Direct drive has never made much sense, going from the pinion to a spur isn't technically direct drive. Direct drive implies no reduction... that isn't the case.
This is direct drive:
Needs rewording.
Anyway, more to the point. I don't think anyone should be accused of cheating in a fun class. Even if they are doing very high speeds.
It isn't just reg that didn't run a silver can... I switched from a standard silvercan to a 23T fan can after the silvercan cooked itself. Scott ran a torque tunned motor (25T I believe), I think Rich runs some sort of brushless system, etc... Let's not fret over a non-issue. This is a fun class.