its not ridiculous at all.. it is the reason why so many cars like this end up junked and trashed though. so many people buy into the lightweight crap and end up destroying their car, and then hate it because its loud, obnoxious and uncomfortable.
if you truly want to go faster, track time pays more dividends than removing a 30lbs seat.. j&h made quite an impression in hill climb circuits just pouring power into his car and using huge tires. his car was lighter, but the huge power and tires got him so far.
the hugely overwhelming majority of owners dont race their car, and if they do they're never frequent enough to be competitive. 99% of the miles put on the car are street miles, in which case having a trashed and gutted mr2 doesnt help too much.
im not trying to convince you raptor.. i know you like tuna cans and you probably always will
its the other kids who get overexcited and gut the crap out of their car thinking they're "improving" it, only to realize they just made a junker they cant sell. its extremely common, i cant even count how many ive seen go down like that in the last ~9 years ive been here.