If you need a set of the spec tires for your IT7, you need to order them right now. Toyo is way behind in shipping many of the popular RA1s to dealers including the 205/60-13, so many DO NOT have tires. This includes Appalachian Tire, who has only a few sets, which are already reserved. So there will be NO IT7 spec tires at SARRC/MARRS at VIR and probably not at Kershaw Memorial Day weekend.

However, they are available at AI Motorsports in California. They just got their shipment after being out themselves for a couple months. I've ordered my set and, if you need tires for either weekend you should call AIM, too. Their number is 800-578-2071 - they also advertise in Sports Car.

The reason I bring this up is I don't want to see a replay of what happend at Roebling this last weekend. One IT7 driver showed up without Toyos and when he couldn't get a set from Appalachian at the track, the Stewards simply waived the tire rule, based on the limited availability. They could have done any number of other things - make him run ITA, borrow or buy tires from other IT7s, or let him get a dispensation from the other drivers to run his Hoosiers(no one objected since he was easily slowest of the IT7s). Instead they announced a complete waiver, which could have caused a lot of unnecessary problems and ill will. We had a gentleman's agreement to run Toyos, and that worked out. But if someone had switched to Hoosiers and won or even did better because of it, there would have been a lot of hard feelings. Jeff Ryan decided to try out a set of Hoosiers in Sunday qualifying and went two seconds a lap faster than he had Saturday (partly due to a faster track, but a lot due to the tires). He went back to the Toyos and lagged back at the start to give up his advantage, before trouncing me fair and square (Darn it!), but it would have been ugly if he hadn't been a gentleman. We shouldn't have been put in this situation by the stewards to begin with, and we can avoid it by planning ahead and and ordering our tires now.

Tom Lyttle
IT7 #43