To me, *powerplant offerings for pattern* is about options. The SAP is an option that did not exist 7 months ago. It offers 2meter pattern flying on a budget. Maybe, at the end of the day, if one wants to fly a lot and doesn't want to break the bank, this is the best approach. Inexpensive to own and operate compared to all the other offerings. The caveat is that it will not suit every flying style desired. Could it win? In the lower classes, definitely. In Masters and F3A, it may not, at least not in my hands (he, he, he)
The other key thing with the SAP180 is that it is very low maintenance and also has a fairly easy learning curve, especially if you follow the cookbook that Matt & Bob came up with. You can expect hundreds flights without needing to take it apart, which is generally not the case for anything glow powered. Everything is a tradeoff.