ITR Growth

racer50200

racer50200

New member
Currently racing in ITS but considering building a car for ITR. Is the class growing overall? At the Sebring race this weekend, there are over 300 cars registered, but only 5 or so ITR cars. Is there a reason it appears to be so slowing taking off? Any guesses as to the future success of ITR? Is it just a Florida phenomenon?

Thanks for any input. Sorry if I am :dead_horse: but given the investment, I want a reasonable amount of competition.....
 
I can only speak for the NE, but ITR is growing at an exponential rate and the majority of new builds that I'm aware of are ITR cars... I don't know the actual numbers of the top of my head.

That said, numbers are not huge, it is definitely starting small, but clearly gaining momentum. We are looking forward to a number of new ITR cars this season! :)

As far as reasons for the slow growth go: a slumped economy, the cost of a typical build plus the increased cost over other classes and other people feeling just as you do would seem to do the trick...
 
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I think there are a few items that are keeping the growth of ITR slow, but steady.
One. the cost of developing one of these cars is a lot more than some of the other classes.
Second, I think that the economy has slowed down car building in general. With some used race cars going as cheaply as some are, it makes no sense to build these days. And since almost all "R" cars (barring BMW's) essentially have to be built. there is a lot of investment to get into the class, and some cheaper options in the other classes if someone is just looking to go racing.

I do think that the class will grow. With most of the newer cars out performing the lower class performance envelopes, I believe it can't help but do so.

Perhaps, I am biased.
 
racer50200 said:
Thanks for any input. Sorry if I am :dead_horse: but given the investment, I want a reasonable amount of competition.....
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I think you kinda answered your own question... it took me a while to convince myself that I wanted to build an ITR car. After all, it was going to be very expensive and it is one of the smallest IT classes considering competition numbers. However numbers are not all that matter and the competition is generally very good just not deep. Probably because of the expense and limited number of people that can actually invest in it. The other big issue that I see Is that there is not a lot of used ITR cars available. In fact depending on what you do you maybe "shooting yourself in the foot." What are you going to do with your ITS car? If I was a new driver and I wanted to purchase a car it most likely would not be in ITR just because of availability. I Wanted to build a new car so i looked at all my options and decided if I was going to invest that much money in ANY new build I might as well get the car I really wanted.

In the north east we have about ten with at least two builds being done right now.

Stephen
 
I am correct that ITR (well, any IT) cars can be raced in the STU class if desired?

We have knocked around the idea of perhaps a T-3 class car since the mods are fewer (meaning less $$ and quicker to get going) though the initial cost of the car is higher..... And they even have a national runoff. However, the car counts are just above zero at present. :blink:

Not an easy decision. Have to admit, we are currently leaning towards the ITR direction!
 
ITR is going strong in the NE with very good drivers and cars. MARRS on the other hand has effectively killed the class by dumping it with big bore.
 
racer50200 said:
I am correct that ITR (well, any IT) cars can be raced in the STU class if desired?

We have knocked around the idea of perhaps a T-3 class car since the mods are fewer (meaning less $$ and quicker to get going) though the initial cost of the car is higher..... And they even have a national runoff. However, the car counts are just above zero at present. :blink:

Not an easy decision. Have to admit, we are currently leaning towards the ITR direction!
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The issue, in my mind, is that SS/T builds aren't really that cheap. As you point out, the initial buy in is pricy, but you still need all the cage and safety stuff, which is harder due to the interior. And you can't sell that interior to recoup some costs. They still require interiors, right?)Then there's the engine. If you want a front line car, you have to go through the mechanicals with a fine tooth comb, extracting every last bit of HP, and that costs $. And of course the write off factor is huge on a new SS/T car.



anthony1k said:
ITR is going strong in the NE with very good drivers and cars. MARRS on the other hand has effectively killed the class by dumping it with big bore.
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Odd, why not put them with ITS? You'd think the group could take 3 or 4 more cars, and you'd think they'd race well in that group.....
 
lateapex911 said:
Odd, why not put them with ITS? You'd think the group could take 3 or 4 more cars, and you'd think they'd race well in that group.....
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Good question. The class has dwindled down to 1-2 cars and even for these there is no room in ITS. I would love someone from the series explain.
 
lateapex911 said:
but you still need all the cage and safety stuff, which is harder due to the interior. And you can't sell that interior to recoup some costs. They still require interiors, right?)
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Actually they get the interior gutted like an IT car......

I think you could save a bit on suspension parts, no headers, must use standard bore, ECU may be altered but not replaced, etc. Sounds like 'IT lite' to some extent.
 
The reason I think that ITR is slow to develop is that there is no clear overdog. People aren't looking at one car and saying, "THAT car is the one to have". There are some real interesting choices out there but when you throw in the development costs, people don't want a risk.

Having said that, this year in New England, we will have the following represented: 325, 328, RX-8, 968, S2000, Teg Type R...

Its a cool class.
 
Andy Bettencourt said:
Having said that, this year in New England, we will have the following represented: 325, 328, RX-8, 968, S2000, Teg Type R...

Its a cool class.
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Let's see, in the SE we have:

E30 M3, E36 (325 and 328), E46 328, Z3 (roadster and coupe), 911SC, 944 S2, Intetra-R, RSX, Supra, Celica GTS, and soon an Rx-8 and 300Z.

Now if we could just get most of those to show up at the same event...
 
Andy Bettencourt said:
The reason I think that ITR is slow to develop is that there is no clear overdog. People aren't looking at one car and saying, "THAT car is the one to have". There are some real interesting choices out there but when you throw in the development costs, people don't want a risk.

Having said that, this year in New England, we will have the following represented: 325, 328, RX-8, 968, S2000, Teg Type R...

Its a cool class.
Click to expand...

Is the E30 M3 not running again this year??
 
FYI, I have submitted to the CRB my request to place the Acura TSX 04-06 into ITR.

Letter...

Title: Classify the 2004-06 Acura TSX in IT
Class: ITR
Car: 2004-06 Acura TSX
Request: Seems like a natural fit in ITR considering the RSX and TypeR are already classified in ITR with around 200chp....(blah blah)

17 x 7 in. wheels
Front track: 59.6 in.
Rear track: 59.6 in.
Wheel base: 105.1 in.
Curb weight: 3230 lbs
ref: from WC appendix A 2750 lbs is attainable under GTS rules
Double wishbone front suspension
Multi-link rear suspension
Engine Type - K24a2 USDM
16-valve, DOHC, 2.4-liter, i-VTEC 4-cylinder
Horsepower, SAE Net200 hp @ 6800 rpm
Torque166 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm
Redline7100 rpm
Bore and Stroke87 mm x 99 mm
Displacement 143.6 cu. in. (2354 cc)
Compression Ratio 10.5:1
TSX Manual Gear Ratios: 1st: 3.267 2nd: 1.880 3rd: 1.355 4th: 1.028 5th: 0.825 6th: 0.659 Reverse: 3.583 Final Drive: 4.760

Andy, you guess what the ITR weight might be at 15% power adder?
 
And that helps fix another "problem" in ITR... Fewer cars classified

, But 15 percent?!
 
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LOL - I did not suggest a weight to CRB! Since I am NOT building a TSX nor do I have dog in the fight, I will not suggest what the power adder ought to be unless the CRB asks. Even if they do, I am far from an expert.
 
On that TSX I think you're going to need a lot of supporting evidence to back that 15% gain up. Anecdotal information is probably not going to get the job done and real IT build information is non-existent. That means it'll be classed at a 25% gain which should put it at an attractive weight.
 
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