Spec Miata or IT?

[JeffW]

We all know that Spec Miata is going National next year. How will this affect their participation numbers? Currently, a driver can get on track for $10k, $12k, or $15k and be reasonably competitive. How much will it cost to be a top 5 car at the Runoffs? $20k? $25k? $30k? More?

With the potential for escalating costs, I see the possibility of some of the SM drivers leaving the class. Some will continue to run SM at the regional level while those with Runoffs aspirations will only show up at National races. Fields for Regionals may dwindle, eliminating the lustre of running in 25-40 car fields.

How competitive is the Miata in ITA trim? What about the guy who wants to move from SM to IT? Will he be a perennial backmarker until he upgrades?

IT looks to be solid east of the Mississippi but IT took a big hit in RMDiv when SM arrived.

Just wondering how SM going National might affect the IT numbers.

Jeff

[IPRESS]

Jeff,
The majority of SM racers are "new' racers. Yeah there are a good number of racers who switched from another class, but on the whole, SM is littered with guys whose only racecar ever is there SM. IMHO, most SM racers will run both regional and national events. What you may see is a few more people going back to IT with their SMs, but I wouldn't think a huge number. As some have warned on this very BB, "SM going National might not be as much fun as you think." I have run SM since the first offical SM race, and I have seen a bunch of growing pains. On the other hand, I think SM has been able to learn from things (SCCA politics) that IT and SRX7 had gone through before. For the last couple of years guys have spent from $10k to $30k on SMs. Most of the time a ARRC type winner could take the $10k car and beat me if I was in the $30k car. So for as much as it can be it is still about driving. On how SM going national might influence IT: Maybe what could bolster IT fields (outside of IT hotbeds like the SE) would be if at regionals and restricted regionals, race officals would setup the schedule to put a run group or two between the SM race and the IT race. That way SM racers could do both. Also to be considered, is that with expanding SM fields there will be some tracks that won't have enough space for all the SMs. The non qualifiers will still want to race. If there is room in the IT run group that might be an option.
As far as being competitive in ITA or ITS, I have seen some efforts, but only a few successful IT miatas. I am not so sure that the PTB want miatas to be in a strong postion in IT. My first SM had both SM and ITA by the number since we ran ITA just to get people interested in the SM concept. I hope SM going national does help IT somewhat. I may be wrong, but I would guess that if you polled every SM racer and asked them what was the best thing about SM going national, either 1. Being able to have a shot at the Runoffs. or 2. Having longer races and more track time.
Most would pick number two by a large margin.
Mac

[Andy Bettencourt]

Mac has some great historical insight on SM and we can learn a lot from that...to add:

The price for a competitive SM has risen VERY quickly. You will NOT run up front in a $10-$12K car in a National.

That being said, I think ITA is a legitimate place for the Miata. Bowie Gray and Mike VanSteenburg continue to develop their packages (even after crashes!) to where I think they could be a choice in 2006+.

The CRB will soon have the 94-97 1.8 Miata in front of them to approve/reject for ITA as well.

AB

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Andy Bettencourt
New England Region, R188967
www.flatout-motorsports.com (http://www.flatout-motorsports.com)
http://www.flatout-motorsports.com/images/misc/RX-7_Avitar.jpg

[ITAMiata]

Jeff, I ran SM for a couple of years and then switched hte car to ITA trim. Currently in the MARRS series Bret is 1st in points and I'm 3rd. I'm really weak on straight line speed vs. the CRX and the 240, but the Miata's handling and brakes really shine. In fact, Bret has the track record for ITA in his Miata and Payton Wilson ran even faster in only 5 laps in my father's car last year when he got pole for ITA. It rained the next day and he went on to beat all the ITA cars and the ITS cars as well.

Bill