[Benh]

Originally Posted by jcb

1) They don’t fit in my 4wd and others without some serious modification, thus increasing the cost to either get a new car or chassis made, defeating the object that I would save money because I only have to buy a couple of packs.

What happens when someone else has new team car with layout and geometry is a leap forward and is far superior than the rest. You say, "no you can't race that car mine is inferior" - OR - do you go to you manufacturer and say - I need a competitive car. Make a new chassis to incorporate xyz. Then the manufacturer has an upgrade part to sell to all those buying a car based on your results (Why sponsor you if this is any different). Upgrades hold the sales up whilst a new car is being developed. Everyone is a winner except those not wanting to change.

As far as having to alter battery posts. I see bulk heads, wishbones, drive shafts dremel'd and altered, changing shocks to different manufacturers, drilling pistons. If these same people can't drill a hole and move a battery post I would be very surprised.

Originally Posted by jcb

2) May put new comers off, as the initial price seems slightly higher ok so in the long run you save money, but is a beginner going to be looking long term straight away?

Newcomers will either buy second hand, as they do now. And in this case is less likely to get a set of duds - which is exactly what you get when buying NiMh second hand.

Originally Posted by jcb

4) Could cause issues for shops with stock of equipment that is no longer popular with racers.

LiPo's haven't crept up on the world and appeared out of a worm hole. If I ran my business without an eye on the future I too would get a pinch by not being on the ball. But it will only be a problem on those stores that have overstocked. How would you feel about a local shop who had a massive stock of 56k modems - You would say, "Didn't you see the broadband revolution?"

Originally Posted by jcb

5) I (along with quite a few others) rely on selling my season old batteries at the end of the year to a club / regional racer to help finance my next years purchases. This is either going to end up in me selling them at a seriously low price or not even be able to shift them as the club / regional racer will prefer the ease of use and apparent performance from LIPO. Also as Racingdwarf has said makes equipment such as dischargers almost worthless.

We all do. But the prospect of LiPo's is killing the market - They haven't been approved yet. So it's the market force - NOT - the approval lists that is driving the price down. By them not allowing LiPo's next year only delays the inevitable, it will not bring the second hand value up.

Besides, you want the price to go up, so you can sell your soon to be worthless gear to a noob at a higher rate - that they will then lose on very soon after. How disenfranchised will they be?

Originally Posted by jcb

6) Although there may be no significant performance advantage on tracks such as Worksop, Kidderminster or Stotfold that are either low grip or relatively small and technical an advantage would surely be seen at places with tracks of similar size to Oswestry and Talywain. I know in our region we have two tracks where an advantage is had by running brushless, let alone having a slightly lighter car with a smidge more voltage.

More voltage? Your cars are rated at 7.2v - What do your matched cells, that are overcharged kick out. Not 7.2 I am sure.

Originally Posted by jcb

7) This is a bit more general and could include the large capacity cells and brushless motors but I feel it takes away some of the driving skills that were required to last a 5 minute race, everyone can now have a really quick car for 5 minutes. Which isn’t always a good thing. Do you really want to be trying to avoid potential unguided missiles as a newcomer gets sucked into thinking that they need LIPO and 4.5 brushless to be competitive.

This I disagree. Run time should never be a determining factor of driving skill. Driving skill is by definition the ability to drive skillfully - Not driving to see how much longer you can extend battery run times.

Originally Posted by jcb

8) Scrutineering could take longer and be made more difficult.

How - Why?. There will be an approved list. This doesn't make sense. Manufacturer labels, clearly packaged, products being widely accessible etc etc?

Originally Posted by jcb

9) Increase in the number of rules.

This is the job of the BRCA - They write the rules based on the long term benefits of the sport/ hobby. And really, what needs to be typed. Most of it's already written. Don't charge above 1C - Use a balancer and make sure they are on the approved list.

Originally Posted by jcb

10) Certain clubs may chose to get more racing in as LIPO don’t require the maintenance and apparent cooling down period after they have been used. I know it’s already been mentioned in our region that because we only have 3 heats on a good day that we could race every 20 minutes eeek, which is just impractical for anyone not having a LIPO.

You can run 3 races in 20 minutes. But before we get into that one as I agree, it's not practical at the competitive regional/ national level. Having one run per hour is too long. This will address the balance. Peaking cells is to negate the resistance in cells - LiPo has next to Zero. Brilliant!

Originally Posted by jcb

So to summarise for me to be able to run LIPO for next year I would have to....
.......
7) It would probably be a good idea to get a voltage thingy for the ESC too as from what people say LIPO don’t like going to flat.

Once again - I bought a GTB Novak ESC (Spread Spektrum) - it has one pre-installed because the market was leaning toward LiPo, I bought one that was (I hope) future proof.

It's not just price - It will be cheaper in the long run. Once you have the equipment, your consumables costs will drop.

As a representative you must be aware that 1 - this hobby/sport needs new blood. Brushless, LiPo's are all a step in the right direction. It's going to cost you personally a little more, but it's not just about you.

Secondly, you browse these forums and must have seen the steady ramping up of Trakpowers marketing, their sponsorships, prize giveaways etc. It's a clear signal when a company of a new technology does any of this, change is on the horizon. Watching Oople sales section over the past couple of months - the amount of people shipping out NiMh cells, chargers etc has all increased. They all saw it coming and made the sales getting the highest market value.

And finally. Those who appear to oppose LiPos are old hands. As a similie, it's the same as listening to Cantankerous Old Timers that have forgotten what it's like to be young. Or in this case, Old Timers that have forgotten what it's like to be a Noob. This hobby is a Sub-Culture, it's very difficult to get into. It's about fun, driving skills, sociability and getting some newcomers to make up for dwindling numbers. Make it easier, make it level on technology and the driving standards will go up. Or maybe this is your advantage and the fear is, you'll lose it?