Very cool story Johny! The gearbox in general indeed wasn't too good, though there are (nowadays very rare) machined gear sets for the Maxxum.
On the dusty clay the FF felt like a relaxing drive, whereas my TRF201 was all over the place: I just couldn't get the car balanced (it was very hard keeping it from suddenly spinning out - I guess the gear diff, too thin diff oil and rear suspension setup contributed to this, but I think you get the overall idea).
What you said about the focus on steering rather than throttle... I think it applies to this car as well. However, that's for unlocking the majority of it's speed. I think when I get to squeezing the last few tenths a lap from this car the throttle will get pretty important again... Once you have found the line which gives the least wheelspin you can put your car on the throttle earlier/longer, but you do need to feel with the throttle where that line exactly is.
Jumping... This is a big question mark for me. I'm not very good at clean/neat jumping (I kind of just clear the obstacle in one piece with my TRF201 to head to the next part of the track)
I do think it will be challenging, but I don't think it will do kamikaze style diving unless you completely let go off the throttle.
The things you have mentioned are indeed useful: Diff (finding the right compromise between forward traction and cornering speed), weight balance, getting a good approach to jumps (which is now a high priority personal goal)
I hope I can improve the car and show that I can drive this car to similar or better results than I did with my TRF201... And not just me, it's the goal to have some experienced drivers try it out. If the jumping goes ok I think it could be very close!
