In many classes such as IT, the mix of driver skill is relatively homogeneous through much of the field. The spread in lap times is often due in large part to other factors such as the completely different equipment, funding and preparation levels found throughout club racing.

In SPEC classes, on the other hand, the theory is that everyone is running exactly the same or intentionally equivalent equipment. In SSM (a SPEC class), this even includes the SPEC Toyo tires. Thus, the gradation of driver skill clearly peaks towards the front of the class and drops off through the mid-pack. There are exceptions, of course, but the intended drop-off of the skill versus lap-time slope ("skill-slope") is BY DESIGN in a SPEC class.

As it turns out, the SSM class is somewhat faster this year than in years past. For example, a new lap record of 1:03.4 was set in SSM at Lime Rock in Saturday's NARRC Runoffs race, while the mid-pack in SSM was turning 1:06-1:07. I haven't paid much attention to their rules so I can't say where their new-found speed is coming from. For comparison, my best time "in the clear" at Lime Rock this year was 1:05.9 (although I did find a 1:05.2 while drafting a Miata). I can knock off consistent 1:06s in the clear, and am getting to the point that I can sometimes do it when working through traffic (thus, this SSM/ITC experience has actually been helpful to my own skill development). I believe that the ITC lap record is 1:04.8, but that record is several years old and was set by one of the cars destroyed in Saturday's incident.

Unfortunately for the ITC racers, these comparative lap times place our lead cars right smack in the middle of the SSM skill-slope. I believe that the top 3 in ITC were all running low 1:06 lap times. While there may occasionally be highly skilled SSM drivers in the middle of their pack, it's a little more likely to be populated by driver's of average skill (or even less if they're pushing the car prep/equipment envelope).

As is also well known, the SSM cars that run the same lap times as the ITC cars are generally much faster in the straights and much slower in the corners than the ITC cars. This is NOT a good mix!

Thus, I agree! IT cars should run with other IT cars. Grouping ITC with ITB sounds great to me! Personally, I think the old ITC/ITA and ITB/ITS groupings worked pretty well since the faster class cars could make very easy passes on the straights (and in the corners with the 1" rim increase), but the disadvantage was that the slower class cars usually lost a lap. As it turns out, the ITC cars often lose a lap anyway with the current SSM/ITC grouping.

If ITB and ITC were combined for next year, there would inevitably be a few complaints about ITC cars getting in the way of a mid-pack ITB battle and/or ITB cars getting in the way of a front-pack ITC battle, but at least neither group would be slowing the other in the corners and dive-bombing at the end of the straights (I hope). Anyway, I think it would be worth a try.

You definitely have my vote for an ITB/ITC grouping for next year!