Why little interest in ITC?

[Knestis]

Summary of Jake's best point: If ITC fields were as deep as SM fields, it would cost more to run up front.

K

[Tkczecheredflag]

Carol ,
That is an awesome pic !! That race was great !!! Ah the good ole days...man


And Tim...it's 1:04.8 ..and that's with a SM strapped to the front of the Rabbit to move the air a little better....what a brick that was...
I am pretty sure I got some of that SM tattooed on my car as well, or one of them...there were 3 of them at one point. But i never got it as bad as you did...well form those guys at least.

I am wondering how far the lap times will drop with the new pavement going down at LRP ?


- John

Cut my teeth with the great and noteable ITC drivers like John VanDenburgh - VW - LRP Track record, Brian Muschnick - VW - NHMS Track Record single chicane, Fred White - Honda - always helped when you needed it and always had an extra part to share, Brian Megolia - VW, Jeff Leone - Ford, Chris Johnson - Ford, Rich Giles - VW. All these guys won races, many won championships, we raced tight and respectable races, never held up faster class cars, never wanted anything we wouldn't work hard for, always helped our fellow racer - The "best of the best" in "club racing", taught me most of what I know - Thanks fellas.

Fondest memory in ITC - pulling Jeff Leone's engine on a Saturday between sessions to change his Fiesta clutch, looked like a group of surgeons bent over an operating room table - Got Jeff to he false grid at the three minute warning - he was in contention with me for the NERRC/NARRC Championship.

John V- 104.8 WOW- closest I ever got was 1:05.1 - SMOKIN!

[Charlie Broring]

Another thing that has resulted in smaller ITC fields is that it is no longer a dominant entry level class. Way back when I started racing most closed wheel newbies started in ITB or ITC. Then the spec classes came along. In the MARRS series SpecRX7 was king for a while and then SM became the class of choice for beginners. ITC and B were largely populated by old guys like me with plenty of parts cars in the back yard to keep our aging cars on the track.

Recently however I see a growing appeal of IT as an entry level class. When the new guys see the top SM cars costing $40K and even a SSM car at 10-15 $K cheap IT cars are looking like a good option. In the MARRS series I know of one new ITC build under way by a rookie and Tristan is starting out in a ITB VW. I think IT racers would do well to "market" the smaller IT classes to beginners who may otherwise end up going to the Dark Side.

[dave parker]

Putting on funny looking green Yoda mask:
"Aggression and anger. Take you to the dark side it will. Hmmm. Continue your training you must."

Yoda mask off.

As someone who has played with ITB and ITC cars his whole racing career, it pains me to see the declining fields in B and C. But as Charlie has said then came SpecRX7 and Spec Miata, and most beginners went there to learn the craft.
I think that those cars too will see a decline, many of them are approaching the twenty year mark and eventually the next "new thing" will come along and even Mazda will get bored. Remember, "Some Miatas are more spec than others".

Hopefully, the club and its members will not give up on the low horsepower, small cars that made sports car racing what it is today.

cheers
Dave Parker
WDCR HP#97
2007 MARRS HP Champion

[Ron Earp]

Hopefully, the club and its members will not give up on the low horsepower, small cars that made sports car racing what it is today.

I don't think the club has a choice. These cars are simply not made anymore. Someone brought up the Fit and Yaris, but those cars have 104 and 109 hp, I think they would eclipse ITC performance entirely.

Even if SM declines the cars will still be much newer than the average ITC car and more "available" to the average club racer. I'd bet that the number of logbooked SMs far outweighs the number of ITD, ITC, and maybe ITB cars ever constructed.

SM fan I am not, but the numbers are huge.

Ron