I'm going out on a limb here...

Andy Bettencourt said:
Help me here. How does a move to NASA help you when the core of your motor is in shortage?

If it was me, and I saw a dead future, I would try and get a STANDARD ruleset with the 146hp S4 ITS motor as the core. It's a regional only class anyway. Create teh groundsweel, create the leadership team and run it like SM.
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Couldn't I put a 2nd gen 13B in the car and run PT in NASA? Do they care about spec lines and if my car is as stock as possible? I thought it was some kind of check list of engine size, mods, tires, etc. that goes into some magic formula and Presto! you're in a certain race group.

At this point I will run next year down on power and see how this all plays out. I have started the ground swell here and will take it to the SEDiv annual convention. There already exists a leadership team for IT7 and hopefully they come up with a solution. If they do, it needs to be cheap and easily available because I am not going to spend a lot of time or money on an IT car. That is not why I picked IT or this class.


If they don't, I guess my choices are as follows:
  1. Run NASA with the RX7.
  2. Sell off what I have and race in an SCCA national class preferably non- production based.
  3. Sell off what I have and race in some other amatuer racing club.
  4. Quit SCCA, pay the spectator fee at Road Atlanta to watch you guys bust ass and spend my money elsewhere doing something more relaxing.
I really enjoy SCCA racing and would hate go elsewhere, but unless I feel I am getting value for my entertainment dollar I will be forced to.
 
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We've had these discussions before in regards to ITC. If there isn't enough interest in a car/class, maybe we should let it die. But don't blame the SCCA. :shrug:

It sounds like what ever is bothering you goes a lot deeper than just have troubles finding a housing........
 
tom_sprecher said:
If they don't, I guess my choices are as follows:
  1. Run NASA with the RX7.
  2. Sell off what I have and race in an SCCA national class preferably non- production based.
  3. Sell off what I have and race in some other amatuer racing club.
  4. Quit SCCA, pay the spectator fee at Road Atlanta to watch you guys bust ass and spend my money elsewhere doing something more relaxing.
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5. Swap to the 13B and run STU, which is (currently) a National class and still within the SCCA community.

You would be just as competitive in STU as you would be in NASA's PTx for the same amount of money. Those guys can put in big brakes, splitters, whizzy wings and other "go-fast" items as well. If you're wanting track time at an affordable cost without having to worry about so many rules (like washer bottles, the period-correct engine, etc.), STU is your new playground. If you to run at the pointy end of ANY class, however, be prepared to bring the thick checkbook out.

You don't like the IT-7 rules? Either build consensus for getting them changed or alter your expectations.

I like winning, but as GTA gains popularity that's gotten more difficult for me to accomplish. As a result, I now find myself reverting to the goal I had when running GT-1:

"Don't get outrun by somebody spending less money than you are!"
 
Honestly I think the housing shortage is currently overstated although the prices are going up. There is also coatings being applied to restore housing although most are illegal I think there is one that is legal, again pricey but cheaper than reengineering your car. Worst case scenario if it is determined that none of the recoatings are GCR legal you could get the process included in the IT7 specific rules.
The problem with allowing the 13b is everyone whether they need an engine or not will have to change to keep up.
 
Unfortunately, I seem to have misplaced my big fat checkbook and that is why I am hoping for a easy alternative. Typically, easy = cheap.

I am in the market for a couple of housings at this time. According to an email I received, refurbished 12A housings that have been ceramic coated are available for $540 each. If anyone knows more specifics about this process and who does it, please share the details with me. If anyone knows the names, numbers or emails of those on the SEDiv IT7 committee, please let me know. If you know where I can find reasonably priced new housings please let me know ASAP and I'll sit down and shut up.

Like I said I really enjoy SCCA racing and honestly would prefer not to go elsewhere or do anything else more relaxing. Changing classes at this time is not an otion. I have too much time into this car as is, would like to get 2-3 more years out of it, would not pick an RX7 as a base to build into STU or EP and still can't find that checkbook. If you see it let me know. ;)
 
Sounds like the easiest and cheapest solution is to get an allowance added into IT7 for reman'd and/or coated housings. Soup.
 
If I ran in IT7, this would certainly trigger the need to mobilize a leadership team. Recruit members from all over teh country and figure out what works best for you as a group. Since its a regional class that's not in the GCR and allowed to race at the graces of your local chapter, design your rules to suit and go for it.
 
Update

Andy Bettencourt said:
If I ran in IT7, this would certainly trigger the need to mobilize a leadership team. Recruit members from all over teh country and figure out what works best for you as a group. Since its a regional class that's not in the GCR and allowed to race at the graces of your local chapter, design your rules to suit and go for it.
Click to expand...

I found out last month that as it turns out I am one of a three member IT7 Advisor Committee here in the SEDiv. Don't ask me how or when that happened.
Butch guessed he asked me at CMP, but neither of us can remember as there may have been a fair amount of drinking being done at the time. :rolleyes:

Anyhow, I've talked with some of the powers that be and have been advised to obtain SEDiv IT7 driver input regarding allowing the chrome plated rotor housing surface and the nitrided iron side housing surface on 12A Mazda engines to be remanufactured to factory specifications using sprayed on Cermet coatings. Dyno tests by the manufacturer show virtually no performance increase (maybe 1%) and the cost is not much more that new parts when they were available from MazdaSpeed.

Although internal engine coatings are against ITCS rules, rotary engines are different and apparently D.2. of the ITCS states the CRB agrees. Unless I have read the rules incorrectly, all rotary engines are raced in defiance of D.1.q. since they have chrome plated rotor housings and nitrided iron side housings, but that was probably addressed a long time ago

What we are trying to avoid is the very real possibility that in a few years, hundreds of IT7, SRX7 and Pro7 cars could be collecting dust in garages and the income from close to 900 race entries per year could not be used to pay race region track expenses across the nation.

Any and all comments and questions are welcome. This is being done purely to overcome a supply and demand issue and should be a market driven process.

A description of the rule change, a ballot and a self addressed, stamped envelope will be sent out to every SEDiv driver who raced in IT7 last year. If this description fits you please PM me your address and member #. The rest I will cull from SARRC, ProIT and ECR points results.

If the results of the poll show a majority are in favor of a rule change, a request will be presented to the SEDiv Planning Committee for review and eventually presented at the Mid Year meeting for a vote by the RE's to be included in the 2010 SEDiv class rules.
 
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