Greg Amy grega@pobox.com 203.874.1403 The IT2 Initiative Greg Amy grega@pobox.com 203.874.1403

Introduction Newer vehicles, such as those built within the last 10 years and typically associated with the ‘import car scene’, have become eligible for Improved Touring Faced with a recent influx of these performance ‘pocket rockets’, the SCCA’s Competition Board has struggled to find a suitable classification 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

The Issue There is a significant performance gap between the ITA-dominating small-bore hatchbacks (e.g., Honda CRX Si, Nissan 240SX) and the ITS-dominating GT sports cars and sedans (e.g., BMW 325, Datsun 240Z, Mazda RX-7, Porsche 944) Since the performance of our newer cars outstrips the existing ITA front-runners, they’ve been classified into Improved Touring S 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

The Problem Performance of these newer small cars is dramatically below that of a typical ITS front-runner The vehicles are uncompetitive in ITS and members are not interested in preparing them 2002 ARRC Runoffs – only three 4-cylinder ITS cars, two Porsche 944s and a Mercedes 190E, entered 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

The End Result These cars are a huge proportion of the vehicles sold since 1990, and form the basis of a growing performance enthusiast market Without a solution, the motorsports potential for these vehicles will otherwise go unrealized in SCCA Club Racing A likely result will be the continued proliferation of single-marque ‘spec’ classes, such as Spec RX-7, Spec Neon, Spec Miata, Honda Challenge, and SE-R Cup, all in response to their being uncompetitive in ITS 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

The Solution – Improved Touring 2 IT2 = a new classification, between ITS and ITA Focuses on post-1990, four-cylinder, compact cars Typically equipped with 120-150hp, weigh 2200-2800 pounds, have 5-speed transaxles, front wheel drive, front disc brakes, and electronic fuel injection. Examples: Acura Integra Dodge Neon Honda Prelude Si Nissan Sentra SE-R and NX2000 VW GTi and Jetta 2.0 16V 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

The Solution – Improved Touring 2 All vehicles would continue to be built to the existing Improved Touring preparation rules All cars would continue to meet existing published specifications and would be scrutineered the same The ease of implementation makes it immediately adoptable while not upsetting the ITA or ITS apple carts. 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

The IT2 Initiative - Results Addresses membership concerns in regards to classification of these cars Very easy to implement No additional workload on volunteers Will result in dramatic increase in interest and participation in IT, especially with newer cars Should stop the proliferation of spec classes 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

The IT2 Initiative – Now In Process Interested parties are currently petitioning the National Competition Board to consider adopting the IT2 classification for the 2004 season Offered as a reasonable alternative to competition adjustments currently under consideration for IT IT2 program administrators are reviewing the current ITS and ITA classifications to determine which vehicles would be eligible for 2003 Article on the IT2 Initiative to appear in next issue of Grassroots Motorsports 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

The IT2 Initiative – 2003 Goals Goal for 2003 is to increase awareness of IT2 Interested competitors can sign up for the program and run IT2 decals IT2 administrators will keep track of 2003 points and ‘crown’ a 2003 champion Given sufficient interest, will request inclusion as a separate class at the 2003 ARRC Runoffs 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

The IT2 Initiative – 2004 Goals Regions should adopt IT2 as a recognized class Regions can choose to classify additional eligible cars not currently in IT (with IT2 admin recommendations) Competitors may voluntarily choose to run IT2 or their existing class SCCA should adopt IT2 as a nationally-recognized class 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

The IT2 Initiative – The Future The ultimate goal of IT2 would be to offer competition adjustments based on physical characteristics of the vehicle (e.g., hp, weight, number of valves and camshafts, VTEC) Would allow a larger range of newer eligible vehicles without “tipping the performance cart” Example formulas available on web site 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

The IT2 Initiative – Drivers Interested drivers should visit the IT2 web site for details on how to sign up for the program (nominal donation to cover decal costs): http://www.it2.evaluand.com/ 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

The IT2 Initiative – Drivers NE Region drivers are already signing up and have committed to running IT2 in the 2003 season Thomas Hovind (Dodge Neon) Jeffrey Poor (VW GTi 2.0) Thor Schroeder (VW GTi 2.0) Greg Amy (Nissan NX2000) More are expected! 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

The IT2 Initiative – SCCA Admins Please take time to visit the web site Interested IT2 personnel will be petitioning you for formal regional acceptance in 2004 Please contact me with your region’s newsletter info; I’d like to submit an article on IT2 Spread the word to other regions and to National, and contact us if you have any questions or comments! 11 January 2003 http://www.it2.evaluand.com/

Q&A The IT2 Initiative http://www.it2.evaluand.com/ Greg Amy grega@pobox.com 203.874.1403