RE: Revo only way to go.
I just got back from my first big race of the season. I was surprised to find out that many of the Revo guys were considering NOT buying the uprgades - center dif/rear brake etc - because they thought it would put them in the truggy class!! It seemed that almost 1/2 of the Revo guys weren't aware of the rule changes in RC Pro, and it started a near building-wide discussion of "which came first, the chicken or the egg" type thing.
The average lap times for the fast guys in MT and Truggy class only differed by around 2 or 3 seconds a lap. That is a pretty big difference in a 30 min main, but not so much in a 5 min qual. Could the new upgrades shave that much time off a lap? That remains to be seen, but eventually I believe it will.
This is the first time running a truggy class for the Northwest Championship Tour. The new class had over 30 racers and qualifiers didn't end until after midnight!!! The poor guys running the track had to put in 15 + hour days. That won't happen for long. The two MT classes WILL be combined when the lap times get close. No one wants to put in that kind of time, and I certianly don't want to wait around for 4 hours in between heats for a 5 minute qualifier. This means that the Revo may no longer be the truck of choice for racing. I think the upgrades will make the truck JUST competitive enough to combine the classes. Then, only the very best Revo drivers will actually have a podium chance in a class that looks like it will be dominated by the likes of the Jammin CRT-1 and the 777 conversions etc.
It will be very interesting to see if other tracks also have extended days due to the extra class. Quite a few of the racers complained about the extended wait times in between heats, and at least one other track owner was attending as a racer, and vowed to not repeat the long day. No one wants to stay at the track till midnight, go home (or back to the hotel) to get his/her vehicle ready for the mains the next day. And then have to get up early to make the drivers meeting in the morning. By my last qualifier, I knew my suspension wasn't quite plush enough and I needed to change out my shock oil and sprins etc. I was up till 2 am getting my truck 'just right,' and had to be up before 7 am to make it to the track on time.
The lack of sleep really affected my driving, as it did everyone else. Everyone was walking around with bags under their eyes, and it took away some of the fun.
To make a long story short, if you get the Revo for racing, be preparied to jump ship next year.