God help you, that's all I can say.
Sounds like you are the type of person that will really enjoy the hobby. I'm not sure if that's good or bad... you married? The wife OK with you spending hours in the garage tinkering with your truck? This hobby can really suck you in... The Revo is a great starting truck. Its dependable, can go fast, and is a good starting platform for a racer. Its also a lot more forgiving that a 2 wheel drive truck. 2WD's take a lot more throttle control than a 4WD - the back end get squirrely much more easily on a 2WD. But, it is also a great way to learn to wheel. I didn't start to do well racing until I got into the gas truck class. It will teach you how to get around the track. By the same token, the monster truck class usually has more beginner racers than any other class. So its a trade off.
I highly reccomend that you go to your local track immediately. First, there will be people there that can help you with whatever problems that arise. You'll also get a feel for what its like to race. And going to the track to get some practice laps in isnt much different from running around in the backyard - except that all the jumps are built already for you!!!
You sound pretty serious about trying out racing. So, I need to point something out: 1/8th scale buggies are THE most popular class. Best power to weight ratio, incredible handling, fast as hell, and tough as nails. They are far more expensive - the best ones are kits and you have to buy electronics and an engine seperately. Just about everyone that really gets into racing eventualy gavitates towards the buggies. Or truggies. Same thing applies to that class. I mention this because you may find that you are kicking yourself for getting an MT when you really wanted a buggy or truggy. Head over to the track BEFORE you buy anything. Then you can see what class is most interesting to you. Then you can start to look at individual models of vehicles.
At our club, 99% of every basher that tries out racing gets totally hooked. Sure, its fun to hang with a bud or two and drive around and take a few jumps. But its something altogether different when 40 (or more!) people show up at a race track and run a structured race. You want to know whether you or your buddy is the best driver? Sure, you can run around a bit at the park, but a race is the ultimate yard stick to measure driving ability.
EDIT: D'OH! oh yeah, welcome to the forums!!!
