Jeff, back in the day, when the RX-7s were in ITA in the NE, they had the "Mazda Cup" where there was a trophy that went to the highest placed RX-7. It was 'perpetual' in that if you won, you kept it until the next event.
I wouldn't lose sleep over the double dippers too much, if you don't mind them 'winning' or running ahead of you. The variance in speed between the classes is already there with Prod cars and IT cars and GTL cars etc.
Isn't there a regional SM class that runs a spec tire and has reeled in rules to some degree? I know Rob Myles (Wreckerboy) has a SM car that he runs with the MARRS guys and the engine was dynoed and sealed, and they've got a special regional class for Sms that has the 'crazy' aspect of the SM rules turned down a bit.
So, there's certainly precedent to forge ahead in new directions if there are enough racers who can agree to take the plunge.
Jeff Young and Mike and Ron Earp have been discussing testing some 200TW tires back to back with R6s on various cars, so they will be able to shed some decent data on your questions regarding the specifics. based on my reading the tires would be about 1-1.5 secs slower at LRP, (ITA/ITS kinda car) but will stay in the sweet spot easily three times as long. (Say 24 cycles vs 8 cycles) THATS where the $$$ savings come in.
(Assuming that the tires cost 75% or so of a set of R6s, the net net means the budget winds up being a fourth of what a racer would normally spend. Assuming you buy in sets, and you pay $700 per set for Streets, and $1000/set for R6s, at 48 cycles, you've spent $1400 on streets, and $6000 on R6s )
Now, that example discounts how most of us have a set of high heat cycled R6s that we use for practice, engine testing brake bedding etc, so that $6000 is probably lower, depending on your program.
Regardless, Streets would simplify things tremendously, eliminating the need for four sets of wheel/tires at each event and the continual swapping and managing of them.
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