Thanks for your reply Ray. And thanks for letting us run the FIAT in your class at Taupo. I think Ross's intention is to run in both the Alfa and ERC series. Our driveshaft problem has been addressed and we are ready to go again.
For some time now I have thought long and hard about the problem of small fields. If there is an answer I don't have it. I think the main issue is value for money for the competitor or as some would put it "bang for buck". I know that there are many cars lying idle in sheds all over the country because the total cost of competing has become more than the owner can afford. In some cases a change in regulations have meant that money has to be spent to bring the car up to a newer standard which the owner cannot afford. One of the greatest problems is that while many of these cars are for sale the asking price is way more than what the car is realistically worth or what some other person is willing to pay. The stupid part of this equation is that as anyone who has been involved in motorsport for any length of time it is not possible to build these cars for what is being asked for them.
I totally agree that any premier class should not be made up of 100% identical cars. I also think that classes like the Aussie V8 supercars have gone to far away from the original concept and that they are basically a silhouette of what that are suposed to be. This is why classes like yours and HMC are doing so well and attracting competitors. That is because they are real cars modified to suit their application and not some space frame with some manufacturer's panels trimmed to fit and attached to the outside.
In my opinion one of the best classes was group A. Real cars from real manufacturers modified to race but still retaining the original identity and appearing to Joe Public like the car they own and drive.
Maybe what the world of motorsport needs is a modern version of group A with a set of regulation that are universal worldwide.