That's what makes combat so cool. Being the fastest plane on the field is not an advantage. In fact, it hurts most guys more than anything. Even in Open B, the most aggressively open class, engines like the Jett .30 and Fora .29 are used, but guys with totally stock OS FX, Magnum and other engines can, and do score just as well.

Enging reliablity matters far far more than a few RPM.