I suggest that most sport pilots interested in pattern are not interested because they happened to have a copy of the AMA rulebook laying around and happened to read about pattern. The exposure to pattern comes from seeing it, or reading about it on forums - and neither has size, weight, or noise limits "visible" initially. I agree with Arch that potential new recruits are going to be encouraged to show up with any reasonable aircraft.

My experience with sport pilots and the majority of new recruits to pattern is that they find an appeal to the pattern style of flying, and no matter what they are currently flying, they start practicing pattern with whatever they have. Then one of two things happens -
1. They are hooked, and they continue to fly whatever they have that is best suited for pattern, and they plan future models to be more optimized for pattern.
2. They realize pattern is hard and not easy, and start looking for excuses why they won't participate (perhaps easier on the ego....not that competition oriented people have ever been known to have egos <G>).

Regards,

Dave Lockhart