

They use a system like this in sailboat racing. Different boat designs can be raced in an open class event, because you are not really racing against the other boats, you are racing against the average or typical performance numbers for your boat. If you sail your boat very well that day, and someone with a faster design sails poorly, you can win the race, even though they crossed the finish line before you did.

Likewise, if three rookie teams are allied against three championship winners, the rookie teams would have a large handicap rating, and they could win the match if they play well, even if they finish with fewer points.

You could also have ratings based on the robot design. A purely defensive robot would have a different handicap rating than a robot designed to score points (because it is much more difficult to score points with a purely defensive design).