Good posts!!!!!!!!!!

A few random comments.

Regarding the ITAC and ITR. When Ron says "the ITAC", he's referring to guys who served on the ITR ad hoc commitee, which was kinda casual, kinda appointed but highly effective. The ITAC guys were George Roffe, Andy Bettencourt, and myself. Stan Clayton added some great CRB points of view. Some of the other ITAC guys purposely ignored it, choosing to see the proposal with no previous knowledge or bias.

When the final was proposed to them, the reactions were positive, supportive and I think they felt that the T's had been crossed and the i's dotted.


Secondly, the ITR thing has been discussed over the years, but
"upstream resistance" has been significant. The "no new classes" mantra was never far from our minds.

What happened? Well, it's like anything...a combination of events. mainly two or three.

First, the basic premise is that the pressure has been building in many ways over the years.

Now...a major factor: Spec Miata goes National. Seemingly unconnected, it creates a major issue: 25 National classes, that need to go to a Runoffs where the schedule is very firm at 24. Something has to give. Once that something gives, other floodgates open.

Second major factor: The E36. The single biggest issue in all of IT, and it appears that no solution would have been acceptable to the subscribers, and the one chosen, has been loudly shouted down, long before it's success or failure has been proven. That signalled a community that was philisophically opposed to atrificial restrictions.

Knowing those things, I thought that it was as good a time as any to push for a new class, and I called Ron and suggested we run with the list I knew he had been working on. I thought it would be good to get his new vantage point, and fold in the ITACs system knowlege. Timing is everything.

What I ddn't know was that concurrently, SCCAs new President was getting his feet wet and looking at the club and the direction it was headed in. Now that I have read some of his statements, it's clear he sees the same threats we see. Loss of members to marque club racing, lack of current or near current cars being raced in many categories, other clubs such as NASA attracting new members, potentially away from SCCA, and the Runoffs "show" needing a shot in the arm. ITR could help most of those.

So......it's more a matter of timing and other events that has caused the ITR thing to have more traction than ever before. Simply, ITR is good for IT, but perhaps the higher brass sees ITR as being good for the club at this time. Perhaps thats a signal that IT as a whole is seen in a more important light. Time will tell.

It's my hope that the class passes, and it continues building on ITs strong foundation.