Spartan, Yes, Your 100% Correct, You can Get an Electric to go as hard as a Nitro but in drift, it is not how Fast the car can go but how the RPM and Torque are applied..

We All Know, Out of the Box the Nitro is The Quickest and most expensive to run.
But Speed isnt the Factor with Drift, it is How the Motor Breaks the Traction in order to slide...
Nitro's Use Servo's to control the Pulsing of the Motor, and since in Drift, too much Traction is the enemy, the Motor will be Redlining during the slide.. now thats Harsh on a Nitro motor as the air flow is reduced as you are no longer going forwards but Slideways..

Drift too long and too hard you will get a Heat Build up and Crack the head.. POP.. There goes a Motor..
Clutches and Brake Shoes also come into Play as You will need Brakes, Sometimes to stop slamming into a Gutter, or Stopping the Wheels to get them to Break traction in order to start the slide .. Rarely Ever does a Nitro even hit 2nd Gear when doing techinical Drift, The Clutch is constantly on and off



Lets Look at the Electric Side of the Drift: Yes, It is a Lot more Postive but still has its Downside

1. No Real Engine Noise or Engine Feel..
2. Heat is still a factor but unlike a Nitro motor, most ESC's will shut down to cool off...
3.Cost of an Electric motor is Usually 1/3rd that of a Nitro Motor..
4. a $40 Rechargeable Battery will out last a $40 Bottle of Nitro
5.Using an ESC, this Allows an electric motor to respond quicker to throttle Pulsing allowing more control over the slide
6. Rechargeable Batteries can be Recharged on site with the correct Charger. Allowing minimal Down time, 3 Batteries is all that is needed to Drift consistantly, You Race 1, Cool 1, Charge 1 and the down time that is needed in between is used to cool the motor off.
7. Next to no mess with an Electric, Allowing Cleaner Running and 99.9% of all Indoor Tracks will allow Electrics to Run


Best idea is to Go to a Meet and Ask Owners on Both Sides of the Fence, See which one You like and go from there..

There will always Be a divided Front on RC as you will have Those who Push Nitro and Those who push Electric but we Do it in the Best interest for You..

I mean If I was going offroad, then I would Go Nitro... but for Drift, Electric is the Clearer choice..