Broadly speaking, I'd also suggest that while ITA saw a substantial increase in its "index" - approximately how fast leading cars are - around the time of the (not so) Great Realignment, ITB did NOT. It wasn't forced to shift performance, so the "old order" and the "new order" are forced to coexist. Further, there were (and still are in some cases) ex-ITA cars that were left out after the bump in performance there. I *believe" that some members still think of some of those them as "ITA cars," so are resistant to including them.

Finally - and I'm going to be VERY explicit about my language here - it's the category with which the "IT members" of the CRB are most familiar. I absolutely do NOT believe that Chris A. and Peter K. are manipulating the listings to the advantage of the cars they drive...

^ ^ ^
READ THAT AGAIN BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER

...however, they have a TON of experience closely watching the class, as it is today and as it has changed over the years. That leaves them with a perspective that is essentially impossible for them to escape, when they look at how "right" car weights are. You could tell either of them that Model X should weigh XXXX pounds in ITB and they could instantly formulate a position about what they think it would do to the class.

They are probably, mostly, pretty close.

HOWEVER, this concentration of decision-making - to the degree that they can influence the final weight of cars in ITB - simply looks bad. I was a classroom teacher and coach of girls athletics, so I know a little something about the sucky realities of that kind of deal. It's NOT necessary for something hinky to have been going on, for people to get it in their heads that it's not OK for Mr. Knestis to wait all alone with little Cindy in a gym late at night after a volleyball game...

I make no apologies about the belief that this is a huge part of the reason that Process v.2 is superior ot the practices applied to the recent listings we've seen - most pointedly, the MR2. An appearance of impropriety is as damaging to an organization or culture as actual shenanigans.

K