Originally posted by GregAmy@Oct 14 2005, 02:02 PM
Personally, Gregg, having dipped my toes into the waters of Spec Miata, I suspect a lot of folks will very quickly get turned off by the wreckless driving, whiney attitudes, and inexperience that the majority of the participants in the group express. Further, it's not as cheap to run at the pointy end as "they" would lead you to believe, and progression to National status will only inrease the depth of the field spending that money (plus, many are vehemently opposed ot SM getting National status). Participants that get turned off on SM will flip to the next logical option, Improved Touring.

Yeah, that'll piss off a bunch of SM drivers, and I *am* speaking generally, but that's why I immediately turned my back on the class after having spent a lot of coin building one. I wish I still had my Spec Miata, but solely as a basis to build an ITA car. - GA
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Greg, Not pissed off, but the things you mention about SM are universal throughout any of the competitive classes. There are just bigger fields in SM and therefore it is magnafied. I know several regions where SM benefits IT with crossover doing two races. If regions would schedule where time is allowed between the groups I think many SM drivers would help pump up the ITA /ITS grid numbers. With any class (and especially one that has grown as large as SM) a few years in to it you will find some warts. Overall the class is a huge boost to SCCA & NASA. Remember one thing there are only three racers on the podium. There are a bunch more that were trying to get there. That second bunch is the lifeblood of the class. I see SM having two groups with both groups running in the same races. The "ALL OUTS" trying to make a maximum effort for national glory, and the "BUDGET GUYS" who will go for their personal victories. SM lets a guy know pretty quick if he is fast or not. In my case $25k or $40k won't make me an ALL OUTer. Hell $60K wouldn't either, other then in the money spending side. So I and many many SM drivers will be perfectly happy to run regionals, nationals, and crossover to IT races if the schedule permits.
I think trying to promote that crossover will be at least in the short term a fix to number drop offs in IT fields.
Mac