As I mentioned on another board this morning, this is another instance of VTEC hurting the classification of a Honda.

Andy, those cars weren't going to be ITS competitive at the old weight. Now they are dead.
Sure, they do make 160hp, BUT they are very peaky 1.6 liter motors that make no torque at all. And as a local Atlanta driver (a good one) found a few years ago, that 1.6 liter engine WILL NOT hang with BMWs and RX7s and 240s on the last half of a straight. That was at the old weight with a King Motorsports powerplant.
He gave up on that project. I think that car is being regionally run in EP now.

I understand the process and I mostly agree with it. But this is a case (and I'm sure there will be others) where the process got it wrong. Really really wrong.
I'm starting to think "the process" is weighted such that the high revving, high peak power, low displacement and low TQ Honda products are in big trouble. With FWD and a lack of grunt, weight kills these cars, but the high peak HP numbers are getting them the weight.

Its a tricky situation.