There is no advantage to waiting on the runway till the last part of the countdown other than it preserves precious amperes in the batteries of the electric powered plane. Myself, I would much rather have a few pace laps to get settled and set up for my start. When flying a nitro plane, I am usually the first one in the air. The YS tends to get faster as the race progresses, however, the electric gets slower from the instant you start drawing electrons from the battery. The only folks I have heard complaining about an E/P plane waiting until the last few seconds to launch are the folks who have lost to one. I have yet to see it affect the safety of the beginning of a race. In three pole racing, all the planes start together within a second or two.

Hey Marty, just kidding with you, didn't mean to offend. Supposed to be a few guys coming from Utah next week. You joining them?

Blessings, Terry