ORIGINAL: combatpigg
I hear you about guys not wanting to change what really is a pretty good thing right now. But a guy could race with just one CYCLON for years, instead of having bins full of NORVEL parts and no less than 2 strong running AMEs ready at all times. If the Norvel and VA diehards were honest, I'll bet most of them have enough junk P/L sets lying around to buy a CYCLON with.
When the Nelson .36 came out it eventually ended the need to buy several Fox MKIII .36s and a week's wages worth in aftermarket parts to turn the Foxes into competitive engines. Still, folks complained about the cost of the Nelson. The Nelson was (and is) a bargain.
'Same sort of thing happened in CL 1/2A Combat when the Cyclon appeared. Until then I could count on nearly always having the more engine up front than most everyone else when I went to a contest, but I probably also had the most TIME and money in my AME or VA. Soon after the Cyclon appeared more guys started showing up at the bigger contests with good 1/2A equipment and nearly everyone was getting good, solid, fast runs.
And yes, I have enough used Norvel and VA parts to buy several Cyclons. But, as Toad indicated, making the engines work better was about as much fun and enjoyment as the contest was.
Were I designing a 1/2A class I would not restrict the engines except to stay at .050 or smaller. Make the planes larger or otherwise figure how to keep the speeds controllable by the intermediate pilot.