What does ITA/ITS look like in 3-5yrs?

[Andy Bettencourt]

ITSolstice sure sounds better than ITRolstice. I am eagerly awaiting the classification of this car when it's time comes. If I were a better gambler I would build one now for SSB and be one of those IT(S?) guys with 10yrs of experience on a chassis.

The gamble is that I think it's lap times could be in the R range but from every measure of factory horsepower, weight, and tech adders it seems to me it should be an S car like the miata. I would hate for it to be a slow R car but I think it could inject new life into S as long as it carries enough weight to stay in reach of the RX7s.

The thing that SSB has proven is that the car carries weight well so a heavy weight in S might be more appropriate than a featherweight R. If someone could guarantee right now where this car will end up I would be on ebay tomorrow.

Alex

Napkin math shows a 170hp RWD car with no adders would be about 2740 in ITS. 2390 in ITR. Knowing what I know about our MX-5 Koni-Challenge car, it ain't getting to 2210ish without driver - no way in heck. I would think the Solstice is more of a pig...

[tnord]

2740 seems like a good ITS weight for that car. sure look like they'd be fun to draft off of in a miata.

[robits325is]

Napkin math shows a 170hp RWD car with no adders would be about 2740 in ITS. 2390 in ITR. Knowing what I know about our MX-5 Koni-Challenge car, it ain't getting to 2210ish without driver - no way in heck. I would think the Solstice is more of a pig...

I wish my 170hp RWD car was 2740....

Where can I find this list of adders?

[esuvee]

low 50's is a good SM time (iirc pole last year was around a 51.9, and they were doing 53/54's last weekend.

I was refering to 'mid 1:50's' as 1:50.5 rather than 1:55's but it still sounds like that's a couple seconds slower than ITS may actually run. Either way, I imagine there's a few seconds between a 3050lb SSB car and a 27XXlb IT prepped car. Maybe I should look at how other SSB cars transitioned to IT.

Thanks,
Alex

[JeffYoung]

You probably get a 35% power increase percentage v. 25% for the Solistice, plus 100 lbs for torque and maybe 100 more for suspension (aren't E-46s A-arm all around?)

Based on what Irish Mike does with his at Daytona, Sebring and Roebling, I'd say the ITAC got the weight on the 323 correct.

I wish my 170hp RWD car was 2740....

Where can I find this list of adders?

[lateapex911]

You probably get a 35% power increase percentage v. 25% for the Solistice, plus 100 lbs for torque and maybe 100 more for suspension (aren't E-46s A-arm all around?)

Based on what Irish Mike does with his at Daytona, Sebring and Roebling, I'd say the ITAC got the weight on the 323 correct.

Yea, that car (the model, not only Mike's) is a great car. It's on my "medium list" for cars to run post RX-7. Watching it sort out now.

[lateapex911]

Travis has an interesting angle on this, and is looking at history to guide him, among other things. One thing I'd toss in there is that we've thought of ITC as "dead" for awhile now, but the numbers are steady. low, but pretty steady, I think.

But ITB seems to be experiencing a resurgence.

I'd like opinions as to why on that one....

[tnord]

I'm sure you know what a standard bell curve looks like, which would indicate there will be a fairly steady # of ITC cars over a long period of time....but still slowly declining. I think ITA is probably just on either side of the peak, ITS climbing, and ITR still in the "2 std dev from the mean" category. ITR will have the longest useful life given it's stage of the cycle, but is still big $ to enter.

i think the ITB resurgance can be directly related to the realignment....and at risk of being insulting.....because SOME people thought ITB was ripe for the picking, though the overwhelming driver behind the resurgance was the realignment.

the resurgance of IT as a whole is primarily driven by the realignment, and i don't think ITB is any different.

[JeffYoung]

I agree. ITB is thriving because there are a number of chassis that can compete in it, after realignment.

I didn't expect it either, but good to see.

[IPRESS]

I'm sure you know what a standard bell curve looks like, which would indicate there will be a fairly steady # of ITC cars over a long period of time....but still slowly declining. I think ITA is probably just on either side of the peak, ITS climbing, and ITR still in the "2 std dev from the mean" category. ITR will have the longest useful life given it's stage of the cycle, but is still big $ to enter.

i think the ITB resurgance can be directly related to the realignment....and at risk of being insulting.....because SOME people thought ITB was ripe for the picking, though the overwhelming driver behind the resurgance was the realignment.

the resurgance of IT as a whole is primarily driven by the realignment, and i don't think ITB is any different.

Stop it with ITB, you couldn't beat Albin in a SWC car!
You are a budget racer at heart. You have experience with the miata. Mazda has the best support that I know of for the budget racer. Find you a cheap 1.8 and build you up a real "A" car. You will out drive me and be in good sahape to beat those crossover guys. The "S" car sounds like a neat thing to try, but in the long run I think the "S" miata would be at a bigger disadvantage in MW then maybe some other places. Might be good at Hallett, but not sure at the other spots. Besides the "S" fields are up and down at the different venues. "A" is pretty stable and probably going to grow as SM becomes more and more "cut throat National". (We are talking MIDDIV, I can't say for other areas.) Another thing to consider when talking "A" versus "S" miata is cost to build. Maybe they are close, but I would think NB in "A" would be cheaper to get to the top with over the NA in "S".
It is all about the racing, and busting chops of the MidDiv Mafia buddies you have is probably your highest goal!

[JoshS]

You probably get a 35% power increase percentage v. 25% for the Solistice, plus 100 lbs for torque and maybe 100 more for suspension (aren't E-46s A-arm all around?)

Hardly. Basically the same as an E36, just slightly improved geometry.