Andy, once again I'm hearing Prod/GT have failed to fill the needs of the club and IT will do a better job. As a National class IT would more or less replace Prod. You feel that this new and expanded role for IT will solve some of the club's woes in it's national race program. You are looking at the "Big Picture" in the club, a good but rare viewpoint.
So if our goal is to "fix National Racing" or "help Club Racing" I see two approaches. One is to make IT a National class or eliminate the Regional/National distinction. No doubt this will increase participation in National racing and generate more Runoffs entry fees. The BOD would love this. They would also like to see Prod with it's difficult to administer rule set be replaced by IT. But now IT would have a whole new role in the club. It would have to serve everybody from the beginner and occasional low budget racers to the super high budget rule stretching National Championship contender. Can IT do everything and do it well?
A second option if we are addressing the "Big Picture" is to acknowledge the the success of IT and Regional Racing and preserve it. And focus our changes on Production and a to a lesser extent GT where the problems lie. As you said with your band-aid open wound analogy Prod is extremely resistant to needed changes. But in my opinion treating the sick part of the club is much prefer to attempting to transplant IT into National racing. It is entirely possible and in my opinion easier to redefine Prod or Prepaired to serve as a step just above IT for IT drivers to go National/ Runoffs racing.
The job of the ITAC is not to save club racing. The ITAC's job is to do what is best for IT. Changing Improved Touring to solve other problems in the club is not what is best for IT.
And I fail again at getting a coherent thought across. I tend to reply to individual 'problems' and in this case, we really need to know the plan before moving.
When I mention the other classes, I do so as proof of what role comp adjustments and old-school attitudes can do to a category. These things have nothing to do with Nat/Reg racing, they have to do with the categorical standards and rules. IT doesn't have these problems.
I also am not a proponent of IT going National to 'save Club racing'. While it may be a nice byproduct, it isn't the reason I would vote for it. IT going National does need (IMHO) to be good for IT for it to be something I support. My past points are simply that I don't have the fear that others do about it ruining IT. Take Chris's example above. Solid and traditional thinking - but in my counterpoint I submit that those are moot when you apply them to the IT category - thereby taking away another 2 'issues' with a class going National in my mind.
Why would IT replace Prod? All that would happen is that 5 popular classes get added to the docket. Regional/National will never go away because we have tons of 'Regional only' classes that aren't in the GCR. When are you gonna run SPU, SPO, GTA, SSM, NCF, Legends, ITE, etc, etc? At NON-National qualifying events ----- yup ---- Regionals. and that is ok.
All this is about for me is weighing the pro's and cons of taking IT National in a bubble. I don't really care how it affects other classes. If it has a negative effect on some, then those classes where in need of a kick in the pants. Some of the National participation numbers are EMBARRASING.
I don't want to generate more RO entires for Topeka. I want to generate more interest in IT and the SCCA. - and I think taking IT National has the potential to do that.
