I don't think you can make a real case that the spec tire rule is "killing" the IT7 class. The number of different competitors has gone down a bit since 2005, but the total number of entries per event has remained essentially unchanged over the last three years. By my quick count, there were 182 starts in 2005 (average 7.3 per event), 173 in 2006 (avg 7.0) and 99 so far this year thru VIR (avg 7.7). The drop in 2006 is not surprising since a few competitors did choose to go back to ITA. Rick Thompson alone accounted for more than the difference since he ran 17 IT7 races in 2005 and none in 2006.

The tire rule played a part, I'm sure, in some IT7 competitors moving back to ITA. However, the PCA changes that helped the RX7 a bunch (relative to the CRXs, Integras and Miatas) made it more feasible for people who wanted Hoosiers to go ITA. In other words, I'm not sure all those who changed would have gone to ITA if the RX7s hadn't gotten the PCA help to make them reasonably competive in ITA again.

But the bottom line is, regardless of the minor variations in year-to-year numbers, IT7 is still the seventh best supported regional class in SARRC (behind SM, SRF, ITS, ITA, SPO and IT. If IT7 is dying, I hate to think what you'd call the other 40+ classes that can't average 7 entries per event.

Tom Lyttle