At each contest I have attended, I have seen competitors with top of the line planes and equipment from top to bottom, just having the top of the line equipment didn't put them on top. Some wins, some looses. In most cases it's the best pilot. Considering the time and effort I put into my pattern plane triming and working on getting it to fly the best it can, so that I can fly the best I can, I would not compete in a claiming event. If someone claims the plane then what, your out for the rest of the season? That would actually increase the cost of competiting as you would need multiple planes, ready to go in case someone claimed your plane. If you do the research, you will generally find that the guy who spends the most time, triming, practicing, and getting to know his equipment will come out on or near the top pretty often. I firmly believe the effort you put into it makes the difference. I started flying pattern with a Kaos, had fun and took a few trophies (though not a first). Moving to a better pattern plane improved my flying some but I still got beat by guy's with less pricey not so precise planes. Fly what you have, look for a good used plane, and work toward improving your skills and abilities.

This brings up the question, as a judge, do you give better scores to the guy with the top of the line equipment as compared to someone with less quality equipment?